A Handful of Dust is a novel by the British writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1934. It is often grouped with the author s early, satirical comic novels for which he became famous in the pre-World War II years. 　　Set between the wars in the chic upper-middle classes in and around London, A Handful of Dust is full of horrible people doing horrible things to each other, but it adds up to a bitter indictment of human behaviour. And it s not all jokes. There s despair lurking beneath the brittle laughs, and sadness at the waste of potential... 　　The book s initial critical reception was modest, but it was popular with the public and has never been out of print. In the years since publication the book s reputation has grown; it is generally considered one of Waugh s best works, and has more than once figured on unofficial lists of the 20th century s best novels.