H. H. Munro (1870-1916)
I've just been to a talk about Hector Hugh Munro, who died on the Somme 90 years ago tonight. His short stories, written under the pen-name Saki, were favourite reading when I was a teenager.
The first I came across was Sredni Vashtar, which we read at school. It bored me, and I disliked the story. For some reason this didn't stop me picking up The Chronicles of Clovis when I found it on my grandparents' shelves, and after that these stories were my constant reading matter when I visited. I remember holidays in Girvan, pleasantly bored since deprived of my usual nerdish pursuits, sitting in the armchair by the window reading and re-reading Saki and Wodehouse.
And when like her, oh, Saki, you shall pass
Among the Guests Star-scatter'd on the Grass,
And in your joyous errand reach the spot
Where I made One--turn down an empty Glass!
The first I came across was Sredni Vashtar, which we read at school. It bored me, and I disliked the story. For some reason this didn't stop me picking up The Chronicles of Clovis when I found it on my grandparents' shelves, and after that these stories were my constant reading matter when I visited. I remember holidays in Girvan, pleasantly bored since deprived of my usual nerdish pursuits, sitting in the armchair by the window reading and re-reading Saki and Wodehouse.
And when like her, oh, Saki, you shall pass
Among the Guests Star-scatter'd on the Grass,
And in your joyous errand reach the spot
Where I made One--turn down an empty Glass!
(Edward Fitzgerald, after Omar Khayyam)
posted by Tony at 10:11 PM
1 Comments:
After writing the above, I thought I would like to read some Saki, which I haven't done for, I guess, twenty years (though I've often thought of him). I went to get The Pebguin Complete Saki ("complete" is misleading: it omits the Author's Note to The Unbearable Bassington "This story has no moral. If it points out an evil, at any rate it suggests no remedy"). It wasn't where I thought it was! In fact it's not anywhere on my shelves! It's hiding! Or (more likely) it's in disguise: it's wearing a different cover from the one I remember. How annoying!
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