The Unbearable Bassington Saki 9781491231395 Books
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The Unbearable Bassington was the first novel written by Saki (H. H. Munro). It also contains much of the elegant wit found in his short stories. Comus (The Unbearable) Bassington, is a charming young man about town. His perversity however thwarts all his mother's efforts to advance his prospects and lands him in hot water. Like many a "black sheep" he ends up being sent off to one of the colonies to fend for himself. Brilliantly witty, frequently cruel and chilling, The Unbearable Bassington imaginatively portrays the culture clash between the wild and the domestic.
“H. H. Munro - he borrowed ''Saki'' from the verses of Omar Khayyam - lost his mother to a runaway cow, was repressed by awful aunts, loitered among ''ludicrous metaphors'' and died in a trench in World War I because, ''ever the noncom,'' he said ''put that bloody cigarette out'' and was shot in the dark by a German. The German who shot him didn't know that Saki had written a novel, ''When William Came,'' prophesying a German victory over England and rather admiring the putative conquerors while hoping that the British Boy Scouts would, ultimately, prevail.
“Saki, after writing a history of the Russian Empire that nobody liked, and reporting for various newspapers the bad news of a British Empire gone wrong, made a career out of parodying Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling and himself. He was a satirist who wanted to be serious, an Oscar Wilde without the social graces, a ''Celtic mystic'' who dreamed of hyenas, pole-ferrets, antler spikes and black wolves with ''gleaming fangs and cruel, yellow eyes.'' He ridiculed Ibsen, and couldn't write a stageworthy play. He was, in the fashion of his time, an anti-Semite, a misogynist and a reactionary. No wonder we loved him when most of us were 18 years old. He patched our elbows.” -John Leonard, The New York Times
“At the age of 15, Noël Coward was staying in an English country house and found a copy of Beasts and Super-Beasts on a table “I took it up to my bedroom, opened it casually and was unable to go to sleep until I had finished it.” I had a similar experience at about the same age, and I agree with Coward that H. H. Munro—or “Saki,” the author of the book in question—is among those few writers, inspirational when read at an early age, who definitely retain their magic when revisited decades later. I have the impression that Saki is not very much appreciated in the United States. Good. That means I can put into my debt many of you who are reading these words. Go and get an edition of this Edwardian master of the short story. Begin with, say, “Sredni Vashtar” or “The Lumber-Room” or “The Open Window.” Then see whether you can put the book down.
“The spellbinding quality of the stories is almost too easy to analyze and looks mawkish when set down in plain words, because Saki’s great gift was being able to write about children and animals. But consider How many authors have ever been able to pull off these most difficult of tricks? Kipling, for sure, but then, Kipling would not have been able to render the languid young princes of the drawing room, such as the exquisite Clovis Sangrail, with whom Saki peopled so many a scene.
“Creatures that essentially can never be tamed—felines and wolves pre-eminently—were Saki’s emotional favorites. In his best-known novella, The Unbearable Bassington, which contains in the figure of Comus Bassington one of the two most obviously homoerotic of his protagonists (the other being the boy-werewolf Gabriel-Ernest in the story of the same name), the hero is a man named Tom Keriway, whose daredevil nature is summed up in the echoing phrase “a man that wolves have sniffed at.” -The Atlantic, June, 2008
The Unbearable Bassington Saki 9781491231395 Books
How fascinating these times must have been ! I am thinking of the period stretching from 1870 to 1914. Fascinating, of course, for the 20% or so of the population who lived between well and very well. For the poor, the times are never fascinating.Here, I am choosing 1912 and the publication of Saki's "The unbearable Bassington". At first, I thought it had been written in the 1930s. The man was ahead of his time.
You could say it's a biography, rather than a novel. The young Comus Bassington is extremely good-looking, charming and articulate. His mother adores him. The feeling is not returned because he is also selfish, insensitive and irresponsible. He destroys everything he touches and antagonises all those who would be ready to like or love him. In the end, he detroys himself. He is as condemned to fail as is Orestes in Euripides' tragedy. Like all of us, Comus is his own worst enemy.
So is his mother whose irrational attraction for "objets d'art" and beautiful furniture can never compensate for her lack of human warmth.
So is his best friend, a pale copy of Comus himself, but rather dull and down to earth.
So is the wealthy young lady they are both courting. She plumbs for the dull one. Given the choice between these two, she makes the right choice. Comus would undoubtedly have dilapidated her fortune. Disappointed by her conventional, dreary marriage, she enjoys a one-night stand with a Russian captain. We can't help feeling that he will be followed by many.
In self-exile, Comus chooses to commit suicide in a slow, masochistic fashion. He lets himself die.
The style is wonderful ; very light and a tad precious to start with, more sober towards the end. The "novel" starts with a succession of incisive, pityless portraits of the " le tout Londres", at times reminiscent of La Bruyère's Caractères. The plot - if you can call it that - underlines the quiet desperation of those who, in the eyes of "ordinary" people should have everything it takes to be happy.
The mixture of elegance and sadless is unforgettable.
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Tags : The Unbearable Bassington [Saki] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Unbearable Bassington was the first novel written by Saki (H. H. Munro). It also contains much of the elegant wit found in his short stories. Comus (The Unbearable) Bassington,Saki,The Unbearable Bassington,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1491231394,FICTION Classics
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The Unbearable Bassington Saki 9781491231395 Books Reviews
Very funny in places but not much of a story.
Bassington doesn't quite become the subject so much as does
His aunt and her place in society.
Witty, emotionally perceptive, seeing society of that time period plus a family's circumstances played out against that. I enjoyed it.
funny,dark, classic Saki
This book is an accurate portrait of a mother-son relationship. It has given me much to think about. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves to read.
I renew my love of H H Munro regularly He is my antidote to a televised/cut to close ups/commercial free world As always happens, I am humbled and grateful for his insights into our humanity
Not as good as his short pieces.
Saki was one of A. A. Milne's favourites, and this speaks volumes for his quality & is enough reason alone for you to pick him up. There's a rather lovely Edwardian sensibility to his work although with the benefit of history, the clouds of the Great War loom on the horizon of several of the short stories. Well worth keeping on your to repeatedly dip into.The "Folio Society" editions of his work are very well made, often available 2nd-hand via & are fine additions to any library.
(NB This review is appended to other public domain Saki works)
How fascinating these times must have been ! I am thinking of the period stretching from 1870 to 1914. Fascinating, of course, for the 20% or so of the population who lived between well and very well. For the poor, the times are never fascinating.
Here, I am choosing 1912 and the publication of Saki's "The unbearable Bassington". At first, I thought it had been written in the 1930s. The man was ahead of his time.
You could say it's a biography, rather than a novel. The young Comus Bassington is extremely good-looking, charming and articulate. His mother adores him. The feeling is not returned because he is also selfish, insensitive and irresponsible. He destroys everything he touches and antagonises all those who would be ready to like or love him. In the end, he detroys himself. He is as condemned to fail as is Orestes in Euripides' tragedy. Like all of us, Comus is his own worst enemy.
So is his mother whose irrational attraction for "objets d'art" and beautiful furniture can never compensate for her lack of human warmth.
So is his best friend, a pale copy of Comus himself, but rather dull and down to earth.
So is the wealthy young lady they are both courting. She plumbs for the dull one. Given the choice between these two, she makes the right choice. Comus would undoubtedly have dilapidated her fortune. Disappointed by her conventional, dreary marriage, she enjoys a one-night stand with a Russian captain. We can't help feeling that he will be followed by many.
In self-exile, Comus chooses to commit suicide in a slow, masochistic fashion. He lets himself die.
The style is wonderful ; very light and a tad precious to start with, more sober towards the end. The "novel" starts with a succession of incisive, pityless portraits of the " le tout Londres", at times reminiscent of La Bruyère's Caractères. The plot - if you can call it that - underlines the quiet desperation of those who, in the eyes of "ordinary" people should have everything it takes to be happy.
The mixture of elegance and sadless is unforgettable.
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