Barbara Pym’s Followers (981)

Add New
Videos

Add a comment

Barbara Pym

Born

in Oswestry, Shropshire, The United Kingdom

June 02, 1913

Died

January 11, 1980

Website

http://www.barbara-pym.org

Genre

Humor, Literature & Fiction, Women & Gender Studies

Influences

Aldous Huxley, Jane Austen

edit data

People know British writer Barbara Pym for her comic novels, such as Excellent Women (1952), of English life.

After studying English at St Hilda's College, Oxford, Barbara Pym served in the Women's Royal Naval Service during World War II. From 1950 to 1961, she published six novels, but her 7th was declined by the publisher due to a change in the reading public's tastes.

The turning point for Pym came with a famous article in the 1975 Times Literary Supplement in which two prominent names, Lord David Cecil and Philip Larkin, nominated her as the most underrated writer of the century. Pym and Larkin had kept up a private correspondence over a period of many years. Her comeback novel, Quartet in Autumn, was nominated for the Booker Prize. A People know British writer Barbara Pym for her comic novels, such as Excellent Women (1952), of English life.

After studying English at St Hilda's College, Oxford, Barbara Pym served in the Women's Royal Naval Service during World War II. From 1950 to 1961, she published six novels, but her 7th was declined by the publisher due to a change in the reading public's tastes.

The turning point for Pym came with a famous article in the 1975 Times Literary Supplement in which two prominent names, Lord David Cecil and Philip Larkin, nominated her as the most underrated writer of the century. Pym and Larkin had kept up a private correspondence over a period of many years. Her comeback novel, Quartet in Autumn, was nominated for the Booker Prize. Another novel, The Sweet Dove Died, previously rejected by many publishers, was subsequently published to critical acclaim, and several of her previously unpublished novels were published after her death.

Pym worked at the International African Institute in London for some years, and played a large part in the editing of its scholarly journal, Africa, hence the frequency with which anthropologists crop up in her novels. She never married, despite several close relationships with men, notably Henry Harvey, a fellow Oxford student, and the future politician, Julian Amery. After her retirement, she moved into Barn Cottage at Finstock in Oxfordshire with her younger sister, Hilary, who continued to live there until her death in February 2005. A blue plaque was placed on the cottage in 2006. The sisters played an active role in the social life of the village.

Several strong themes link the works in the Pym "canon", which are more notable for their style and characterisation than for their plots. A superficial reading gives the impression that they are sketches of village or suburban life, with excessive significance being attached to social activities connected with the Anglican church (in particular its Anglo-Catholic incarnation). However, the dialogue is often deeply ironic, and a tragic undercurrent runs through some of the later novels, especially Quartet in Autumn and The Sweet Dove Died. ...more

Combine Editions
Barbara Pym’s books

Average rating: 3.91 · 59,050 ratings · 8,081 reviews · 39 distinct works • Similar authors

	Excellent Women 3.91 avg rating — 20,376 ratings — published 1952 — 84 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Quartet in Autumn 3.89 avg rating — 6,190 ratings — published 1978 — 63 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Jane and Prudence 3.86 avg rating — 5,963 ratings — published 1953 — 49 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Some Tame Gazelle 3.92 avg rating — 4,290 ratings — published 1950 — 61 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Glass of Blessings 3.92 avg rating — 3,425 ratings — published 1958 — 59 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Crampton Hodnet 4.06 avg rating — 3,214 ratings — published 1985 — 28 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Less Than Angels 3.93 avg rating — 3,242 ratings — published 1955 — 62 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	No Fond Return of Love 3.92 avg rating — 3,244 ratings — published 1961 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An Unsuitable Attachment 3.96 avg rating — 2,397 ratings — published 1982 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Sweet Dove Died 3.90 avg rating — 2,110 ratings — published 1979 — 41 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Barbara Pym…

Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman know the radical life-changing power of a good friendship. The two launched their hit podcast Call Your...

Polls

Which classic work would you like to read with the RFP group during July and August? Please vote here.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

46 votes, 30.7%

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

33 votes, 22.0%

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

25 votes, 16.7%

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

18 votes, 12.0%

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

16 votes, 10.7%

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

12 votes, 8.0%

150 total votes

3 comments

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Next Best Boo...: Female author recommendations?	63	1356	Feb 20, 2009 11:57AM
UK Book Club: Zoe's List	45	115	Sep 27, 2010 02:15AM
2010 A-Z Titles: Carrie's 2010 List	19	44	Nov 15, 2010 03:34PM
Reading with Style: FA10 RwS Completed Tasks	923	431	Dec 01, 2010 06:41AM
The Seasonal Read...: Spring Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS)	2867	1116	May 31, 2011 09:01PM
THE JAMES MASON C...: YOUR TOP READS OF 2010-	158	297	Nov 09, 2011 08:19PM
The History Book ...: BECKY'S 50 BOOKS READ IN 2011	106	181	Dec 10, 2011 09:23PM
Gay Science Fiction: About me: Michael Joseph	7	32	Feb 22, 2012 06:46PM
easy peasy readin...: may 2012 read	15	15	May 14, 2012 04:27AM

More…

Barbara Pym’s Followers (981)

Add NewVideos

Barbara Pym

Combine EditionsBarbara Pym’s books

Related News

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Add New
Videos

Combine Editions
Barbara Pym’s books