I read all of Pym’s novels with much delight some 20 or more years ago and am due for a reread soon. I particularly liked ‘’The Sweet Dove Died’— perhaps because it is less forgiving than her other novels.
Another great fan of Barbara Pym was the Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe. His daughter told me he had all of her books on his shelves. And Pym incudes some sympathetic Nigerian characters in her fiction.
Your writing was the push I needed to finally start reading Barbara Pym. Thank you! I’m starting today with Excellent Women.
A book I love that I don’t hear about very often is 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. It is a short read, but so good, and it’s a true story! There was a movie made of it in 1987 with Anne Bancroft as Helene.
Thank you once again, Ann. Barbara Pym’s voice has lived in my head for years. She had, I believe, perfect pitch. Her wit was devastating and on the mark, but she was never mean-spirited. I’ve only read three or four of her books, and that was a long time ago. I’m pleased to hear about her friendship with Larkin. Another excellent article.
That's a lovely way of putting it, Mary - her voice living on in your head. It's interesting that she (but of course) deliberately worked on that voice from 1936, by reading Elizabeth von Arnim and deciding that was what she wanted to do, too. Thanks so much for your lovely comment!
Thanks for this window into Pym’s life and work. I had a brief Pym phase as a teenager but really don’t remember her novels well. I’ll have to look again— and I love this new angle on Larkin too. What a good friend he was to her.
One of my all-time favorite novelists. Nothing compares to EXCELLENT WOMEN. That distinctive voice, so observant and her observations to incisive. What I didn't know is Larkin's advocacy for her work. Thank you!
I am so pleased to hear that Jill! I'm a recent convert, and it's always good to feel you have joined a club (why did no one tell me before...? They probably did, and I was too busy reading more recent, forgettable fiction.) Reading Byrne's biography really made me want to dive into all of Pym's novels, and I was just so touched to read Larkin's passionate words about her.
Three times I've read it and I'm tempted to read it again so it doesn't remain "lost in the archives" as a good voice to keep in my head. As I've aged each time reading her, I expect I would find fresh delights in her words.
Thank you for drawing attention to Miss Pym. She's one of my favourite authors and I read her over and over again. I tracked down all her novels second hand about 10 years ago and have reread each of them regularly since. They are wonderful. My favourites - An Unsuitable Attachment and The Sweet Dove Died are sublime. The spinster, the clergy, the polite interference, the 'trivial round, the common task'...nobody does it better. I'm always sorry she is having (another) renaissance - I like to think she is a glorious secret, to be shared only with people I know will love her.
Oh that's great to hear, June. So glad you are a fan. It's interesting, isn't it, why publishers decide that an author is having, or should have, 'a moment'. Henry Oliver on Substack was saying something similar about Penelope Fitzgerald recently. It sounds as if The Sweet Dove Died would speak to a new generation too - but I can see why you might not want Pym's novels to be hyped. I love your description of her being 'a glorious secret' shared by a select few. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. (You probably are familiar with it, but there's a nice BBC drama about Pym, starring some great actors, on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi8Zezov9RQ)
This post was serendipitously timed - I just bought Excellent Women last week. I've had Pym on my radar for a while, but never yet read anything by her. This article has intrigued me and mover her up my list of priority reads. Thank you!
Wonderful, Ann. I have somehow reached age 74 without reading any of her books. Last year I heard a podcast about the biography and resolved to do something about that. I don’t think the Larkin connection figured in the interview. Thank you for jogging my memory.
Thanks Rona, Barbara Pym is a hidden gem I think. The podcast might have been by Slightly Foxed, as I can remember Paula Byrne discussing her research. That jogged my memory too, and I went back to find the novels.
I love Barbara Pym but didn’t know her life story, or of her friendship with Philip Larkin. The fact that she couldn’t get published but kept on writing—astonishing. Yet maybe not all that surprising, given how publishing works, and imagining the men making editorial decisions back then…. Thanks for this post!
Thank you Sarah, yes I just loved that platonic 'love story' and the fact that Larkin (whose fear of women made him misogynistic at times) had such great respect and affection for Pym, and never gave up trying. She didn't let rejection hold her back either! A good lesson.
Really enjoyed reading this, Ann. I discovered Barbara Pym last year. As I was reading (and chuckling quite often) Excellent Women I knew I’d be looking for more of her books and went on to read No Fond Return of Love (which I liked even more). I have been gathering all her novels them little by little ever since, including a copy of Paula Byrne’s biography. Pym definitely deserves all the recognition she’s getting as her social observations and wit are timeless.
Thanks for the reminder to do my annual Quarter in Autumn re-read. I found it in Oxfam a few years ago (it's not my natural go-to for novels) and have loved it ever since - the depth of the observations, and the prompts to make sure you *do* something with your life, are superb. I find it both sad and oddly uplifting.
That's great to hear, and I love the serendipity of Oxfam finds. It's a novel that really stays with you, doesn't it - sad but hopeful. Thanks so much for your thought-provoking comment.
She went out into the sunshine, dazed and bewildered. Then she was roused into alertness by the clang of an ambulance bell and she found herself joining a knot of people gathered around a slumped figure on the pavement. Somebody had collapsed with a coronary, a window cleaner had slipped and fallen - the air was full of excited, confused murmurings, but nobody quite knew what had happened.
Which I think is the whole novel and its sadness in a few lines - very little has actually happened, but it's elevated into great excitement for one of the quartet, gossiping and comparing notes filling the space and emptiness.
I find the novels I've read poignant, more compassionate than Austen. My favorite is Quartet in Autumn. I've read an edition of her diaries too, and felt for her during her years in her later teens and early twenties, I forget the young man's name, but not that she allowed him to take humiliating advantage of her, so insecure and eager for a boyfriend was she. I concluded the pain she experienced became part of her decision not to marry, and to tell stories of "spinster" types so as not to have to return to this troubled period in her life. I have liked some of Byrne's books very much (on Jane Austen: A Life in Small things.) Glad to remember and talk about this woman writer this morning. Ellen
Many thanks Ellen, and what you say about her being more compassionate than Austen is very interesting. Pym seems particularly good at noticing, and feeling sympathy for, the underlying sadness in people, especially when they seem slightly ridiculous. I feel so cross that she had such bad romantic experiences! Perhaps not being married was something that Larkin understood. Yes, Paula Byrne is a great biographer and I'm keen to read her new one 'Hardy Women' too. Thank you for your lovely comment.
I’m so thrilled to find this piece! I love Barbra Pym! I stumbled onto Excellent Women a few years ago and promptly found a set of her books on EBay. When I need a comfort read I know her books will do. She’s a treasure! I’m excited to know about the new editions! I’ll add those to my collection!
Crampton Hodnet was published before, in 1985 and in paperback in 1986: you make it sound as though Virago might be the first to bring it out. Or am I misreading?
Ah, thanks Kate for clarifying that. Yes, the Viragos are all reissues of their own editions (from about 10 years ago?) just with new covers. I will go back and re-edit!
What a delightful piece on Barbara Pym! I started reading Excellent Women just a couple of days ago, and I love that you describe the author as a “chronicler of the overlooked”.
Many thanks Richa, so pleased you're enjoying Excellent Women. I love that some of her characters from that novel also turn up in later books... and that the bishop was based on her great love, and later great friend, Henry.
I read all of Pym’s novels with much delight some 20 or more years ago and am due for a reread soon. I particularly liked ‘’The Sweet Dove Died’— perhaps because it is less forgiving than her other novels.
Another great fan of Barbara Pym was the Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe. His daughter told me he had all of her books on his shelves. And Pym incudes some sympathetic Nigerian characters in her fiction.
Hi Lyn, belated thanks for your comment - and how fascinating to hear that Chinua Achebe was a fan. Will look out for Pym's Nigerian characters.
Your writing was the push I needed to finally start reading Barbara Pym. Thank you! I’m starting today with Excellent Women.
A book I love that I don’t hear about very often is 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. It is a short read, but so good, and it’s a true story! There was a movie made of it in 1987 with Anne Bancroft as Helene.
Thank you once again, Ann. Barbara Pym’s voice has lived in my head for years. She had, I believe, perfect pitch. Her wit was devastating and on the mark, but she was never mean-spirited. I’ve only read three or four of her books, and that was a long time ago. I’m pleased to hear about her friendship with Larkin. Another excellent article.
That's a lovely way of putting it, Mary - her voice living on in your head. It's interesting that she (but of course) deliberately worked on that voice from 1936, by reading Elizabeth von Arnim and deciding that was what she wanted to do, too. Thanks so much for your lovely comment!
Thanks for this window into Pym’s life and work. I had a brief Pym phase as a teenager but really don’t remember her novels well. I’ll have to look again— and I love this new angle on Larkin too. What a good friend he was to her.
One of my all-time favorite novelists. Nothing compares to EXCELLENT WOMEN. That distinctive voice, so observant and her observations to incisive. What I didn't know is Larkin's advocacy for her work. Thank you!
I am so pleased to hear that Jill! I'm a recent convert, and it's always good to feel you have joined a club (why did no one tell me before...? They probably did, and I was too busy reading more recent, forgettable fiction.) Reading Byrne's biography really made me want to dive into all of Pym's novels, and I was just so touched to read Larkin's passionate words about her.
Three times I've read it and I'm tempted to read it again so it doesn't remain "lost in the archives" as a good voice to keep in my head. As I've aged each time reading her, I expect I would find fresh delights in her words.
Thank you for drawing attention to Miss Pym. She's one of my favourite authors and I read her over and over again. I tracked down all her novels second hand about 10 years ago and have reread each of them regularly since. They are wonderful. My favourites - An Unsuitable Attachment and The Sweet Dove Died are sublime. The spinster, the clergy, the polite interference, the 'trivial round, the common task'...nobody does it better. I'm always sorry she is having (another) renaissance - I like to think she is a glorious secret, to be shared only with people I know will love her.
Oh that's great to hear, June. So glad you are a fan. It's interesting, isn't it, why publishers decide that an author is having, or should have, 'a moment'. Henry Oliver on Substack was saying something similar about Penelope Fitzgerald recently. It sounds as if The Sweet Dove Died would speak to a new generation too - but I can see why you might not want Pym's novels to be hyped. I love your description of her being 'a glorious secret' shared by a select few. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. (You probably are familiar with it, but there's a nice BBC drama about Pym, starring some great actors, on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi8Zezov9RQ)
Thanks. Yes, I know the drama - Patricia Routledge being perfectly Barbara.
This post was serendipitously timed - I just bought Excellent Women last week. I've had Pym on my radar for a while, but never yet read anything by her. This article has intrigued me and mover her up my list of priority reads. Thank you!
Wonderful, Ann. I have somehow reached age 74 without reading any of her books. Last year I heard a podcast about the biography and resolved to do something about that. I don’t think the Larkin connection figured in the interview. Thank you for jogging my memory.
Thanks Rona, Barbara Pym is a hidden gem I think. The podcast might have been by Slightly Foxed, as I can remember Paula Byrne discussing her research. That jogged my memory too, and I went back to find the novels.
I love Barbara Pym but didn’t know her life story, or of her friendship with Philip Larkin. The fact that she couldn’t get published but kept on writing—astonishing. Yet maybe not all that surprising, given how publishing works, and imagining the men making editorial decisions back then…. Thanks for this post!
Thank you Sarah, yes I just loved that platonic 'love story' and the fact that Larkin (whose fear of women made him misogynistic at times) had such great respect and affection for Pym, and never gave up trying. She didn't let rejection hold her back either! A good lesson.
Really enjoyed reading this, Ann. I discovered Barbara Pym last year. As I was reading (and chuckling quite often) Excellent Women I knew I’d be looking for more of her books and went on to read No Fond Return of Love (which I liked even more). I have been gathering all her novels them little by little ever since, including a copy of Paula Byrne’s biography. Pym definitely deserves all the recognition she’s getting as her social observations and wit are timeless.
I’m reading Excellent Women, and I find myself chuckling quite often, too!
Oh that's great Richa! I love a book that makes me laugh.
Hope that’s your entry into the wit o Miss Pim 😊
Thank you Cristina - so pleased you're a Pym fan too!
It looks like a reissue of ‘The Sweet Dove Died’ is out soon - the online bookshop I browsed said it’s coming on 14 May 2024… 👏👏
Oh that's very interesting, Tash - will keep a lookout for that...
Thanks for the reminder to do my annual Quarter in Autumn re-read. I found it in Oxfam a few years ago (it's not my natural go-to for novels) and have loved it ever since - the depth of the observations, and the prompts to make sure you *do* something with your life, are superb. I find it both sad and oddly uplifting.
*Quartet argh!
Haha, I do that all the time - reinvent titles with keyboard assistance...
That's great to hear, and I love the serendipity of Oxfam finds. It's a novel that really stays with you, doesn't it - sad but hopeful. Thanks so much for your thought-provoking comment.
I always stop at this section:
She went out into the sunshine, dazed and bewildered. Then she was roused into alertness by the clang of an ambulance bell and she found herself joining a knot of people gathered around a slumped figure on the pavement. Somebody had collapsed with a coronary, a window cleaner had slipped and fallen - the air was full of excited, confused murmurings, but nobody quite knew what had happened.
Which I think is the whole novel and its sadness in a few lines - very little has actually happened, but it's elevated into great excitement for one of the quartet, gossiping and comparing notes filling the space and emptiness.
I find the novels I've read poignant, more compassionate than Austen. My favorite is Quartet in Autumn. I've read an edition of her diaries too, and felt for her during her years in her later teens and early twenties, I forget the young man's name, but not that she allowed him to take humiliating advantage of her, so insecure and eager for a boyfriend was she. I concluded the pain she experienced became part of her decision not to marry, and to tell stories of "spinster" types so as not to have to return to this troubled period in her life. I have liked some of Byrne's books very much (on Jane Austen: A Life in Small things.) Glad to remember and talk about this woman writer this morning. Ellen
Many thanks Ellen, and what you say about her being more compassionate than Austen is very interesting. Pym seems particularly good at noticing, and feeling sympathy for, the underlying sadness in people, especially when they seem slightly ridiculous. I feel so cross that she had such bad romantic experiences! Perhaps not being married was something that Larkin understood. Yes, Paula Byrne is a great biographer and I'm keen to read her new one 'Hardy Women' too. Thank you for your lovely comment.
I’m so thrilled to find this piece! I love Barbra Pym! I stumbled onto Excellent Women a few years ago and promptly found a set of her books on EBay. When I need a comfort read I know her books will do. She’s a treasure! I’m excited to know about the new editions! I’ll add those to my collection!
Thank you Amy! That's so nice to hear.
Crampton Hodnet was published before, in 1985 and in paperback in 1986: you make it sound as though Virago might be the first to bring it out. Or am I misreading?
Ah, thanks Kate for clarifying that. Yes, the Viragos are all reissues of their own editions (from about 10 years ago?) just with new covers. I will go back and re-edit!
What a delightful piece on Barbara Pym! I started reading Excellent Women just a couple of days ago, and I love that you describe the author as a “chronicler of the overlooked”.
Many thanks Richa, so pleased you're enjoying Excellent Women. I love that some of her characters from that novel also turn up in later books... and that the bishop was based on her great love, and later great friend, Henry.