Only Marina Hyde could get away with quoting #BarbaraPym in an article about Labour's domestic knife fight and Andy Burnham's chances of survival therein. This sort of writing is the reason why no other newspaper will do. John Crace is also good, and I enjoy spotting his Lou Reed references.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/12/keir-starmer-labour-replacement-andy-burnham

I usually think autoplay is a damned nuisance but today it brought me this little gem that I would otherwise almost certainly not have seen.

8½/10 ⭐️

Available until November 13.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0022nnt/miss-pyms-day-out-bookmark

#TV #drama #biography #BarbaraPym #PatriciaRoutledge

I absolutely loved Barbara Pym's QUARTET IN AUTUMN. This was my first Pym and it certainly won't be my last. She writes about near retirees who don't gave much of a life with SO MUCH LIFE! Then there's Caitlin R. Kienan's THE DROWNING GIRL, which is surprisingly punchy but gritty in a casual "Hey, this happened" sort of way. Both of these writers have inspired my creative noggin to work in dystopian times! Chop chop, bald man! Off to the cafe to imagine!

#books #BarbaraPym #CaitlinRKiernin

“Encouraged by her silence Mr. Mold went on: ‘What I mean to say is, that I think we should be very happy if we married. My house is large and comfortable and my financial position is sound… and,’ he added, rather as an afterthought, ‘I loved you the moment I saw you.’”

(Keep in mind he had a backup plan if she didn’t seem as pretty to him that day, as she had initially struck him before.)

“Some Tame Gazelle”
#BarbaraPym
#British #novel