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Down Pens
On the importance of thank you notes, especially of Christmas gifts from mere acquaintances....
Unknown Binding
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About the author
Saki
1,668 books588 followersBritish writer Hector Hugh Munro under pen name Saki published his witty and sometimes bitter short stories in collections, such as
The Chronicles of Clovis
(1911).
His sometimes macabre satirized Edwardian society and culture. People consider him a master and often compare him to William Sydney Porter and Dorothy Rothschild Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window," perhaps his most famous, closes with the line, "Romance at short notice was her specialty," which thus entered the lexicon. Newspapers first and then several volumes published him as the custom of the time.
His works include
* a full-length play, The Watched Pot , in collaboration with Charles Maude;
* two one-act plays;
* a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire , the only book under his own name;
* a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington ;
* the episodic The Westminster Alice , a parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland ;
* and When William Came: A Story of London under the Hohenzollerns , an early alternate history.
Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Joseph Rudyard Kipling, influenced Munro, who in turn influenced A. A. Milne, and Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.
His sometimes macabre satirized Edwardian society and culture. People consider him a master and often compare him to William Sydney Porter and Dorothy Rothschild Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window," perhaps his most famous, closes with the line, "Romance at short notice was her specialty," which thus entered the lexicon. Newspapers first and then several volumes published him as the custom of the time.
His works include
* a full-length play, The Watched Pot , in collaboration with Charles Maude;
* two one-act plays;
* a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire , the only book under his own name;
* a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington ;
* the episodic The Westminster Alice , a parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland ;
* and When William Came: A Story of London under the Hohenzollerns , an early alternate history.
Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Joseph Rudyard Kipling, influenced Munro, who in turn influenced A. A. Milne, and Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 26, 2021
Rec. by Connie Willis. Avl online, very short, clever... and dated. Willis and I know why we love it. Some of you younger folks might not, or might figure it all out and just be glad you're living in this time instead of then....
December 25, 2025
3.5⭐
Saki’s Down Pens is a satirical short story mocking the Edwardian-era custom of writing endless, insincere thank-you notes for trivial gifts. Through the characters Egbert and Janetta, Saki exposes the hypocrisy, boredom, and social pressures behind this ritual.
Egbert and Janetta are a married couple who receive a present of a Wordsworthian themed calendar from the Froplinsons and must write a thank-you note. Janetta is exhausted after writing numerous thank-you letters and resists writing another. Egbert insists it’s socially necessary. Egbert tries to dictate the letter, but Janetta criticizes his insincere and redundant phrasing.
The story highlights the absurdity of obligatory gratitude, where letters are written not out of genuine appreciation but social expectation
Saki’s Down Pens is a satirical short story mocking the Edwardian-era custom of writing endless, insincere thank-you notes for trivial gifts. Through the characters Egbert and Janetta, Saki exposes the hypocrisy, boredom, and social pressures behind this ritual.
Egbert and Janetta are a married couple who receive a present of a Wordsworthian themed calendar from the Froplinsons and must write a thank-you note. Janetta is exhausted after writing numerous thank-you letters and resists writing another. Egbert insists it’s socially necessary. Egbert tries to dictate the letter, but Janetta criticizes his insincere and redundant phrasing.
The story highlights the absurdity of obligatory gratitude, where letters are written not out of genuine appreciation but social expectation
May 9, 2018
The redundancy of the word 'perfunctuary' very nearly made me stop reading, but I love dry humor and Saki's got it.
It reminds me of how my parents used to discuss their affairs, interesting until it becomes another language (i.e. literally transitions to another language).
It reminds me of how my parents used to discuss their affairs, interesting until it becomes another language (i.e. literally transitions to another language).
May 21, 2021
4.8 stars
June 17, 2021
Oh the misery of writing thank you cards for xmas gifts. Audible edition.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews