The Pianoplayers is a 1986 novel by Anthony Burgess that draws on memories of his early life in Manchester in the 1920s and 1930s; particularly, the novel focuses on the life of his father Joe, a pub and cinema pianist.[1] The child narrator Ellen Henshaw and her father Billy have a series of picaresque adventures in Manchester and Blackpool, culminating in the death of Billy as he attempts to break the world record for non-stop pianoplaying; later in life, Ellen travels the world setting up 'schools of love' and becomes the most sought after 'companion' in France.
 First edition (UK) | |
| Author | Anthony Burgess |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Hutchinson (UK) Arbor House (US) |
Publication date | 1986 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 208 pp (hardback edition) |
| ISBN | 0-09-165190-5 (hardback edition) |
| OCLC | 16364951 |
The novel was first published by Hutchinson in the UK and Arbor House in the US. A new edition with an introduction and notes by Will Carr was published as part of the Irwell Edition of the Works of Anthony Burgess by Manchester University Press in 2017.