The yellow meads of asphodel

by H.E. Bates

The Yellow Meads of Asphodel, published in August 1976, two years after the death of Bates, features seven stories include one excellent Uncle Silas tale and a third Miss Shuttleworth story. The collection comprises: The Proposal, The Yellow Meads of Ashphodel, A Taste of Blood, The Love Letters of Miss Maitland, The Lap of Luxury, Loss of Pride, and The House By the River.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

127 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Herbert Ernest Bates, CBE is widely recognised as one of the finest short story writers of his generation, with more than 20 story collections published in his lifetime. It should not be overlooked, however, that he also wrote some outstanding novels, starting with The Two Sisters through to A Moment in Time, with such works as Love For Lydia, Fair Stood the Wind for France and The Scarlet Sword earning high praise from the critics. His study of the Modern Short Story is considered one of the best ever written on the subject.

He was born in Rushden, Northamptonshire and was educated at Kettering Grammar School. After leaving school, he was briefly a newspaper reporter and a warehouse clerk, but his heart was always in writing and his dream to be able to make a living by his pen.

Many of his stories depict life in the rural Midlands of England, particularly his native Northamptonshire. Bates was partial to taking long midnight walks around the Northamptonshire countryside - and this often provided the inspiration for his stories. Bates was a great lover of the countryside and its people and this is exemplified in two volumes of essays entitled Through the Woods and Down the River.

In 1931, he married Madge Cox, his sweetheart from the next road in his native Rushden. They moved to the village of Little Chart in Kent and bought an old granary and this together with an acre of garden they converted into a home. It was in this phase of his life that he found the inspiration for the Larkins series of novels -The Darling Buds of May, A Breath of French Air, When the Green Woods Laugh, etc. - and the Uncle Silas tales. Not surprisingly, these highly successful novels inspired television series that were immensely popular.

His collection of stories written while serving in the RAF during World War II, best known by the title The Stories of Flying Officer X, but previously published as Something in the Air (a compilation of his two wartime collections under the pseudonym 'Flying Officer X' and titled The Greatest People in the World and How Sleep the Brave), deserve particular attention. By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of Squadron Leader.

Bates was influenced by Chekhov in particular, and his knowledge of the history of the short story is obvious from the famous study he produced on the subject. He also wrote his autobiography in three volumes (each delightfully illustrated) which were subsequently published in a one-volume Autobiography.

Bates was a keen and knowledgeable gardener and wrote numerous books on flowers. The Granary remained their home for the whole of their married life. After the death of H. E Bates, Madge moved to a bungalow, which had originally been a cow byre, next to the Granary. She died in 2004 at age 95. They raised two sons and two daughters.

primarily from Wikipedia, with additions by Keith Farnsworth

Reviews

[Chris Waterford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of well written short stories about relationships (mostly). Notable for the variety of settings and story-lines, most were very good---the best "The Love Letters of Miss Maitland".
7.5/10

[Ellen Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expertly written short stories, with just the right balance of vivid imagery and humour. Rich visions of bright summer days, peaches, meadows of flower, elderberry wine... with a sinister feeling underneath. I can feel these short glimpses of character and narrative inspiring stories to come.

[Ed Stoddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second-hand bookstores are such a delight! I stumbled upon this short but wonderful collection of short stories by H.E. Bates - who I confess I had never heard of before - at a second-hand bookstore during a recent fly-fishing trip to South Africa's trout capital of Dullstroom. Fittingly, fly fishing does feature in a couple of the stories which are mostly set against the backdrop of mid to late 20th century English life.
But the central theme of the stories is relationships and how expectations spawned by them can unexpectedly run against the currents of reality. This was also fitting as I had been in Dullstroom with a friend recovering from a frayed relationship.
Like a new casting technique or effective fly, discovering a new author who writes like a dream is always a pleasure. Bates is simply a master at the art of the short story, drawing you with the artful cast of his elegant prose. It is simply one of the best books I have read this year and now that I am hooked, I look forward to sampling more of his work. Bates has reeled me in ...

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short suite of short stories from Bates which largely touch on the first days of new friendships and love.

The title story is evocative, a bitter-sweet tale of love found and lost. The Love Letters Of Miss Maitland carries much the same tenor, not entirely desperate, but close. The Lap Of Luxury could well have become a Bates novel akin to Fair Stood The Wind..., it had exactly that same sky full of promise - but whittled down to a sad and sudden loss. Loss Of Pride is a (funny) comic short about one of Uncle Silas's reminiscences, quite superb. And The House By The River seemed idyllic, but wasn't.

I've always liked Bates, he's as good at short stories - and these are very short - as he is at novels. There are some twenty further collections of his short stories and novellas, and about a dozen novels still to look forward to.

[Anna Docker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, chock with English imagery although ultimately depressing, as I read this in the weeks following Christmas I found myself quietly weeping. As if taking down all my beloved Christmas decorations wasn't enough of a downer, embarking on these short stories continued to dampen my mood. I felt in despair, and had to put the book aside after reading a story or two, to complete over several days.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like Bates, although I never did when I was young and lived in Rushden.

[Kristina Griffiths · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has got to be one of the strangest books I've ever read each story was bizarre yet charming with the distinct 1970s style of writing

[Sarah Tummey]

I did read this at school, but all I remember is the title! I wonder if it’s worth reading it again.