Do you know the delights of Barbara Pym, that excellent woman?

Do you know the delights of Barbara Pym? Well, Jilly Cooper does. Alexander McCall Smith does. Mavis Cheek does. And Philip Larkin most certainly did – he once declared, 'I'd sooner read a new Barbara Pym than a new Jane Austen.' So if you don't know her already, maybe you should become acquainted ...

This month we will be publishing Jane and Prudence, which will be introduced by the lovely Jilly Cooper, who admits to once stealing the book from the library because she just couldn't give it back!:

'Quite by chance I borrowed Jane and Prudence, by Barbara Pym, an author unknown to me, from Westminster Public Library and fell so much in love with the book that I shamefully lied to the librarians that I had lost it, paying a 3s 6d fine. I have kept it as a treasured possession ever since. Over the years, as Barbara Pym replaced Nancy Mitford, Georgette Heyer, even Jane Austen, as my most loved author, I devoured all her books, but Jane and Prudence remains my favourite. Even an umpteenth reading this weekend was punctuated by gasps of joy, laughter, sympathy and wonder that this lovely book should remain so fresh, funny and true to life'

It's all very well quoting someone who loves her work, but how about a few lovely snippets from the author herself (I know, it's lazy, lazy, lazy of me – the more I quote, the less I have to write, but if I'm going to extol the virtues of a writer, I may as well give you a sample or two of said writer's wares):

'Miss Doggett again looked puzzled; it was as if she had heard that men only wanted one thing but had forgotten for the moment what it was.'

Jane and Prudence

'"You were lucky to find [a poet] so obscure that not even the Americans had done him. It's quite serious, this shortage of obscure poets."'

No Fond Return of Love

'I suppose an unmarried woman just over 30, who lives alone and has no apparent ties, must expect to find herself involved or interested in other people's business, and if she is also a clergyman's daughter then one might really say that there is no hope for her.'

Excellent Women

Does that give a taste? I'm not sure if quoting out of context does, but take my word for it (well, if you don’t trust my word, I've already told you of a few people who love her – and going from Jilly Cooper to Philip Larkin is a pretty broad range, I’d say) she is very, very funny. Her works are very English comedies of manners - lots of vicars, tweeds, jumble sales, endless cups of tea and unspoken crushes, but most important are the 'excellent women', usually single and a bit nosey, who keep things ticking and give the most wonderful observations of their world and the characters who people it. Her novels are characterised by what Anne Tyler has called 'the heartbreaking silliness of everyday life'. She'll put a smile on your face, so look out for Jane and Prudence at the end of the year. In 2008 we'll be publishing Excellent Women, introduced by Alexander McCall Smith, and then there will be No Fond Return of Love, so there's lots to look forward to.

Posted 14/12/2007 16:01:21 by Donna Coonan, Commissioning Editor, Virago Modern Classics with 0 comments.