A Very Private Eye

An Autobiography in Diaries and Letters

Biography & Memoir, Literary
Cover of the book A Very Private Eye by Barbara Pym, Pan Macmillan
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Barbara Pym ISBN: 9781447265405
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Publication: November 21, 2013
Imprint: Bello Language: English
Author: Barbara Pym
ISBN: 9781447265405
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication: November 21, 2013
Imprint: Bello
Language: English

‘Could one write a book based on one’s diaries over thirty years? I certainly have enough material,’ wrote Barbara Pym. This book, selected from the diaries, notebooks and letters of this much loved novelist to form a continuous narrative, is indeed a unique autobiography, providing a privileged insight into a writer’s mind.

Philip Larkin wrote that Barbara Pym had ‘a unique eye and ear for the small poignancies of everyday life’. Her autobiography amply demonstrates this, as it traces her life from exuberant times at Oxford in the thirties, through the war when, scarred by an unhappy love affair, she joined the WRNS, to the published novelist of the fifties. It also deals with the long period when her novels were out of fashion and no one would publish them, her rediscovering in 1977, and the triumphant success of her last few years.

It is now possible to describe a place, situation or person as ‘very Barbara Pym’. A Very Private Eye, at once funny and moving, shows the variety and depth of her own story.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

‘Could one write a book based on one’s diaries over thirty years? I certainly have enough material,’ wrote Barbara Pym. This book, selected from the diaries, notebooks and letters of this much loved novelist to form a continuous narrative, is indeed a unique autobiography, providing a privileged insight into a writer’s mind.

Philip Larkin wrote that Barbara Pym had ‘a unique eye and ear for the small poignancies of everyday life’. Her autobiography amply demonstrates this, as it traces her life from exuberant times at Oxford in the thirties, through the war when, scarred by an unhappy love affair, she joined the WRNS, to the published novelist of the fifties. It also deals with the long period when her novels were out of fashion and no one would publish them, her rediscovering in 1977, and the triumphant success of her last few years.

It is now possible to describe a place, situation or person as ‘very Barbara Pym’. A Very Private Eye, at once funny and moving, shows the variety and depth of her own story.

More books from Pan Macmillan

Cover of the book The Godson: A Les Norton Novel 4 by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book Staying Alive in Year 5 by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book Gorgon: Alex Hunter 5 by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book The 20/20 Diet Cookbook by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book Look Younger for Longer by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book Flight of the Eagle: The Frontier Series 3 by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book Night Break by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book Dawn French by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book Princess Mirror-Belle by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book A Stranger in my Street by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book Tyrant by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book Dracula by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book Thierry Henry by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book Spartan by Barbara Pym
Cover of the book Fifty Sheds of Grey: Three in a Shed by Barbara Pym
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy