Barbara Pym’s secret sexual awakening
The great English novelist spun comic gold from her spinsterhood, but as a student she was wild – until a fling took a disturbing turn Some moments of rapture : Barbara Pym pictured in the 1930s
Credit: The Barbara Pym Society
Mention the name of the novelist Barbara Pym and the image conjured up is of a middle-aged spinster gossiping about the curate over a cup of tea in a rainy village, with a cat on her knee. A comforting, very English world. But the image belies the reality of a life of adventure and resilience that she subtly wove into the fabric of her novels.
Last modified on Thu 8 Apr 2021 05.13 EDT
In 1971 the author Barbara Pym was at her day job at the International African Institute when she noticed âMr Câ laboriously attacking his lunchtime sandwich with a knife and fork. Pym made a mental note of the detail before asking herself ruefully, âOh why canât I write about things like that any more â why is this kind of thing no longer acceptable?â Ten years earlier, Jonathan Cape had dumped her after her sixth book on the grounds that her brand of anthropological observation of English social manners was old lady-ish, dull and didnât sell. As an extra humiliation, no other publishing house had been interested in picking up Miss Pym: books built on âthe daily round of trivial thingsâ could hardly compete with Frederick Forsythâs
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Giller Prize finalist Patrick deWitt, nominated for his book French Exit stops on the red carpet at the Scotiabank Giller Bank Prize gala in Toronto on November 19, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young April 06, 2021 - 12:12 PM
TORONTO - Patrick deWitt has tackled many industries â literature, film and construction among them.
Now, the acclaimed Vancouver Island-born author and screenwriter is looking to further expand his eclectic resume, which includes everything frompainting film sets to winning major literary awards.
As he promotes the new film adaptation of his 2018 novel French Exit, deWitt says he s trying to adapt one of his books into a TV series. He doesn t want to reveal which book yet.
French Exit author Patrick deWitt writing new novel and trying to make TV project - Medicine Hat NewsMedicine Hat News medicinehatnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medicinehatnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.