Publishers Weekly
★ 05/23/2022
Byrne (Kick: The True Story of JFK’s Sister and the Heir to Chatsworth) captures in this insightful biography the life of British author Barbara Pym (1913–1980), drawing extensively on Pym’s correspondence, diaries, and notebooks to illustrate how her novels reflected the social and political changes of her era. Byrne vividly recounts Pym’s childhood in rural Shropshire, her transformative years at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford, in the 1930s, where there were strict rules governing women’s behavior, and WWII, when she “flirted with Nazism.” In the 1950s, Pym published her first novels to excellent reviews, but in the ’60s she was dropped by her publisher out of fear her “novels of quiet female independence” were becoming too old-fashioned. Pym’s literary reputation was resurrected in the late ’70s when she published what Byrne calls “her true masterpiece”: The Sweet Dove Died. Byrne does a great job probing Pym’s relationships, especially her friendship with Oxford classmate and lifelong correspondent Robert Liddell, who “cajoled, nagged and encouraged, and... persisted in believing in Pym’s potential as a published writer.” This attentive, lively biography casts a well-deserved spotlight on a writer whose “reputation is secure, but only among a minority of readers.” (June)
From the Publisher
‘Byrne’s comprehensive biography … is unlikely to be bettered … This is an elegant, incisive and sympathetic biography that deepens our understanding of Pym … Byrne succeeds admirably’Literary Review
‘Engrossing … The chapters are enticingly short, and I romped through them. Each adds a vital piece of the jigsaw, explaining the provenance of her fictional characters and building up our understanding of [her] state of mind … It’s a delight to meet her again in these pages’The Times
‘Light-hearted and lively … Byrne is an excellent literary detective, tracing acquaintances directly into the novels. The author seems to have been as fun, clever and kind as her best creations’Lucy Atkins, Sunday Times
‘Illuminating … Byrne sees what fun Pym was, how much she liked and was fascinated by people … and has done us a great service in exploring this very unusual personality … This, like its subject’s best books, rewards reading and re-reading’Spectator
‘Both hilarious and heartbreaking … Byrne is beautifully savvy about her subject’s fiction … as a manifesto for her genius, it is gloriously persuasive’Daily Telegraph
‘Byrne’s book is outstanding … Just like a Pym novel, this biography is warm, funny, unexpected and deeply moving’Financial Times
‘Excellent … Byrne’s book is the first to integrate its revelations into a cradle-to-grave biography’Guardian, Book of the Week
‘Outstanding … meticulously researched, affectionate and fascinating in equal measure’Daily Express
‘Wonderfully attentive and touching … Byrne’s book is such a joy. It refreshes the parts other biographies simply cannot reach’Observer
‘Barbara Pym is one of my most favourite novelists. Few other writers have given me more laughter and more pleasure. I am therefore enchanted that this biography by Paul Byrne captures both Barbara and her writing so miraculously’Jilly Cooper
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2022-03-16
A detailed, definitive reconstruction of the British novelist’s life and career.
In her latest, acclaimed literary biographer Byrne delivers a buoyant account of the life of Barbara Pym (1913-1980), taking her title from the one Pym gave her own diaries, a wealth of previously unmined material. Recasting Pym's life as a picaresque novel, Byrne proceeds in chapters titled, for example, "In which Fräulein Pym falls for a Handsome Nazi" and "Miss Pym the Novelist takes Tea with the Distinguished Author Elizabeth Bowen in the Company of Several Homosexuals." Pym's gift for writing was matched by her gift for living, and she funneled into her novels her experiences at Oxford in the 1930s (a chauvinist world, where she nonetheless had a blast); in Nazi Germany (late in grasping what was going on there, she made a timely and full recovery); and as a Wren and a censor in World War II. "She was one of the most liberated, independent women of her time,” writes Byrne. “Ever since Oxford, she had been sexually active and unashamed of being so. One of her friends explained: ‘You see, Barbara liked sex.’ Nor did she feel the need to settle down to a conventional married life, despite several offers.” From her teen years, she had a knack for romantic obsession; her two novels about women in love with gay men are closely modeled on her life. Byrne is brilliant in her descriptions of Pym's relationships: with her sister Hilary, whom she predicted in her first novel she'd grow old with, and did; the Oxford friends and flames she kept all her life; and Philip Larkin, her greatest supporter, though they didn't meet in person for 15 years. Byrne's accounts of the novels will add to anyone’s reading list, and longtime fans will want to revisit her oeuvre—as Larkin and other friends did, several times.
Infused with the high spirit and humor of its subject, a gift to fans, novices, and aspiring writers. Pym would be thrilled.
