The Meritocracy Quartet

‘Lewis is a master.’ 
Washington Post

‘Meritocracy is a dramatic, riveting novel of our times’ 
Elizabeth Hardwick

‘Lewis’ memories portray a modern, American life’ 
San Francisco Book Review 

For the first time Jeffrey Lewis’ four interlinking novels – Meritocracy: A Love Story, Theme Song for an Old Show, The Conference of the Birds, and Adam the King – are brought together and published in a single volume.

Set against the backdrop of four decades of changing American landscape, the characters in The Meritocracy Quartet sweep in and out of this grand narrative, reflecting the passage of time and the rise of different social and cultural ideals. The four novels are a testament to America’s changing personality – each seeking to define it for themselves. For America is the central character, the panorama against which the characters play out their lives.

JEFFREY LEWIS is the author of Meritocracy: A Love Story, The Conference of the Birds, Theme Song for an Old Show, Adam the King, Bealport, The Inquisitor’s Diary, Berlin Cantata, and Land of Cockaigne. He has twice won the Independent Publishers Gold Medal for Literary Fiction. He has also won two Emmys and the Writers’ Guild Award for his work as a writer and producer of the critically acclaimed television series Hill Street Blues. Jeffrey Lewis live in Castine, Maine and Los Angeles.