Antic Hay

About “Antic Hay”

Antic Hay by Aldous Huxley is set in London shortly after World War I and depicts a society lacking in values, moving rapidly toward chaos. Like The Sun Also Rises, it portrays individuals searching for meaning and pleasure in a fragmented world. The novel features a variety of characters, including fake artists, third-rate poets, critics, scientists, con-men, romantics, and futurists, all caught in a chaotic and shifting environment. Huxley writes in a style that moves between lyrical and absurd, with characters whose identities and appearances often change. The book is lively and energetic, offering a vivid and often humorous portrayal of postwar society. The New York Times described it as “a delirium of sense enjoyment.”