People in Glass Houses A Novel

Only those who keep their wit and affections about them will survive the mass conditioning of the Organization, where confusion solemnly rules and conformity is king. As in our world itself, humanity prevails in the courage, love, and laughter of singular spirits--of men and women for whom life is an adventure no Organization can quell, and whose souls remain their own. Shirley Hazzardis the author ofThe Great Fire, winner of the National Book Award. Her other works includeGreene on Capri, a memoir of Graham Greene, and several works of fiction, includingThe Transit of Venus, winner of the 1981 National Book Critics Circle Award. She lives in New York City and maintains her long ties with Italy. Only those who keep their wit and affections about them will survive the mass conditioning of the Organization, where confusion solemnly rules and conformity is king. As in our world itself, humanity prevails in the courage, love, and laughter of singular spiritsof men and women for whom life is an adventure no Organization can quell, and whose souls remain their own. "A brilliant comedy on a large and serious theme."The Saturday Review "Places her on a high ground between Katherine Mansfield and Evelyn Waugh."The New York Times "It stings and alarms . . . Hazzard's strengths lies in her coolness, her modesty, and her understatement."The Times(London) "The comedy, irony, and pathos generated by the conflict between bureaucratic form and human content are beautifully rendered."Dwight Macdonald

Shirley Hazzard is the author, most recently, of the National Book Award-winning The Great Fire. Her other works include Greene on Capri, a memoir of Graham Greene, and several works of fiction, including The Transit of Venus, winner of the 1981 National Book Critics Circle Award. She lives in New York City and maintains her long ties with Italy.