The Pritchett Century : A Selection of the Best by V. S. Pritchett (Modern Library (Paperback))

Rating:
Summary: An Unassuming Brilliance
Review: "The Pritchett Century" is quality, from its gracious Foreword by Pritchett's son Oliver and John Bayley's lucid Introduction, on through 695 pages authored by "the grand old man of letters" himself. Bayley tells us, "Pritchett was fascinated by trades." This volume offers only a fraction of Pritchett's achievements over a 70-year span as a master craftsman in the writing trade whose stunning output included novels, memoirs, literary criticisms, and books of travel. In his short fiction, his true genius shines through with an unassuming sort of brilliance. This fine collection is merely a "teaser," but a hefty one chosen by his son with loving care: three selections of autobiography, eight of travel writing, passages from two novels, 13 short stories, passages from biographies of Turgenev and Chekhov, and 21 literary criticisms of writers as diverse as Sir Walter Scott, S.J. Perelman and Salman Rushdie.

Pritchett's short stories deserve particular mention. Here, Oliver has chosen some of his own favorites as well as those of his father and mother; all 13 were first published between 1938 and 1989. They are wonderful. Like chocolate truffles, you must taste them to know how delectable they really are, so indulge yourself in a miniature gem like "The Liars," a tale of two people, aged and lonely and helping each other make it through the afternoon. And, "When My Girl Comes Home," cited as the author's favorite. There are 11 others to savor. Then, surely you'll agree with what was said of V.S. Pritchett: "No one living writes a better English sentence."

We know that "The Pritchett Century" was the 20th Century - his life spanned 1900 to 1997. Read Pritchett. Read his novels, his memoirs, his literary criticisms, his travel books, but above all read his short stories. Read other 20th Century masters of short fiction, like Isaac Bashevis Singer, Elizabeth Bowen. And read William Trevor who, into the 21st Century, keeps on creating exceptional stories that are graced with a similar sort of unassuming brilliance.