This is Diana Athill's memoir of her time spent working with some of the charismatic characters that dominate 20th-century literature. She recounts tales from a life in publishing - including her reflections on editing writers such as V.S. Naipaul, Jean Rhys, Gitta Sereny and Brian Moore. She also offers an account of her own writing career, which includes the works, "Instead of a Letter" and "After a Funeral".