Dawn Powell had a brilliant mind and a keen wit and her humor was never at a finer pitch than in her diaries. And yet her story is a poignant one - a son emotionally and mentally impaired, a household of too much alcohol and never enough money, and an artistic career that, if not a failure, fell far short of the success she craved. All is recorded here - along with working sketches for her novels, and often revealing portraits of her many friends (a literary who's who of her period) - in her always unique style and without self-delusion.

Powell's remarkable Diaries will stand as...