Barbara Pym Popular Books

Barbara Pym Biography & Facts

Barbara Mary Crampton Pym (2 June 1913 – 11 January 1980) was an English novelist. In the 1950s she published a series of social comedies, of which the best known are Excellent Women (1952) and A Glass of Blessings (1958). In 1977 her career was revived when the critic Lord David Cecil and the poet Philip Larkin both nominated her as the most underrated writer of the century. Her novel Quartet in Autumn (1977) was nominated for the Booker Prize that year, and she was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Biography Early life Barbara Mary Crampton Pym was born on 2 June 1913 at 72 Willow Street in Oswestry, Shropshire, the elder daughter of Irena Spenser, née Thomas (1886–1945) and Frederic Crampton Pym (1879–1966), a solicitor. She was educated at Queen's Park School, a girls' school in Oswestry. From the age of 12, she attended Huyton College, near Liverpool. Pym's parents were active in the local Oswestry operatic society, and she was encouraged to write and be creative from a young age. She spent most of her childhood at Morda Lodge in Morda Road, Oswestry, where in 1922 she staged her first play, The Magic Diamond, performed by family and friends. In 1931, she went to St Hilda's College, Oxford, to study English. While at Oxford, she developed a close friendship with the future novelist and literary critic Robert Liddell who would read her early works and provide key feedback. She took a second-class honours B.A. degree in English Language and Literature in 1934. In the 1930s, she travelled to Germany on several occasions, developing a love for the country as well as a romantic relationship with a young Nazi officer, Friedbert Gluck. Although she initially admired Hitler and did not foresee the advent of war, she later recognised her "blind spot", and removed a character based on Gluck from the novel she was in the process of writing. In early 1939, Pym approached Jonathan Cape about a job in publishing; none was available at the time. The outbreak of World War II changed her plans, and in 1941 she went to work for the Censorship Department in Bristol, later joining the Women's Royal Naval Service. From 1943, she served in naval postal censorship, eventually being posted to Naples. Personal life In June 1946, Pym started work at the International African Institute in London. She became the assistant editor of the scholarly journal Africa, where she would work until her retirement in 1974. That inspired her use of anthropologists as characters in some of her novels, notably Excellent Women, Less than Angels, and An Unsuitable Attachment. Pym's sister Hilary separated from her husband in 1946, and the two sisters moved together into a flat in Pimlico. They would later move to a house in Queen's Park. Pym did not marry or have children, despite several close relationships with men. In her undergraduate days, they included Henry Harvey (a fellow Oxford student, who remained the love of her life) and Rupert Gleadow. When she was 24 she had a romance with the future politician Julian Amery, six years her junior. In 1942 she had a brief relationship with the BBC radio producer Gordon Glover, who was the estranged husband of her friend Honor Wyatt. Glover broke this off abruptly, which traumatised Pym, and when Glover died in 1975 she burnt her diary for 1942. Early literary career Pym wrote her first novel, Some Tame Gazelle, in 1935, but it was rejected by numerous publishers including Jonathan Cape and Gollancz. She wrote another novel, Civil to Strangers, in 1936 and several novellas in the following years, which were collectively published as Civil to Strangers after Pym's death. In 1940, Pym wrote the novel Crampton Hodnet, which would also be published after her death. After some years of submitting stories to women's magazines, Pym heavily revised Some Tame Gazelle, which this time was accepted by Jonathan Cape for publication in 1950. The poet Philip Larkin regarded Some Tame Gazelle as Pym's Pride and Prejudice. The novel follows the lives of two middle-aged spinster sisters in an English village before the War, who are both given the possibility of love. That year, Pym also had a radio play – Something to Remember – accepted by the BBC. Pym's second novel, Excellent Women (1952), was well received, but her third, Jane and Prudence (1953), received more mixed reviews. Her fourth novel, Less than Angels (1955), had poorer sales than the previous three, but it attracted enough attention to be Pym's debut novel in the United States. A representative from Twentieth Century Fox came to England with an interest in securing the film rights, but this ultimately fell through. Pym's fifth novel, A Glass of Blessings (1958), was poorly reviewed, Pym noting that – of her first six novels – it was the worst reviewed. However, the inclusion of sympathetic homosexual characters, in an era when homosexuality was largely frowned upon, and homosexual acts between men were illegal, attracted some interest in contemporary reviews, including The Daily Telegraph. Pym's sixth novel was No Fond Return of Love (1961), in which two female academic research assistants fall in love with the same man. All of Pym's books up to this point had featured either the Anglican church community or anthropologists; No Fond Return of Love combines the two. The book continued the trend of Pym's novels receiving minimal critical attention. Nonetheless, it was positively reviewed in Tatler, the reviewer commenting: I love and admire Miss Pym's pussycat wit and profoundly unsoppy kindliness, and we may leave the deeply peculiar, face-saving, gently tormented English middle classes safely in her hands. "Wilderness years" In 1963, Pym submitted her seventh novel – An Unsuitable Attachment – to Cape. Editor Tom Maschler, who had recently joined the firm, rejected the manuscript, on the advice of two readers. Pym wrote back to protest that she was being unfairly treated, but was told (sympathetically but firmly) that the novel did not show promise. Pym revised the manuscript and sent it to several other publishers, but with no success. Pym was advised that her style of writing was old-fashioned, and that the public were no longer interested in books about small-town spinsters and vicars. She was forced to consider finding a new authorial voice, but ultimately felt that she was too old to adapt to what publishers considered popular taste. Pym was told that the minimum 'economic figure' for book sales was 4,000 copies, whereas several of her books from the 1950s had not achieved that number. As a result, Pym did not publish anything from 1962 until 1977. Regardless, she continued writing novels and short stories, and refining existing works, while she continued her professional career at the International African Institute. Pym never fully forgave Cape, or Tom Maschler. She and her sister invented a dessert called "Maschler pudding", which was a combination of lime jelly and milk. .... Discover the Barbara Pym popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Barbara Pym books.

Best Seller Barbara Pym Books of 2024

The Lark
Edith Nesbit
'A charming and brilliantly entertaining novel... shot through with the lighthearted Nesbit touch' Penelope Lively, from the introduction"When did two girls of our age have such a ...
This Bed Thy Centre
Pamela Hansford Johnson
'Striking first novel . . . qualities of vitality and humour which set it apart.' New York Times Described by the New York Times upon her death as 'one of Britain's bestknown nove...
Passions of the Mind
A S Byatt
The Booker Prizewinning author of Possession and a novelist of “dazzling inventiveness” (Time) delivers a stunning collection of essays on literature and life. Whether s...
Selected Works
Earl Of Rochester & Frank H. Ellis
The brightest star at the court of King Charles II, John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (164780), lived a life of reckless debauchery and sexual adventuring that led to his death at the...
Thunder on the Right
Mary Stewart
From the original queen of the pageturner and author of Madam, Will You Talk? comes a thrilling tale set in a France as beautiful as it is deadly, perfect for fans of Agatha Chris...
Humphry Clinker
Tobias Smollett
With an essay by Harold Bloom.'What is the society of London, that I should be tempted, for its sake, to mortify my senses, and compound with such uncleanness as my soul abhors?'Sm...
The Moon-Spinners
Mary Stewart
Transport yourself to the idyllic hills of midcentury Crete in this tale of peril and intrigue, from the original queen of romantic suspense and author of Madam, Will You Talk? 'Ma...
The Soul Of Kindness
Elizabeth Taylor & Philip Hensher
INTRODUCED BY PHILIP HENSHER'Elizabeth Taylor is finally being recognised as an important British author: an author of great subtlety, great compassion and great depth. As a reader...
The Barbara Pym Cookbook
Hilary Pym & Honor Wyatt
Barbara Pym’s sister Hilary teams with cookbook author Honor Wyatt to bring together this mouthwatering collection of family recipes, memories, and anecdotes drawn from Pym’s diari...
Rupert of Hentzau
Anthony Hope
Rudolf Rassendyll, having heroically saved the kingdom of Ruritania and nobly given up the hand of the beautiful Princess Flavia, has returned to his normal life in England. But wh...
The Last Resort
Pamela Hansford Johnson
'A very cool and intelligent writer' TLS Described by the New York Times upon her death as 'one of Britain's bestknown novelists', plunge yourself into the wry world of Pamela Hans...
Ink and Daggers
Maxim Jakubowski, Neil Gaiman, Ann Cleeves, Christopher Fowler & Lavie Tidhar
An enthralling anthology of 20 CWA Dagger Awardshortlisted gripping and thrilling stories for the most hardened crime fan.Featuring bestselling authors such as Neil Gaiman, Ann Cle...
The Holiday Friend
Pamela Hansford Johnson
'A powerful tragedy' Independent Described by the New York Times upon her death as 'one of Britain's bestknown novelists', plunge yourself into the wry world of Pamela Hansford Joh...
Daggers Drawn
Maxim Jakubowski, Ian Rankin, Jeffery Deaver, John Connolly & John Harvey
Edgy, twisted and disturbing, the first Crime Writers’ Association Daggers Award retrospective anthology featuring 19 visceral and thrilling stories. Featuring bestselling authors...
A Wreath Of Roses
Elizabeth Taylor & Helen Dunmore
INTRODUCED BY HELEN DUNMOREElizabeth Taylor's darkest novel . . . She writes with a sensuous richness of language that draws the reader down the most shadowy paths . . . Extremely ...
Romola
George Eliot & Dorothea Barrett
One of George Eliot's most ambitious and imaginative novels, Romola is set in Renaissance Florence during the turbulent years following the expulsion of the powerful Medici family ...
Not Quite a Fairytale
Cee Liddy
For years, Evelyn, the hopeful realist, and John, the hopeless romantic, entertained each other with tales of one disastrous love affair after another. Then they fell out.From her ...
Christmas at Thrush Green
Miss Read
A brand new Miss Read novel, set in the Cotswold village of Thrush Green at Christmas.The villagers of Thrush Green celebrate Christmas traditionally, in a way that has hardly chan...
The New Rector
Rebecca Shaw
Perfect for fans of Barbara Pym'Rebecca's wit, humour and brilliant observational skills put her in the forefront of village storytelling. I never tire of reading her wonderful nov...
Easter
Michael Arditti
Quartet in Autumn
Barbara Pym
Shortlisted for the 1977 Booker PrizeThis is the story of four people in late middleage Edwin, Norman, Letty and Marcia whose chief point of contact is that they work in the same...
The Barbara Pym Collection Volume Two
Barbara Pym
Two literary romantic novels from the New York Times–bestselling author of Excellent Women. Less Than Angels: In a story that explores the mating habits of humans, magazine w...
An Impossible Marriage
Pamela Hansford Johnson
'As her work reappears, another missing jigsaw piece is replaced' Independent Described by the New York Times upon her death as 'one of Britain's bestknown novelists', plunge yours...
The Old Bank House
Angela Thirkell
'Charming, very funny indeed. Angela Thirkell is perhaps the most Pymlike of any twentiethcentury author, after Pym herself' Alexander McCall SmithEdgewood Rectory may be set in a...
The Testing of Barbara Pym
Emily Stockard
The Testing of Barbara Pym, a companion volume to The Making of Barbara Pym (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), completes a comprehensive analysis of Pym’s novels and her life, f...
Mistletoe Malice
Kathleen Farrell
A dysfunctional family reunites for the Christmas holiday from hell in this rediscovered festive classic with fangs for fans of Barbara Pym, Dodie Smith, Nancy Mitford, Elizabeth T...
Miss Mole
E.H. Young & Lucy Scholes
'Young is a sharp and funny writer with a brilliant eye for moral fudging and verbal hypocrisy, and she has a splendid foil in Miss Mole' Sally BeaumanWINNER OF THE JAMES TAIT BLAC...
The Unspeakable Skipton
Pamela Hansford Johnson
'Witty, satirical and deftly malicious' Anthony Burgess Described by the New York Times upon her death as 'one of Britain's bestknown novelists', delve into the sparkling and satir...
Always By My Side
Christina Schmid
A LOVE LOST.A LIFE CUT SHORT.'From the moment I set eyes on him I adored him. The connection between us was so strong it went beyond everything else. His job, my job, his lifestyle...
The Making of Barbara Pym
Emily Stockard
“It is always a treat to welcome a new book about Barbara Pym, especially one that is written so well: free of what Henry James referred to as the 'shackles of theory,' aimed at th...
Wildfire at Midnight
Mary Stewart
The tense, twisty murder mystery which will have you on the edge of your seat, from the author of Madam, Will You Talk? /font size> 'Mary Stewart is magic' New York Times Follow...
The Fall Girl
Denise Sewell
The day Frances Fall steals a baby from outside a shop, is the day her past catches up with her. At the age of thirtysix, Frances is forced to relive a life dominated on one side b...
The Ivy Tree
Mary Stewart
Mary Stewart, one of the great British storytellers of the 20th century, transports her readers to rural Northumberland for this tale of romance, ambition, and deceit a perfect fi...
The Barbara Pym Collection Volume One
Barbara Pym
Three comedies of manners set in postwar England by the New York Times–bestselling author of Excellent Women and “the rarest of treasures” (Anne Tyler). Often characterized ...
Excellent Women
Barbara Pym & A. N. Wilson
Excellent Women is probably the most famous of Barbara Pym's novels. The acclaim a few years ago for this early comic novel, which was hailed by Lord David Cecil as one of 'the fin...
My Brother Michael
Mary Stewart
The original queen of the pageturner Mary Stewart leads her readers on a journey of murder and deceit through the dusty roads of midcentury Greece in this tale that fans of Agatha ...
Barnaby Rudge
Charles Dickens & John Bowen
'One of Dickens's most neglected, but most rewarding, novels' Peter AckroydSet against the backdrop of the Gordon Riots of 1780, Barnaby Rudge is a story of mystery and suspense wh...
Intimate Games
Julia Marlowe
After meeting the enigmatic and persuasive Gilles de Ravennes at her exhusband's party, Ariane Fontaine takes him on board as a partner in the exclusive club she has created at her...
Murder Before Evensong
The Reverend Richard Coles
"I've been waiting for a novel with vicars, rude old ladies, murder and sausage dogs... et voila!" Dawn FrenchThis first in a new series is a charming, warm and witty tale of secre...
What She Ate
Laura Shapiro
A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2017One of NPR Fresh Air's "Books to Close Out a Chaotic 2017"NPR's Book Concierge Guide To 2017’s Great Reads“How lucky...
Love Among the Ruins
Angela Thirkell
'You read her, laughing, and want to do your best to protect her characters from any reality but their own' New York TimesIt's the summer of 1947, and peacetime has brought new cha...