Known for her poignant short stories, this author earned the moniker ‘the Bradford Chekhov’ for her insightful narratives. Her literary talent was recognized by contemporaries, with comparisons to luminaries like Katherine Mansfield, highlighting her keen observation of human nature and everyday life. Whitaker's work, characterized by its subtle yet profound exploration of themes, offers a unique window into the human condition. Though she largely retired from writing after 1939, her rediscovered stories are celebrated for their enduring quality and masterful prose.
Malachi Whitaker (whose real name was Marjorie but she preferred the zanier Malachi) was born in Yorkshire in 1895. In the mid 1920s she started to publish short stories in magazines. Her first collection was published in 1929, and three more followed in the 1930s, a total of 78 stories of which this Persephone edition reprints twenty, five from each volume.