A life of Green had to be written. Biography these days appeals to a far wider audience than the original work and the popular ignorance of the novels of Henry Green must be redressed. Treglown's book is well researched and at times fascinating. It is just a shame that the life of Henry Green (or Henry Vincent Yorke) was not as engaging as his work. Yet, despite its flaws, Romancing offers a brilliant introduction to the work of the man Elizabeth Bowen called 'nearer than almost any other to the central nerve of our time.'

By Alex Preston