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Fur
A short story by Saki
- GenresShort Stories
5 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1914
7 people want to read
About the author
Saki
1,766 books597 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 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 30, 2025
The wonderful thing about Saki's stories is how they are so much more than they appear. This story is a classic example. Superficially it is about trying to get a present of a fur from a rich man but at its heart is a classic tale of karma. Suzanne wants her friend Eleanor to help her get the fur but when asked by Eleanor to do her a favour she refuses because:
'...the sacrifices of friendship were beautiful in her eyes as long as she was not asked to make them...'
The result is not happy for Suzanne but it is for Eleanor though their friendship suffers. It is a comedy of manners but it is also a comedy of justice. Saki was always on the side of the underdog and in his Edwardian world there were a lot of underdogs even if they all weren't working in factories or living in slums.
I am being oblique about the story details because I refuses to give away a plot that is the essence of the story.
'...the sacrifices of friendship were beautiful in her eyes as long as she was not asked to make them...'
The result is not happy for Suzanne but it is for Eleanor though their friendship suffers. It is a comedy of manners but it is also a comedy of justice. Saki was always on the side of the underdog and in his Edwardian world there were a lot of underdogs even if they all weren't working in factories or living in slums.
I am being oblique about the story details because I refuses to give away a plot that is the essence of the story.
December 22, 2024
Every cloud has a silver-fox lining 🤣
June 29, 2021
The art of trying to finagle a fur wrap as a gift. Narrated by Nadia May.
July 11, 2025
A sly girl gets the present that she always desired.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews