V. S. Pritchett Book order

In unfailingly elegant prose, V.S. Pritchett provides a timeless distillation of the city of London and the London experience. He shows us the capital through the centuries - a panorama of history, art, and literature; a paradox of grandeur and grime, the bustling markets and tranquil parks, the palaces and pubs. At the heart of the book is an astute and affectionate portrait of the Londoner - enigmatic and enduring, with a remote but insistent respect for law, royalty, and ritual, a love of argument, a tolerance of eccentrics. London Perceived tells the surprising story of this great and historic city - Londoners will see their home anew, and visitors appreciate its small wonders. A loving tribute to London past and presesnt

'A gentle giant', as the Goncourts called him, Turgenev emerged from the barbarous yet doting rules of a terrible mother, whose cruelties to her serfs are at the heart of his hatred of serfdom. He was saturated in femininity and could not write unless he was in love. When he freed himself from his mother, he became enslaved by the famous Spanish singer, Pauline Viardot, married to a Frenchman. He was heir to vast estates, a convinced Westerner, proud to be both European and deeply Russian, and one of the most civilized men of his time. This is his story.

Pritchett's ninetieth birthday will coincide with the publication of this amazing collection of new stories and will be a major literary celebration.

Introduction by JEREMY TREGLOWN“In his daily walks through London,” notes Jeremy Treglown in his Introduction to this collection, “Pritchett watched and listened to people as a naturalist observes wild creatures and birds. He knew that oddity is the norm, not the exception.” This finely attuned sense, coupled with an understanding that nothing in life is mundane, is what makes these stories so immensely enjoyable. Drawing on a vast treasure chest of writings, Treglown has selected sixteen of Pritchett’s gems, including “A Serious Question,” which makes its debut in book form here. Featuring some of the best work from a long career, this new compilation of Pritchett’s brilliantly compact stories illuminates his legendary skills.

It includes extracts from A Cab at the Door and Midnight Oil, as well as literary criticism on a range of writers from George Eliot and Balzac to Chekov and Turgenev.

This collection is a companion to the long-established and highly successful Modern Short Stories One and its essential aims are the same: to offer stories of high literary quality which, though written for adults, can be enjoyed and appreciated by adolescents. The fifteen stories included are by distinguished writers from Africa, America, Australia, India, Ireland, Italy and Great Britain; and within their artistic context several of them deal with the special personal and social concerns of society today.The collection includes stories by the likes of Dorothy Parker, Maeve Binchy, Garrison Keillor, Peter Carey, Flannery O'Connor and Nadine Gordimer.

Selected short stories introduced by Christopher Isherwood

Mr. Beluncle in an imposing figure who fills his life with rich fantasies and exercises the unnerving power of his personality over those around him--often with hilarious results. With his characteristic grace and style, V.S. Pritchett traces Beluncle's steps toward financial ruin, gently revealing Belucnle's warm and humorous side, yet hinting darkly at his underlying suffering. V.S. Pritchett is a noted critic, biographer, and author of short stories and novels.