Young Bloomsbury: The Generation That Redefined Love, Freedom, and Self-Expression in 1920s England

Summary

A moving and soul-stirring exploration of the second generation of the iconic Bloomsbury Group that inspired and rejuvenated their elders to new heights of creativity and passion while also pushing the boundaries of sexual freedom and gender norms in 1920s Britain.

In the years before the First World War, a collection of writers and artists became famous throughout Great Britain for their irreverent spirit and controversial reputation. Including Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster, and Lytton Strachey, they called themselves the Bloomsbury Group and by the 1920s, were incredibly influential in their fields.

As the years went on, a new generation of creators arrived on the scene to reinvigorate the aging Bloomsburries. Now, these provocative artists and writers are finally given their long-awaited due with this exploration by a descendant of one of the original Bloomsbury Group members. Featuring a colorful cast of characters, including the bisexual sculptor Stephen Tomlin who had affairs with multiple members of the group; novelist and music critic Eddy Sackville-West, “who wore elaborate make-up and dressed in satin and black velvet”; and photographer and designer Cecil Beaton, whose iconic photographs of the group prevented them from fading from memory.

Talented, provocative, and long dismissed as frivolous members of the upper class, they led fascinating professional lives while also finding the freedom to exist as queer young people in a world of intense prejudice. A timely celebration of the power of acceptance, passion, and understanding, Young Bloomsbury will inspire and move you.