Caravan: The Assembled Tales of John Galsworthy

by John Galsworthy

Written by the author of The Forsyte Saga, Caravan is a collection of 56 short stories composed between the years 1900 and 1923. The Apple Tree comprises the first 24 tales of this collection. For the majority of the stories the author grouped works of a similar theme in pairs, one from before 1914, the other written after 1914, in a deliberate attempt to illustrate how his ideas and technique changed over time. The stories themselves encompass a wide range of topics and emotions, from despair and death to salvation and hope, and there is even an appearance by the Forsyte family. Written in Galsworthy’s descriptive and engaging manner, this collection is a thought-provoking and entertaining body of work.

Genres: Fiction, Anthologies

962 pages, Leather Bound

First published June 1, 1925

About the author

Literary career of English novelist and playwright John Galsworthy, who used John Sinjohn as a pseudonym, spanned the Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian eras.

In addition to his prolific literary status, Galsworthy was also a renowned social activist. He was an outspoken advocate for the women's suffrage movement, prison reform and animal rights. Galsworthy was the president of PEN, an organization that sought to promote international cooperation through literature.

John Galsworthy was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1932 "for his distinguished art of narration which takes its highest form in The Forsyte Saga."

Reviews

[Petr Š. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pod názvem "Poslední karta, příběhy z celého světa o lásce dobrodružné i věrné" nalezena v nádražní knihovničce, vydání z roku 1938 nákladem Melantrichovy laciné knihovny. Za 5 Kč k dostání u všech knihkupců.

[Muaz Jalil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the Heinemann edition, nearly 100 years old. Lovely collection of stories. Includes gems like Stoic, Broken boot, The Bright side and many others. Mostly melancholy stories but I loved them. Galsworthy's characters are so life like

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. Glad sister had it on her shelves. I'm really sad to have finished it. Recommend wholeheartedly.

[Nikos Karagiannakis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Η γλώσσα όπως είχα αναφέρει και παλιότερα είναι δύσκολη (τέλη 19ου-αρχές 20ου αιώνα γαρ), παρ' όλα αυτά όμως έβγαλα άκρη και πραγματικά το απόλαυσα. Παρακάτω, παραθέτω δύο αποσπάσματα από δύο διαφορετικές ιστορίες του "Caravan", τα οποία μου άρεσαν ιδιαίτερα...

"There are some natures so constituted that, due to be hung at ten o'clock, they will play chess at eight. Such men invariably rise. They make especially good bishops, editors, judges, impresarios, Prime Ministers, money-lenders and generals; in fact fill with exceptional credit any position of power over their fellow-men. They have spiritual cold storage, in which are preserved their nervous systems. In such men there is little or none of that fluid sense and continuity of feeling known under those vague terms, speculation, poetry, philosophy. Men of facts and of decision switching imagination on and off at will, subordinating sentiment to reason...one does not think of them when watching wind ripple over cornfields, or swallows flying." (The first and the last)

" 'You look very pretty', he said. 'Give me a kiss!' His wife bent her body forward from the waist, and pushed her lips out till they touched his moustache. Mr. Bosengate felt a sensation as if he had arisen from breakfast without having eaten marmalade." (The juryman)