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1913-1980
Novelist; born at 72 Willow Street, Oswestry the daughter of a solicitor and educated at Liverpool College, Huyton and St. Hilda's College, Oxford where she read English. She spent most of her childhood at Morda Lodge, a large Edwardian house on the outskirts of Oswestry, which was to remain the Pym family home for many years. Barbara was brought up in a family where the Church played a major part; her mother was assistant organist at the parish church of St. Oswald, her father sang in the choir and there was a longstanding family tradition of having curates home for supper on a Sunday. Both parents were keen members of Oswestry Operatic Society in the 1920's. Barbara's first real creative work (she had been encouraged to write by her mother) was an operetta called The magic diamond performed by family and friends at Morda Lodge in April 1922. She was writing throughout the 1930's and, indeed, was working on her first novel Some tame gazelle from 1935 onwards although it was not published until 1950. During the war she joined the W.R.N.S. and after worked for the International African Institute, living with her sister in London. In more recent years and up to the time of her death she was living in a country cottage in Oxfordshire.
During the 1950's she gained some success and recognition for novels such as Excellent women (1952), Jane and Prudence (1953), Less than angels (1955) and A glass of blessings (1958) followed by No fond return of love (1961). This last novel seemed to have marked the end of her success for in the next ten or fifteen years she was virtually ignored and out of fashion and, although still writing novels, was unable to get them published. For example, An unsuitable attachment was written between 1960 and 1965 but did not appear in print until 1982, two years after her death. It was the publication of the superb Quartet in Autumn (1977) which heralded her literary re-discovery. Philip Larkin was a great admirer of her work and it was he who was a prime mover in making this re-discovery possible. She now became a celebrity, in demand at literary events and launches, and her books were reissued. Sadly she died just three years after publication of Quartet in Autumn, which had been followed by The sweet dove died (1978), but her popularity has continued and her novels are acclaimed as minor masterpieces of dry humour and poignancy. Three novels were published posthumously: A few green leaves (1980), An unsuitable attachment (mentioned above) and Crampton Hodnet (1985).
From An Illustrated Literary Guide to Shropshire by Gordon Dickins, published by Shropshire Libraries, 1987. © Gordon Dickins, 1987.
The following works are available in the West Midlands Creative Literature Collection:-
Academic question
Civil to strangers and other writings
Crampton Hodnet (1985)
Excellent women (1952)
Few green leaves (1980)
Glass of blessings (1958)
Jane and Prudence (1953)
Less than angels (1955)
No fond return of love (1961)
Quartet in Autumn (1977)
Some tame gazelle (1950)
Sweet dove died (1978)
Unsuitable attachment, An (1982)
Very private eye
The following works are available in the West Midlands Creative Literature Collection:-
Barbara Pym (1989) by Michael Cotsell
Lot to ask: a life of Barbara Pym (1990) by Hazel
Holt
Mind at ease: Barbara Pym and her novels (1989) by Robert
Liddell
Life and work of Barbara Pym (1987)
Barbara Pym (1986) by Robert Ammett Long
Barbara Pym (1985) by James Nardin
World of Barbara Pym (1986) by Janice Rossen
The Barbara Pym Society was founded in 1994 following a literary weekend, exploring the work of the author, held the previous year at St. Hilda's College, Oxford. Barbara Pym entered St. Hilda’s College as an undergraduate in 1931 and took her B.A. degree in English Language and Literature in 1934. The website is entitled An excellent woman and can be found at http://www.spore.it/pym/home_english.htm
There is an index of the works of Barbara Pym on the site which is being compiled by Hazel Bell.
Page created 9 February 2001 and last
updated 28 October 2002
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