If I wrote only one book review this month (that is now looking fairly certain) the book review I had to write was this one. Despite having another terrible month in blogging terms, I have enjoyed what I have been reading, and the highlight of the month has been this long awaited biography of one of my favourite writers. Liz and I had agreed some time ago that she would buy me this for my birthday, so that was why I didn’t read A Savage Innocence when it first came out in March – I think I rather enjoyed having it to look forward to. I actually managed to arrange my reading so that I could start it on the afternoon of my birthday – it felt like a treat in itself.
Barbara Comyns was a unique voice among the legion of twentieth century women writers that I have come to love. She stands out as being completely unlike anyone else, her deceptively straightforward, naive writing style, her childlike narrators who gradually reveal chilling realities, her sense of the macabre and the absurd. She has a delicious wry humour, delivered in a deadpan voice that disarms the reader, but also shields them from too much horror. Her life equipped her to understand the difficulties faced by women, the reality of poverty and child bearing. I have read all her books, and have come to love that uniqueness. I was looking forward to finding out more about the woman who wrote those books, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Barbara Comyns own life was every bit as extraordinary as her books – her life informed her writing as we see in this brilliantly researched biography. Avril Horner shows where we can see the parallels with Comyns’ own life in her fiction – using extracts from the books, her letters, diaries and tantalisingly some unpublished works to prove her links. It is a thorough, detailed and completely absorbing read for the Comyns fan. Horner is careful to only draw parallels with fiction and life where she can prove it, and is also clear to point out where Comyns’ work is wholly fictional. The many extracts throughout the biography are a complete delight, there is so much of Barbara’s own voice in this biography, it feels like a really truthful but affectionate portrait.
Barbara Comyns was born in 1907 in Bidford-on-Avon in Warwickshire, one of six children. Her father was a self made man, a Birmingham brewer who married a woman who was his social superior – at least according to her family. The family home was Bell Court, a manor house on the banks of the river Avon. Like many women of her class and generation, Barbara’s education was rather haphazard spending very little time in school, her education was mainly left to one of a series of governesses. As a young woman Barbara saw herself as an artist, setting out to study art and particularly sculpture. Writing was to come into her life much later – and she didn’t publish her first book until she was forty. As a young woman she was surrounded by artists and married to her first husband, a young artist – she enjoyed surrealism – which shows in her writing, and lived in grinding unromantic poverty, just like Sophia in Our Spoons Came from Woolworths.
Horner explores Comyns’ personal relationships which were rather complicated, she was married twice, had at least two other partners and her second child born while she was married to her first husband was not his child. While living with her partner Arthur Price she even sailed pretty close to the wind – legally speaking in some of her money making schemes – if nothing else we see Barbara as a survivor. Artist, dog breeder, piano restorer, antique dealer, housekeeper, landlord and writer and a woman who moved house continually – I lost track of the number of houses, and flats she lived in both here and in Spain (where she lived for eighteen years). We also meet Diana – a woman who Barbara had a long and volatile friendship with – she was married to one of Barbara’s former lovers, the man who was the father of her daughter Caroline.
Barbara’s second husband was Richard Comyns Carr, an MI6 officer who was good friends with Kim Philby – and may have lost his job because of that friendship. However Horner also makes some fascinating suggestions about Comyns’ Carr and the possibility he was still doing some work for MI6 while he was living in Spain with Barbara in the 1950s and 60s.
Horner examines how Barbara became the writer she was – she was first and foremost a voracious reader. Her writing life had many ups and downs. Her first book evolved out of telling her children stories of her own childhood to entertain them. She had her supporters, her husband and the writer Graham Greene among them, but she didn’t always find publishers for her novels. She divided opinion, and her book sales even when reviews were glowing weren’t huge. It was frustrating and led to Barbara doubting her own ability – and meant some books appeared only several years after they had first been written. Money was still often tight – and it was partly because of that, that she and Richard left England for Spain. There was some success later when Virago started to reissue her novels in the 1980s, it was the first time that Barbara felt successful – but how sad that it came so late. It seems to have been Barbara Comyns fate to fall in and out of fashion over the decades, I think all her novels should be in print – those of us who have struggled to find copies of The Skin Chairs and Out of the Red, into the Blue – know the pain of trying again and again to find reasonable priced copies of books we are desperate to read. I’m certain if they were all in print, then people would read them. Hopefully this biography will renew interest in Barbara Comyns which has grown over the last few years as other novels became more available through publishers like Virago and Daunt.
Barbara Comyns lived a hugely eventful and turbulent life and Avril Horner explores it with honesty and affection – this is a brilliantly compelling biography and I loved spending time with it. Of course it has made me want to reread all my Comyns books too.
That sounds wondeful, Alison. I love Barbara Comyns and now I want to read this and reread everything I’ve already read by her!
I really hope you enjoy this too Dee, I will be re-reading something from Comyns soon I think.
This sounds like a thoroughly satisfying read. Given the amount of love for her writing I’ve seen on social media, I’m surprised there are still some of her novels out of print.
There are just 3 books now out of print, two I think considered lesser works, but both do have lots to offer a Comyns fan and The Skin Chairs which people may be more squeamish about reissuing these days.
What a life – it’s extraordinary! I don’t read tons of biographies but this sounds unmissable. She’s one of a kind.
This one is a definitive one to read, it’s very compelling and revealing.
Lovely review, Ali – this sounds marvellous, and from what you say brilliantly done. I do appreciate a biography that doesn’t try to stretch the connections between life and work too much. It does appear that Comyns had quite an eventful life, and fortunately I have a copy of this lurking on my TBR!
And I’m glad you’ve had a good reading month even if you’ve not been able to post about all the books.
Yes, it’s very well done. There are lots of connections between Comyns work and her life, but Horner doesn’t shoehorn them in where they don’t exist.
This sounds excellent, I’ve only just started reading her so I’ve lots to explore!
Ooh lucky you, so much to look forward to.
I might try and squeeze this in over the summer, once I’ve read Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead.
That’s the one I am tempted to re-read next. I hope you’re able to fit this into your summer reading.
Thanks for sharing this one on your blog, Ali. It is definitely one I want to read and your comprehensive thoughtful review adds to my anticipation of hopefully a pleasure to come.
I’m glad you have enjoyed your reading this month. I hope you have a good reading month in June too. I always enjoy your reviews.
I’m glad you want to read this one, I think it’s one lots of people will find compelling reading and will hopefully inspire more reading of Comyns.
I love Comyns’ writing and still have a couple of her novels TBR. I’m eager to read this bio, too. Thank you for your thoughtful review. Grier
I’m delighted you have enjoyed Comyns, it sounds like you have some to look forward to as well. I hope you enjoy this one too.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and so impressed you managed to start it on your birthday having been given it a while in advance in case you couldn’t wait! I am looking forward to reading this at some time in the future.
It was lovely to have it there to look forward to. I’m glad I waited till my birthday. I’m glad you want to read it at some point, despite not being a big fan of Comyns.
A gorgeous review of a truly brilliant biography. As you say, it feels so thorough and well researched, giving us a fabulous insight into this unique writer’s life. I was especially intrigued (and horrified!) by Barbara’s relationship with Diana Brinton Lee, all the twists and turns and Diana’s manipulation of various situations to preserve her own reputation/privileged lifestyle etc. I also loved the insights in Barbara’s love of surrealism as an artistic movement and how this found its way into her work. Fascinating stuff – I’m so glad you loved it, too!
Oh yes, that relationship between Barbara Comyns and Diana was manipulative and strange. Having read her books, I can absolutely see the enjoyment of surrealism in her work.
Such a fascinating and talented writer. If you get a chance, I recommend the interview with Avril Horner on a recent episode of the Lost Ladies of Lit podcast.
Ooh, ok, thank you for that recommendation.
Ah, it sounds like this is one to keep, not to borrow. I will keep that in mind (along with the Pym bio). Lovely!
Oh yes, this one is definitely a keeper just like the Barbara Pym biography was.
Great review! I love this book as well, and now I want to reread every Comyns book (I have already started!) and then re-read this biography! I’m so pleased that this wonderful writer is getting the recognition she has always deserved.
I have just reread Who was Changed and Who was Dead, and will no doubt continue rereading her.