Anthony Dymoke Powell CH , CBE ( December 21 , 1905 -- March 28 , 2000 ) was a British novelist . He is best known for his A Dance to the Music of Time series of books published between 1951 and 1975 . Anthony Dymoke Powell ( pronounced in one syllable , as a homophone of `` pole '' ) CH , CBE ( 21 December 1905 â `` 28 March 2000 ) was an English novelist best known for his twelve-volume work A Dance to the Music of Time , published between 1951 and 1975 .