Deze serie duikt in de wereld achter de schermen van de literaire scene van de late 19e eeuw, waar ambitie, talent en cynisme botsen met de harde realiteit van de boekenmarkt. Het volgt de ups en downs van aspirant-schrijvers wier dromen van roem strijden met commerciële druk en ethische compromissen. Dit biedt een scherpe kijk op het creatieve proces en de strijd om te overleven in een competitieve uitgeverswereld.
The commercial hacks of "Grub Street" are now in the ascendent. Sensitive novelist, Edwin Reardon, thought his reputation was safe, but poverty undermines his temperament and he finds it hard to produce marketable work. The future belongs to self-seeking writers such as Jasper Milvain
The narrative revolves around two contrasting writers: Edwin Reardon, a talented yet commercially unsuccessful novelist who is introspective and reserved, and Jasper Milvain, an ambitious journalist who embodies a mix of hard work and cynicism. Their differing approaches to writing and the literary world of late Victorian society highlight themes of ambition, morality, and the evolving nature of literature. The dynamic between these characters explores the struggles and ethical dilemmas faced by writers during this period.