▁and ▁the ▁Old ▁Testament ▁Fall ▁of ▁Man ▁into ▁a ▁narr ative ▁written ▁in ▁a ▁style ▁a kin ▁to ▁po etic ▁pro se ; ▁and ▁his ▁first ▁novel , ▁set ▁mostly ▁in ▁Vienna , ▁An ▁Ab sur d ▁Aff air , ▁which ▁he ▁feels ▁can ▁be ▁sens ibly ▁ignored . ▁ ▁That ▁first ▁novel ▁was ▁followed ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 3 ▁by ▁An arch ists ▁in ▁Love ▁the ▁first ▁book ▁of ▁his ▁four - volume ▁novel ▁sequence ▁G EN ER ATION ▁which ▁the ▁author ▁describes ▁as ▁the ▁main ▁core ▁of ▁his ▁work , ▁and ▁“ f ict ional ised ▁aut obi ography .” ▁ ▁Further ▁volumes ▁in ▁the ▁series ▁The ▁Ty ran ny ▁of ▁Love , ▁Lo vers ▁in ▁War ▁and ▁The ▁Vict ims ▁of ▁Love ▁appeared ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 7 , ▁ 1 9 6 9 ▁and ▁ 1 9 7 8 . ▁ ▁With ▁a ▁Dick ens ian ▁bread th ▁of ▁characters ▁and ▁social ▁settings , ▁the ▁four ▁volumes ▁follow ▁the ▁s aga ▁of ▁the ▁Sim pson ▁family ▁from ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁World ▁War ▁I ▁through ▁to ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s ▁age ▁of ▁sexual ▁and ▁social ▁experiment ation . ▁ ▁It ▁focus es ▁in ▁particular ▁on ▁the ▁tort uous ▁search ▁for ▁self - real isation ▁and ▁love ▁by ▁Sund y ▁and ▁Matthew , ▁the ▁two ▁artist ically ▁gift ed ▁children ▁of ▁the ▁ra uc ously ▁woman ising ▁Edd y . ▁ ▁The ▁sequence ▁was ▁described ▁by ▁Sir ▁H uw ▁Wh eld on ▁as ▁a ▁" work