Dear foxy,

Somerset Maugham is an old favourite of mine. I have a couple of volumes of his short stories, and also his book called "The Summing Up" and "A Writers Notebook". I have found a lot of these type of things in secondhand bookshops - untold treasures to be had there.
If you can, try and catch up with some more short stories of Mansfield and Du Maurier as they are masters of that particular craft.
Also Maupassant, Roald Dahl and Penelope Lively are great exponents of the short fiction.(I also own up to loving Wodehouse - good for a laugh).
Do you think we should start up a literature thread where anything goes - novels, short stories, poetry, etc, or just plod along here for a while? (being mindful of keeping threads on track)

Dear Poirot,

Now you're bringing tears to my eyes
and stirring so many memories.
(The times and enjoyment spent with so
many of the classics you mentioned).

Start a literature thread by all means.
I'm sure you'd have many jumping in and
sharing. It certainly would beat the heck
out of what's currently on offer.

Dear Poirot and Foxy,
I've been following your contributions with interest.
I wrote a poem once called "A Spire"--a reverie on Southwell Cathedral as I remembered it as a child with its ancient ruins behind and its mouldy graveyard and, of course, its congregations. Can't share though as unfortuinately can't find it:-(

I've read some of the stuff you both mention (including Mansfield's wonderful short stories) and had an absolute mania for Wodehouse. I've read nearly all his books. Belloc once said that Wodehouse was the greatest living exponent of the English language--true. His simple romantic plots disguised not only a master of language, but of literature too.

And don't worry, I won't press the delete button because you drifted into fiction :-)

Hi Squeers,

In that case, we might just as well carry on with this thread...it's really quite difficult to stay with one form of literature in a discussion as one tends to drift about remembering things connected with other works.

Wodehouse is wonderful - I know what you mean. I once wrote a short story, which I still have somewhere around here, in Wodehousian style. I so enjoyed writing it..There was a dodgy vicar involved, a romantic novelist, a manor house, an inheritance and a cow named Meadow. Great fun!

I've started reading a book called "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver, which is fiction about the family of a Baptist missionary and his family in Africa - very well written.

Hi Poirot,
what, no pigs!

My uncle the bishop was actually sent packing by the church amid an enormous scandal over his extra-marital affairs, and I was later privy to lots of family gossip, as our family was deeply involved (shall say no more).
Anyway it gave me the idea for a novel, which I completed some ten years ago and called "Cut From Holy Cloth". My own imaginings of course, but based nominally on the scandal, with lots of other intrigue and a little philosophy thrown in. Not written in the Wodehouse style, and not particularly good I now think. It got some positive feedback from one or two agents that read a chapter and synopsis, but no offers of publication. I'm glad as it turns out as I'm not happy with it. But hope to do a re-write one day.
On the Wodehouse style and its influence, I read a memoir by Malachy McCourt (brother of the famous McCourt) called "A Monk Swimming", which was quite humorous (tragi-comic), but I was scandalised at the way he mimicked (more like aped) the Wodehouse style without properly acknowledging his inspiration.

..But back to work :-)

Dear Squeers,

What a delicious scandal - a bishop, no less!

I hope you get round to reworking the book - that sort of material is a gift, even if only for the inspiration.
My Wodehouse style short story worked out well, I think (even without a pig, lol),however, at one stage I decided to lengthen it into novel form and sent a synopsis and three chapters to an agent in England - got good feedback too, but no publication...I think the story probably is best left in the short form as it turns out.

Shame you can't find the poem...It's probably around there somewhere.