A. V. Laider

by Max Beerbohm

[...]position was not so desperate as it might seem, I took the earliest opportunity to mention that I was going away early next morning. In the tone of his "Oh, are you?" he tried bravely to imply that he was sorry, even now, to hear that. In a way, perhaps, he really was sorry. We had got on so well together, he and I. Nothing could efface the memory of that. Nay, we seemed to be hitting it off even now. Influenza was not our sole theme. We passed from that to the aforesaid weekly review, and to a correspondence that was raging therein on faith and reason. This correspondence had now reached its fourth and penultimate stage-its Australian stage. It is hard to see why these correspondences spring up; one only knows that they do spring up, suddenly, like street crowds. There comes, it would seem, a moment when the whole English-speaking race is unconsciously bursting to have its say about some one thing-the split infinitive, or the habits of migratory birds, or faith and reason, or what-not. Whatever weekly review happens at such a moment to contain a reference, however remote, to the theme in question reaps the storm. Gusts of letters come in from all corners of the British Isles. These are presently reinforced by Canada in full blast. A few weeks later the Anglo-Indians weigh in. In due course we have the help of our Australian cousins. By that time, however, we of the mother country have got our second wind, and so determined[...].

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, British Literature

56 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm, as "Max," known British writ, apparently wrote Caricatures of Twenty-five Gentlemen in 1896.

Henry Maximilian Beerbohm served as an English essayist, parodist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Bee...

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent short story that held my interest through to the end. It takes a lovely twist and has a slightly ironic ending--which is always pleasing in a short work.

[Дмитрий · Rating 4 out of 5]

Сюжет немного мета, но стиль автора просто превосходный.

[Ci · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story is largely an exercise in conversational wit while embedding a deeper question about the basic human curiosity. The curiosity of the first-person "I" in this story is the one to be examined carefully since it defies the self-proclaimed disbelief. How does one "be taken" by stories told in a particular fashion? How does the disbelief giving ways to fascination and mystery? The author has demonstrated the art of story-telling pitting successfully against our cooler reasoning -- it is the atmosphere, the foreshadowing, the details, and the way an outright impossiblity woven into our psyche. This story is a purely jewel in short-story form.

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is always a slight shock in seeing an envelope of one's own after it has gone through the post. It looks as if it had gone through so much.

This is the second short story by Max Beerbohm I've recently read — both were titled with a man's name; the other was Enoch Soames: A Memory of the Eighteen-Nineties.

This one contains a real fantasy, if you will, in that the title character is a fabulist, a spinner of tales — in other words, an unreliable narrator. The plot depends on a series of remarkable coincidences.

The undisclosed first person narrator of the story is as frustrated by the antics of A.V. Laider as the reader might be.

[Yomna Saber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing by all means. The narrator goes to a motel to complete his recovery after catching influenza and runs into Laider and they speculate on existential questions on free will and the truth. Laider narrates two stories that conflate reality with imagination, and by the end the reader is muddled up, not knowing what to believe and what to discard. Very witty twist and a very interesting story to read indeed.

[Maxine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like it.

[Reta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story was one of my favorites this semester. It is incredibly imaginative and it plays with your mind. I can't believe that there are other people that create stories this way and share them as if they were true! I just do it in my head.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I could give such a slight story 5 stars, though it's perfect of its kind. It reminded me of looking in a mirror with a mirror behind you, and so on and so on.

[martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle, amusing and mischievous short story. The imagined discussion between the envelopes on the hotel letter board is as humorous as it is ridiculous.
Fun to read.

[Per · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/761

[The Vignette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listen to it here: https://anchor.fm/austin-lugo/episode...
Get early access, exclusive content, and so much more: https://www.patreon.com/lifethroughfi...

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is taken from Seven Men, copyright 1920

I unpacked my things and went down to await luncheon.



Two of Beerbohm's self-portraits. "The Theft" depicts him stealing a book from the library in 1894. "The Restitution" shows him returning that book in 1920. (wiki pic)

absurdist literature



3*

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

IN COSTAIN STORIES 2

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those unusual short tales, and damned extreme imaginations...