''The Pianoplayers'' is a 1986 novel by

Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his Utopian and dystopian fiction, d ...

that draws on memories of his early life in Manchester in the 1920s and 1930s, and particularly the life of his father Joe, a pub and cinema pianist. The child narrator Ellen Henshaw and her father Billy have a series of picaresque adventures in Manchester and Blackpool, culminating in the death of Billy as he attempts to break the world record for non-stop pianoplaying; later in life, Ellen travels the world setting up 'schools of love' and becomes the most sought after 'companion' in France. The novel was first published by Hutchinson in the UK and

Arbor House Arbor House was an independent publishing house founded by Donald Fine in 1969. Specializing in hard cover publications, Arbor House published works by Hortense Calisher, Ken Follett, Cynthia Freeman, Elmore Leonard and Irwin Shaw before being ac ...

in the US. A new edition with an introduction and notes by Will Carr was published as part of the Irwell Edition of the Works of Anthony Burgess by

Manchester University Press Manchester University Press is the university press of the University of Manchester, England and a publisher of academic books and journals. Manchester University Press has developed into an international publisher. It maintains its links with th ...

in 2017.

References

1986 British novels Novels by Anthony Burgess Novels about British prostitution Hutchinson (publisher) books Arbor House books {{1980s-erotic-novel-stub