The novels and stories of Elizabeth Taylor (1912-75) have always had an enthusiastic following among the general reading public, and have been greatly admired by fellow-writers, such as Elizabeth Bowen, Kingsley Amis and, more recently, Philip Hensher and Sarah Waters. Her subtle, compassionate and often surprisingly abrasive explorations of post-war British life have, however, been relatively neglected by academic criticism. This study aims to introduce her work, to trace some of its recurrent preoccupations - with memory, dispossession and bereavement, and with her generation’s experience of wartime as both disruption and opportunity - and to highlight the ruthless wit with which she assaulted all forms of egotism and self-satisfaction.