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''Quartet in Autumn'' was the seventh
novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
by British writer and editor
Barbara Pym Barbara Mary Crampton Pym (2 June 1913 – 11 January 1980) was an English novelist. In the 1950s she published a series of social comedies, of which the best known are '' Excellent Women'' (1952) and '' A Glass of Blessings'' (1958). In 1977 ...
to be published, appearing in 1977. Highly praised and shortlisted for the
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...
, its rather sombre theme contrasted with the light comedy of her earlier novels, dealing as it does with four office workers on the verge of retirement. The book was considered a comeback novel for Pym, who had fallen out of favour as styles changed and a more contemporary storyline was expected, in consequence of which her work had been rejected by publishers for 15 years.


Plot summary

Marcia, Letty, Norman and Edwin work in the same office and are nearing retirement age. Three of them have never married and Edwin is now a
widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...
er. When the two women eventually retire, Letty plans to move to the country and live with her long-time friend Marjorie, a widow. She has to change her plans, however, when Marjorie announces that she is to marry a clergyman some years younger than herself. Norman lives a solitary life and is given to sardonic and bitter comments, although he once aroused the interest of Marcia in the past. Edwin is the more sociable man and fills his time outside work with visiting the various
high church A ''high church'' is a Christian Church whose beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, Christian liturgy, liturgy, and Christian theology, theology emphasize "ritual, priestly authority, ndsacraments," and a standard liturgy. Although ...
es in his neighbourhood. The house in which Letty has a
bedsit A bedsit, bedsitter, or bed-sitting room is a form of accommodation common in some parts of the United Kingdom which consists of a single room per occupant with all occupants typically sharing a bathroom. Bedsits are included in a legal categor ...
is sold to the leader of a Nigerian
charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal. In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership. In Christian theology, the term ...
house church A house church or home church is a label used to describe a group of Christians who regularly gather for worship in private homes. The group may be part of a larger Christian body, such as a parish, but some have been independent groups that se ...
and she no longer feels comfortable there. Edwin finds her a room in the house of an elderly church-going widow, where she is reasonably at home and rather sceptically attends services with Mrs Pope as a result. Once the two women retire, Marcia, already reclusive and vulnerable after having a breast removed, has to deal with the loss of the routine that was an essential part of her life. She withdraws even further from the outside world, eating less and less, and only begrudgingly allows visits from Janice Brabner, the voluntary social worker assigned by the local senior citizens' centre to keep in contact with her. Eventually Janice discovers Marcia in a state of collapse at the same time that Edwin and his friend, the parish priest Father G, come visiting. She is taken to hospital but dies a few days later, weighing six stone. Then it is discovered that she has unexpectedly left her house to Norman, who calls in his former colleagues to help him plan what to do with it. A final development comes when Marjorie's fiancé deserts her for the younger and more capable Beth Doughty, warden of the retirement home to which Marjorie had unavailingly tried to persuade Letty to move. In the circumstances, Letty is not so sure she wants to live in the country and does not immediately make up her mind. She realises that at last she has opportunities to make her own choices. Similarly, Norman enjoys being in a position to decide whether or not to live in Marcia's house, though he is inclined to sell it. At the end of the book, Letty tells Norman and Edwin that Marjorie has invited the three of them to join her for a day in the country. She thinks this would be a consolation for the jilted Marjorie and, though she envisages no romantic developments, enjoys being in a position to supply some male company.


Publication history

Pym conceived of the novel in 1972: At the time, Pym was still working full-time at the
International African Institute The International African Institute (IAI) was founded (as the International Institute of African Languages and Cultures - IIALC) in 1926 in London for the study of African languages. Frederick Lugard was the first chairman (1926 to his death in 19 ...
in London, and recovering from a
mastectomy Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer. In some cases, women believed to be at high risk of breast cancer choose to have ...
after developing
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
. As she transitioned to
retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
in late 1973 and 1974, Pym commenced work on the novel. Whereas most of her books had been written in short time spans, Pym took three years to write ''Quartet in Autumn''. She had not had a novel published since 1961, and had no realistic expectations that this would be either. She completed the novel in 1976, begun under the title ''Four Point Turn'' and, after being turned down by
Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a British publishing firm headquartered in London and founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard (1893–1968) set up the publishing house in ...
, submitted it to
Macmillan Publishers Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...
as ''Last Quartet''. The poet
Philip Larkin Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, '' The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, '' Jill'' (1946) and '' A Girl in Winter'' (194 ...
, who had a long-running correspondence with Pym, read the final draft and found it very strong. He was surprised by the sombre tone, so unlike Pym's earlier comic style, and suggested the title did not suit. On 21 January 1977, ''
The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'' had run an article in which high-profile literary figures named their most underrated and overrated authors or books of the previous 75 years. Pym was chosen as the most underrated writer by both Larkin and
Lord David Cecil Lord Edward Christian David Gascoyne-Cecil, CH (9 April 1902 – 1 January 1986) was a British biographer, historian, and scholar. He held the style of "Lord" by courtesy as a younger son of a marquess. Early life and studies David Cecil was ...
; she was the only novelist to be selected by two contributors. On the strength of this review, literary interest in Pym was revived after 16 years and she was approached by several publishers for new material. The finally retitled ''Quartet in Autumn'' was published by Macmillan in 1977. It was published in the United States by E.P. Dutton the following year, the second of her novels to be so ('' Less than Angels'' had been published in a small run in the 1950s) and the first to have mainstream success in the US. The novel was now nominated for the 1977 Booker Prize, of which the winner was eventually Paul Scott's ''
Staying On ''Staying On'' is a novel by Paul Scott which was published by University of Chicago Press in 1977. It was the recipient of the 1977 Booker Prize. Background Paul Scott started writing his novel which was concluded and published in 1977. The ...
''. A year later it was released in Swedish translation as ''Höstlig kvartett'' and in 1995 as an audiobook.


Reception

Combined with the media interest after the piece in ''The Times Literary Supplement'', ''Quartet in Autumn'' was a success, with almost universally positive reviews, including in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' and ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
''. ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...
'' considered the book "Terribly brisk, but very affecting". The only publications to write mixed reviews were ''
The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Tele ...
'' and the ''
New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
''. As this was the first time most American readers had heard of Pym, there was especial interest in her from American media outlets. ''
The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...
'' favourably reviewed ''Quartet'' alongside the earlier ''
Excellent Women ''Excellent Women'', the second published novel by Barbara Pym, first appeared from Jonathan Cape in 1952. A novel of manners, it is generally acclaimed as her funniest and most successful in that genre. Title The phrase "excellent women" appea ...
'' while ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' published a review entitled ''The Best High Comedy''. In later years, ''Quartet in Autumn'' was described as "a small ironic masterpiece on the theme of aging". Many readers had commented on how true to life was Marcia's mental and physical deterioration in particular.


Intertextuality transformed

Pym customarily recycled her characters in various ways, but in this very different novel it is only glancingly as Edwin recalls Father Thames and Father Bode from '' A Glass of Blessings'' (1958). While in earlier novels much more is made of occasions of social interaction, of eating and drinking together, it is the isolation of the characters that is emphasised here. On only one occasion do the four former colleagues meet for a meal after the women's retirement, and holidays like Christmas only serve to underline for them their sense of isolation. Paradoxically, the gathering of Letty, Norman and Edwin in the reclusive Marcia's house after her death becomes a turning point for them. The tins of food hoarded by lonely Marcia serve as the basis for a shared meal and an occasion to open the bottle of sherry that they discover there too. It is not so long afterwards that Letty, no longer diffident, subverts the expected pattern by proposing to the men the adventure of a trip together into the country. The novel also subjects traditional certainties that are left unquestioned in her earlier novels to a more stringent examination. The charitable duties encouraged by Christianity are openly felt as burdensome, even by the most pious of the characters, and Father G. admits that he prefers visiting the homes of parishioners after their death rather than before. The task of social welfare is now perceived as succeeding to the post-war state, but as personified by the well-meaning Janice seems equally ineffectual in operation. Her thought processes are restricted by the training manual and the language of the official report. Pym's novels often add to their humour by making fun of organisations and their organisers. This one also examines tentatively how humanity can be discovered in a personal capacity in a changing social landscape.


Adaptation

''Quartet in Autumn'' was serialised by
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
radio on its ''
Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...
'' programme in 1978. In 2015,
York Theatre Royal York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St Leonard's Place, in York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 750 people. Whilst the theatre is traditionally a proscenium theatre, it was reconfigured for a season in 2011 to off ...
commissioned a workshop version of a stage adaptation, written by
Amanda Whittington Amanda Whittington (born 1968 in Nottingham) is an English dramatist who has written over 30 plays for theatre and radio. Her work is widely performed by companies across the UK, with recent productions at Hull Truck, Oldham Coliseum, New Vic Th ...
and directed by C P Hallam.C P Hallam website, accessed 26 April 2020
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References

{{Barbara Pym 1977 British novels Novels by Barbara Pym Macmillan Publishers books