Barbara Pym was born in Oswestry, Shropshire on 2 June 1913. Making this year her centenary year. Someone over on the Librarything Virago group suggested we read her books in order of publication during 2013 – just as we had done with the work of Elizabeth Taylor in 2012. Not only did I manage to keep up with the challenge (boding well for next year’s two massive challenges) but I read biographies alongside the novels and even held a Barbara Pym tea party at my house on June 2nd.
This was our schedule:
• January 2013 Some Tame Gazelle (1950) 
• February 2013 Excellent Women (1952)
• March 2013 Jane and Prudence (1953)
• April 2013 Less than Angels (1955)
• May 2013 A Glass of Blessings (1958)
• June 2013 No Fond Return of Love (1961
• June 2013 Quartet in Autumn (1977)
June was busy! As June was Barbara Pym’s birthday we read two novels (it was also a way of making 13 novels fit into 12 months) – but I also read A Very Private Eye – the letters and diaries of Barbara Pym. I also held a lovely Barbara Pym tea party on what would have been Barbara’s actual 100th birthday – Sunday June 2nd 2013 – there was even a Facebook group! June was also Barbara Pym reading week hosted by Thomas at My porch.
• July 2013 The Sweet Dove Died (1978)
• August 2013 A Few Green Leaves (1980)
• September 2013 Crampton 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) – and I attended a dramatised reading of An Unsuitable Attachment at the new Library of Birmingham
• December 2013 Civil to Strangers and other writings (written 1936; published posthumously, 1989) – and I also read Barbara in the Bodleian which I has bought at the event in November.
Sitting down to write this – I made a shocking discovery – I was convinced that I had re-read A lot to Ask this year, the biography of Barbara Pym written by her long-time friend Hazel Holt – but I discover I haven’t – oh well too late now – but how strange that I was so sure I had re-read it this year. I obviously intended to and didn’t get around to it.
I have been asked once or twice this year to sum up Barbara Pym to someone who has never read her. I admit I struggle to do her justice; it is easy to descend into hackneyed phrases – like English comedies of manners or social comedies. Her work is much deeper than a cursory reading might make them seem. Her early novels – generally considered the Pym canon – certainly have recurring themes surrounding Anglo-Catholic ecclesiastical communities but all her work examines the relationships between men and women and their place in society, she is particularly gifted at portraying the pathos of unrequited love. Like Elizabeth Taylor – and indeed Jane Austen – Barbara Pym has a sharp eye for the everyday absurdities in life – and a marvellously keen ear for the way people of a certain class and type speak to one another.
This year of Pym, for me at least, has been a real joy. Ten of the thirteen novels were re-reads for me, and I already thought I knew which would remain my favourites. My opinion of only one novel has been greatly changed. Quartet in Autumn – the novel which was published in 1977 and longlisted for the Booker prize – following fourteen years in the literary wilderness. It is very different – I had remembered it as rather bleak, and dare I say depressing. However on re-reading it in June – I realised it is utter genius, and it is now a firm favourite. My other two favourites remain Jane and Prudence and No Fond Return of Love, although I rather adore them all – and Civil to Strangers was a delight – my first reading of it this month was pure joy.
Next year’s reading challenges will be underway in just a couple of weeks – and I hope they bring as much pleasure.
Next year’s challenges – for anyone interested are:
The Great War theme read
Dance to the Music of time –
If you read Pym this year – tell me what were your highs and lows of the year?
heavenali 
I completed the Pym reading challenge too. Hadn’t read the books since the late 1980’s when they were republished by Dutton in the states. My new favorite is A Glass Full of Blessings, least fav Less than Angels. Tonight I Am going to start reading A Lot to Ask, A life of Barbara Pym by Hazel Holt (which I have never read). Participating in this challenge has been wonderful, I could read a little Pym everyday for comfort and sustenance.
I’m so glad you enjoyed reading Pym this year. I’m sure we’ll keep on reading her.
You did have a wonderful year of reading Pym, Ali. I certainly enjoyed those that I read and I do think she is a deeper writer than is sometimes thought. Good luck with the challenges for 2014!
Thank you – I just hope I am able to keep up with them.
I really enjoyed Pym Reading Week and the tea parties going around FB 🙂 I didn’t read along with all the Pym although I did pick up three this year that I hadn’t read. I do plan on reading all the others, as I love her perspective on things, and her style.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your reading – somehow I think you will.
Well done. My highlight was Excellent Women, but then I drifted away, because I wanted to let that one sit for a while rather than push it to one side to make room for more Pym.
Well you can always come back to them in the future 🙂
Well my highlight was the discovery of Librarything and it’s great Virago group, people who shared my love of Barbara Pym. I know very few people , readers all, who are familiar with her work. I do try to convince them to try her. I can see she is very popular in the US, and has many devoted fans in the UK, but she doesn’t register as loudly in Oz, more’s the pity.
One of the aspects of her novels that fascinates me is her constant references to textiles. I’m not usually interested in this subject, but she manages to chart the world of dress fabrics , from celanese undergarments to silver fox accessories , with plenty of crepe de chine, Macclesfield silk and marocain frocks in between.
Now you can spread the Pym message on Oz. So glad you love LT too.
Excellent Women was one of the highlights of my reading year, and it made me regret never having read her before – but now I am a firm fan and have all those treats ahead of me. I also loved Quartet in Autumn – really very underrated, I thought, when I read early reviews of it. And, Pym month was definitely a highlight of the year for me!
The Pym reading week was lovely there seemed to be juat so many talking about and reading her that it sort of brought her back to life.
Well done, what a brilliant effort and that so many of them were rereads for you, I so admire your dedication, Barbara Pym would be overjoyed to know how well her books are still regarded and read and reread. And how very apt to have tea on her birthday.
We did read Excellent Women last month for our book club (I must write up my review) and given there is only one English women in the group, she had to answer a lot of questions about some of the habits, all those cups of tea and do/did people really use that term ‘excellent women’. It was a fabulous discussion and quite an insight for our particular group, who all enjoyed the book, even those who weren’t so sure at the start.
It is interesting what you say about unrequited love, we had the feeling that should the book continue much longer that may have changed, was there a reluctance on the part of the author to go there perhaps, to take a risk with love, or was she keeping the reader on tenderhooks wondering.
Well if you read all her novels she does name drop characters from earlier novels revealing them to be married to so and so etc
Ah ha, I shall have to tell the girls, one must read on! 🙂
I have still to read a Pym but a friend who loves her work has put ‘Jane and Constance’ on our book group list for June, so I trust you will admit that there is hope for me still!
Jane and Prudence 🙂 I think you are in for a treat.
[…] sums up her Pymish year, which sounds utterly delightful and makes me want to reread several […]
I think reading A Very Private Eye was my favorite Pym read of the year.
I enjoyed it – but I definitely prefer the novels.