Some writers offer thinly-veiled literary portraits of Prime Ministers, others portrayed people living on the margins of society.

Literary portraits include Henry Lamb's portrait of Evelyn Waugh and Wyndham Lewis's portrait of Stephen Spender in 1938.

Literary portraits and ethical maxims have given place to a spicy mixture of scandal and philosophy, humanitarian speculations and equivocal bons mots.

Smith is at her best when she brings her characters to life with lush, literary portraits that often have a bit of humor.