A different sound

£12.99

During the 1940s and 1950s, female writers were producing a remarkable body of short stories – many of which have only recently begun to be appreciated. Selected and introduced by writer and critic Lucy Scholes, the stories in this collection provide tantalising snapshots of a changing society. They capture the long shadow of the Second World War and the subtle reconfigurations of domestic arrangements, ranging from a remote peninsula in Cornwall to the living rooms of the British Raj in India. This collection places stories from acclaimed writers such as Elizabeth Taylor, Daphne du Maurier and Elizabeth Bowen alongside lesser-known, but equally brilliant, works. Suffused with tension and longing, combining supernatural dread with internal disharmony, their writing is crystalline and elegant and their storytelling endlessly compelling.

In stock

Publish Date: 29/02/2024

Description

Elegant, timeless, and riveting: an exciting anthology of short stories by mid-century women writers from Britain and Ireland-many being published in America for the first time

These remarkable short stories from the 1940s and 50s depict women and men caught between the pull of personal desires and profound social change. From a remote peninsula in Cornwall to the drawing rooms of the British Raj, domestic arrangements are rewritten, social customs are revoked and new freedoms are embraced.

Selected and introduced by writer and critic Lucy Scholes, Senior Editor at McNally Editions, this collection places works from renowned women writers alongside recently rediscovered voices.

Contains:

  • “The Cut Finger” by Frances Bellerby
  • “Summer Night” by Elizabeth Bowen
  • “The Birds” by Daphne du Maurier
  • “The Land Girl” by Diana Gardner
  • “Listen to the Magnolias” by Stella Gibbons
  • “Shocking Weather, Isn”t It?” by Inez Holden
  • “The First Party” by Attia Hosain
  • “Three Miles Up” by Elizabeth Jane Howard
  • “The Skylight” by Penelope Mortimer
  • “The Thames Spread Out” by Elizabeth Taylor
  • “Scorched Earth Policy” by Sylvia Townsend Warner

Suffused with tension and longing, the captivating stories collected here from acclaimed as well as lesser-known women writers form a window onto a remarkable era of writing.

Additional information

Weight 238 g
Dimensions 197 × 129 × 22 mm
Author
Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

272

Language

English

Edition

Short stories

Dewey

823.0108928709044 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K