The Music At Long Verney by Sylvia Townsend Warner
The 20 stories in this collection, which have been freshly assembled from Sylvia Townsend Warner's archives, have never before been published in book form. They are, therefore, an exceptional and wholly unexpected treasure trove. In these stories the author of the classic Lolly Willowes is at her most witty and beguiling. Written over five decades, from 1929 to 1977, they are crowded with vivid, irrepressible characters - from the nymph hunting chorister to the garrulous mother warding off her daughter's unwanted suitors - and equally animated objects and incidents. There are tales of romantic love, of the mysteries of marriage, of gardens and houses, of possessions and those that fancy they own them. The centerpiece of the collection is a series of five linked episodes concerning one singular establishment, the Abbey Antique Galleries, its eccentric proprietor, Mr Edom and his erratic staff, clientele and wares. With a foreword by William Maxwell, her long time editor at the New Yorker, and edited by Michael Steinman, The Music at Long Verney is both an important supplement to Sylvia Townsend Warner's legacy and the perfect introduction to her light wit and spry social observation.
"Reading these almost-lost stories is like finding a buried treasure of fine gold and silver" Alison Lurie; "On every page, there is something to be seen or smelled or felt.. Beneath her refined witchery lies a strange freshness one can only call, in praise, primitive" John Updike
Sylvia Townsend Warner was born at Harrow on the Hill in 1893. Her first novel, Lolly Willowes (1926), brought her instant recognition and success, but she is best known for her inimitable short stories, some 150 of which were published in the New Yorker between 1936 and 1977. Her works include 7 novels, 14 volumes of stories, a collected poems and a life of T. H. White. She died in 1978 at the age of 84.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781860469329 |
| ISBN 10 | 1860469329 |
| Title | The Music At Long Verney |
| Author | Sylvia Townsend Warner |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2001-10-18 |
| Number of pages | 208 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |