As many of you will be aware who regularly read this blog – the Librarything Virago group have been doing a year of Elizabeth Taylor reading in celebration of her centenary in July 2012. This wonderful reading event has been ably hosted by Laura. Now the Elizabeth Taylor readalong has all but finished and the Librarything members have had a great time, and I for one (and I’m sure I’m not alone) will miss it enormously. So we have been looking for another writer “to do” in 2013. As luck would have it Barbara Pym (some of whose novels have been published by Virago) was born in June 1913. So we have ourselves another centenary. However I am not going to be doing a full hosting of this event here, I don’t feel I can commit to anything too big, but I love Barbara Pym and I wanted to help promote this great reading opportunity. I will of course review all Pym novels I read here, in the same way as I review everything else I read, and no doubt I will reference the on-going project in those posts. So this post is merely serving as an introduction, to highlight the project for anyone else who might want to join in with us.
We have elected to read the books in publication order, which is not necessarily the order the books were written – it seemed less complicated. I have not actually read all Barbara Pym’s novels, but I have read 10 of the 13 published novels. Yes, thirteen – and thirteen into twelve doesn’t go easily. So I am suggesting the following schedule – with two books during June – the month of Barbara Pym’s centenary. This schedule will require me to do a bit of book buying as I don’t even have copies of all the books I have read. So at some point in the New Year, I will be looking out for the few I don’t have. I can remember really enjoying Excellent Women, Jane and Prudence and No Fond Return of Love particularly, but I am looking forward to reading or re-reading all of them. Luckily the first book we will be reading Some Tame Gazelle, fits into my month of re-reading too.
• January 2013 Some Tame Gazelle (1950)
• February 2013 Excellent Women (1952)
• March 2013 Jane and Prudence (1953)
• April 2013Less than Angels (1955)
• May 2013 A Glass of Blessings (1958)
• June 2013 No Fond Return of Love (1961)
• June 2013Quartet in Autumn (1977)
• July 2013The Sweet Dove Died (1978)
• August 2013 A Few Green Leaves (1980)
• September 2013Crampton Hodnet (completed circa 1940, published 1985)
• October 2013 An Unsuitable Attachment (written 1963; published posthumously, 1982)
• November 2013 An Academic Question (written 1970-72; published 1986)
• December 2013 Civil to Strangers (written 1936; published posthumously, 1989)
So if you have not read any Barbara Pym before, and would like to try one, what can you expect?
Barbara Pym novels are sort of social comedies, usually set in small middle class communities; there are some quite deeper undercurrents in her novels however, although they are very English, her canvases like those of Jane Austen and Elizabeth Taylor are fairly small. North Oxford features strongly in her novels as does London. Barbara Pym examines communities and the relationships between men and women; she particularly seems to examine unrequited love. Her observations of people and their little foibles are quite wry, and delightfully amusing. Anglican Church communities figure largely in her novels as do academics such as anthropologists – Barbara Pym herself worked for some time at the International African Institute, before retiring to Oxfordshire to live with her sister Hilary. Barbara Pym never married, although she did have several love affairs. Her first published novel came in 1950 with Some Tame Gazelle. Between 1963 and 1977 despite her former popularity Barbara Pym found she was unable to get her work published, as her novels were by this time considered old fashioned. Following a campaign led by Lord David Cecil and Philip Larkin her novel Quartet in Autumn was published, re-launching her career and bringing Barbara Pym to a whole new audience. Barbara Pym died of cancer in 1980. Following her death some of her early previously unpublished work was also published.
I have been today made aware of a Barbara Pym centenary conference taking place in July. I certainly hope to be there, as I know Liz does. The Elizabeth Taylor centenary day in Reading last April – was one of the highlights of 2012 for me.
I’m looking forward to this, Ali. I might skip the couple that I’ve read fairly recently but will definitely be reading the others.
I’m looking forward to it too, though will so miss ET which is why I have kept some short stories of hers to read in 2013.
I’ve yet to read any Pym, although I have 7 on the tbr – so this will be a great way to klckstart reading them! Thanks for setting this up – looking forward to it!
I think you will like her Karen, I hope so.
I shall certainly join in. I have already read all Barbara Pym’s novels at least two or three times. However there is always something new to discover at a re-reading; Furthermore, it is stimulating and enriching to share views with other readers! I do look forward to this event.
Great, glad to you have you aboard : )
I’ve read two (Jane & Prudence & Crampton Hodnet) and own a third (The Sweet Dove Died). My library system has them all so I’ll give the first couple a try and see how it goes.
Excellent, I can remember really enjoying Jane and Prudence. I also seem to remember Crampton Hodnet was good too, I confess I can’t remember much about the Sweet Dove Died.
This year I ‘discovered’ Barbara Pym when I read Excellent Women and I am completely smitten with her books. I’ve read six of them to date and can’t wait to read the others. I will definitely be following along. BTW, Thomas at My Porch is hosting a Barbara Pym reading week in June.
Yes I had heard about the Barbara Pym reading week, thank you for reminding me. I shall have to pop over to that blog.
Having only read and enjoyed three of Pym’s works, Excellent Women, No Fond Return of Love and Quartet in Autumn, I am quite eager to join in this endeavor. As Camille mentioned it is always more enjoyable to be able to discuss books with like or unlike, as the case may be, readers. Looking forward to our year of Barbara Pym.
So excited about this-I read my first Pym novel (“Quartet in Autumn”) last week, and I just bought “Excellent Women” and “Jane and Prudence”…perfect timing!
Perfect timing indeed.
I’ve been reading Pym since my teens but haven’t re-read her for a good while, so I’m really looking forward to this. Thank you for coordinating it!
I’ve never read Pym so I’ll join you in January for Some Tame Gazelle to get my first taste. 🙂
Excellent a new Pym convert – I hope : )
I was introduced to Pym’s work by a co-worker back in 1988, i was a recent college graduate and had never heard of Barbara Pym. I devoured all 13 of her works and was so sad when there were no more to read. Haven’t re-read any of them since then, can’t even remember which were my favorites and which I thought were just good. Excited to celebrate the centenary going to go out and get Some Tame Gazelle so I am ready 🙂
Great to have you aboard too Donna.
I’d like to try and do this. I’ve got several on my shelf and have read only three or four.
Excellent it will be great to have you joining in : )
Sounds like a lot of fun. Amanda at the Fig and Thistle and me at My Porch are hosting a Pym reading week June 1-8. (Her birthday is on the 2nd.) maybe we could help each other cross promote. http://myporchblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/bits-and-bobs-barbara-pym-edition.html
: ) Excellent – I will probably try and read both “June’s” books that week. Certainly happy to help promote your event too. It will be good year for Pym fans.
Sounds like fun! I just finished Crampton Hodnet today and was googling Pym, so I found your blog. I haven’t been blogging much lately but I’d love to read more Pym next year.
I seem to remember Crampton Hodnet as being quite quirky, I’m glad you’ll be reading some Pym with us next year.
Ooh good….I’ve got an omnibus edition of the first three novels, so I’m with you for Jan, Feb and March at least!
Brilliant. Look forward to hearing your thought.
[…] been a fantastic year for fans of Elizabeth Taylor and I am going to miss her terribly. We do have Barbara Pym to look forward to – and I hope she manages to fill the void left by Elizabeth – we will […]
Ok, I’m going to add a Barbara Pym to my list for 2013, a local writer living here mentioned Excellent Women to our bookclub when we reviewed her book in her presence, she recommended we read it, so seems appropriate to acknowledge her centenary. Wish I could commit to more, but I hope even by reading one, it may introduce her to a few other readers.
That’ll be great, hope you enjoy it. Excellent women was the first Pym I read.
Thank you so much for all of this information – I’m a member of the Barbara Pym society but I hadn’t heard about that conference & I’m going to try to attend. Have read every one of her novels many times, & also her biography. Even have the BP Cookbook!
(One small point – BP was born in 1913 not 2013)
whoops – typo fixed now thank you for pointing that out.
[…] have been popular among the book-blogging community. But I think I will join in the Barbara Pym centenary read-along. We begin with Some Tame Gazelle. A friend introduced me to Pym’s work about a dozen years […]
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