I have resolved. In order to make a significant dent in my TBR (To Be Read) pile, I will devote August and most of autumn to reading novels by my four favorite authors named Elizabeth: Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Bowen, Elizabeth von Arnim, and Elizabeth Jenkins. All of them British, all of them 20th century, and all of them fabulous writers once unjustly neglected but now enjoying a well-deserved literary renaissance.
Though I've read all four, I've not yet exhausted their works; of Elizabeth von Arnim's, it may be impossible to do so, as she was highly prolific, and many of her novels are long out of print and difficult to find (and, if found, the scarcer titles can be quite costly). But they are well worth the effort of tracking down and shelling out as much as one can. Her humor is such that I have been known to guffaw suddenly and loudly in genteel restaurants while reading her. Not all of her novels, however, are overtly funny; she's quite capable of being sober. Already read: The Enchanted April, Elizabeth and Her German Garden, Christopher and Columbus, Love, The Pastor's Wife, The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rügen. In my TBR pile: Mr Skeffington, Father, Christine, Fräulein Schmidt and Mr Anstruther.
Elizabeth Taylor seems to be the current rediscovered darling of the literati, at least in Britain, due to many recent reissues, a couple of film adaptations, and a recent biography by Nicola Beauman. She deserves whatever attention and readership she's getting, every bit. Fortunately, all of her novels and short stories are now widely and affordably available; so her deft, elegant, and economical prose, her perspicacity, as well as her subtle and welcome wit, may be enjoyed by all. Called by some a "domestic" writer, given her preference for ordinary characters in ordinary situations, the depth and quiet genius of her craft belies such an appellation. Already read: Palladian, The Soul of Kindness, A Wreath of Roses, A View of the Harbour, The Solitary Summer. In my TBR pile: The Sleeping Beauty, Angel, Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont, The Wedding Group, At Mrs Lippincote's, A Game of Hide and Seek.
Elizabeth Bowen is perhaps the only of the four who has never altogether vanished from the literary world's sight lines. I've always seen her books in stores, even Barnes and Noble and Borders. However, it's only very recently, thanks to rhapsodic reviews written by Rachel at Book Snob, that I've begun to wallow in her beautifully precise writing. The broad themes of change, disruption, and adaption, whether of environment, society, or the landscape of the heart, pervade her novels. Like Taylor, hers is a quiet genius, though her canvas stretches a bit wider. Already read: To the North, The Death of the Heart, The Hotel. In my TBR pile: The House in Paris, A World of Love, The Little Girls, Friends and Relations.
Alas, there is not a lot of Elizabeth Jenkins to be had, fiction-wise. Her novel The Tortoise and the Hare, considered by many, including myself, to be a minor masterpiece, was one of the first titles the Virago Press reissued under their Modern Classics imprint. Again, it is a "domestic" novel, telling the story of a provincial wife who silently watches the slow but sure attachment grow between her husband and next-door neighbor. Having read this and Jenkins' excellent critical biography of Jane Austen with great pleasure and admiration, I'm eager to read the two books in my TBR pile: Brightness and A Silent Joy.
This is not a book blog, so reviews of any of these books are unlikely to appear here. There are many bloggers who write excellent, informative reviews (see "Others' Perspectives" at left for just a few). I just thought I'd put the four Elizabeths out there for those of you who are looking for literary fiction that is beautifully written, and timeless despite being miniature portraits of their era.
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