Set in an English seaside health resort where the air promotes longevity, "Valmouth" is dominated by masseuse, Mrs Yajnavalkya. It is a work of elegant fantasy with religious and sexual innuendo. Also included are "Sorrow in Sunlight" and "Concerning the Eccentricities of Cardinal Pirelli".

Ronald Firbank (1886-1926) was born in London to wealthy parents. In 1906 he went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, but left after two years. He travelled a good deal, though lived mainly in London, habitué of the Cafe Royal. Firbank was well-known for his extreme and deliberate aestheticism, his sinuous, loosely-jointed figure, and his morbid nervousness, which issued in hysterical laughter and an elaborately capricious manner. His other notable works include Valmouth, The Princess Zabaroff, The Flower Beneath the Foot, Sorrow in Sunlight and Concerning the Eccentricities of Cardinal Pirelli.