One of 100 Best English-language Novels Published Since 1923.No.34 in the Modern Library s List of 100 Best Novels.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.