Penelope Lively Books

Intimate, perceptive, critically acute, funny, and moving, this biography explores the life of one of the finest English novelists of the last century, Penelope Fitzgerald (1916-2000). A great writer who would never describe herself as such, her novels are short, spare masterpieces that are self-concealing and subtle. She won the Booker Prize for Offshore in 1979, and her last work, The Blue Flower, was hailed as genius. Her early novels drew from personal experiences, such as a boat on the Thames in the 1960s and a failing bookshop in Suffolk, while her later works ventured into historical realms, including pre-Revolution Russia and post-war Italy. Fitzgerald's life mirrored the complexity of her fiction, spanning the twentieth century and shifting from a Bishop's Palace to a sinking barge, and from an intellectual family to hardship. First published at sixty and achieving fame at eighty, her story embodies lateness, patience, and a unique form of heroism. Despite being loved and admired, she remained mysterious, often presenting herself as an absent-minded old lady, concealing a sharp intellect and a rich imagination. This brilliant account, penned by a biographer Fitzgerald admired, delves into her life, writing, and enigmatic self with fascination.

This book offers a sharp and unsentimental portrayal of Lively, blending humor with insightful reflections on her life and the historical context surrounding her experiences. It captures both her personal journey and the broader societal changes, providing a compelling glimpse into her character and the era she navigated.

Unwelcome ghosts are joined by uninvited dragons, gryphons, Martians, and magicians, in eight twisty stories with everyday English settings

This anthology of new writing promotes contemporary literature of the English language from Britain and the rest of the Commonwealth. It contains new names among older, recognizable names and includes short stories, poems, novels in progress and short fiction.

Clare's grandfather brought back a shield from New Guinea seventy years ago, and now Clare's dreams are haunted by images of New Guinea. It is up to her to lay the ghost of an encounter between a Victorian anthropologist and a Stone Age New Guinea tribe to rest. First published in 1974.

In Pack of Cards, Penelope Lively introduces the reader to slivers of the everyday world that are not always open to observation, as she delves into the minutiae of her characters' lives. Whether she writes about a widow on a visit to Russia, a small boy's consignment to boarding school, or an agoraphobic housewife, Penelope Lively takes the reader past the closed curtains, through the locked door, into a world that seems at first mundane and then at second glance, proves to be uniquely memorable.

Frances, happily married for many years, and suddenly plunged into mourning. Her international celebrity husband Steve has died leaving her unprepared and vulnerable. This title illuminates two terrifying taboos of the twentieth- century - death and grief.

Wry, compassionate and glittering with wit, Penelope Lively's stories get beneath the everyday to the beating heart of human experience. In intimate tales of growing up and growing old, chance encounters and life-long relationships, Lively explores with keen insight the ways that individuals can become tangled in history, and how small acts ripple through the generations. With two new never-before-published stories alongside treasures from her early writing days, Metamorphosis showcases the very best from a literary master.

This glimmering collection of new short fiction from a Booker Prize winner showcases a unique blend of sympathy, emotional wisdom, and satiric wit. The author, known for acclaimed novels like The Photograph and Family Album, captivates readers with themes of history, family, and relationships set in vividly rendered environments. In the title story, a Mediterranean purple swamp hen reveals the secrets of Quintus Pompeius's villa, highlighting his narrow escape from Vesuvius's eruption. "Abroad" depicts a low point for an artist couple on a tumultuous European road trip, forced to paint a mural in a remote Spanish farmhouse while repairing their broken-down car. Other tales explore friends and lovers in pivotal moments of indiscretion and discovery, such as in "The Third Wife," where a woman uncovers her husband's con artist ways and turns a house-hunting trip into a revenge scheme. Each story is enhanced by the author's graceful prose and keen eye for evocative detail. Wry, charming, and insightful, this collection is a masterful achievement from one of our most beloved writers.