was published in 1996 and was the first of three historical novels written in succession by Bainbridge (it was followed by

in 1998 and

in 2001).

Every Man for Himself retraces the maiden voyage of the Titanic. The story begins on April 8th 1912 and it ends on April 15th with the protagonist and some other surviving passengers floating in a life-boat amidst the debris of the sunken ship, awaiting rescue. The story is mainly peopled with fictional characters but some of them bear the names of rich and influential families of the period, e.g. “Morgan”, “van Hopper” and “Rothschild”. Beryl Bainbridge also uses the real names of the principal authorities on board, including Captain Smith, chief designer Thomas Andrews and

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Citation: Hiltl, Markus. "Every Man for Himself". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 May 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16897, accessed 24 November 2024.]