Published in 2021 (written between 1912 and 1922 )
224 pages
Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) was one of the foremost writers of the 20th century. Born and raised in colonial New Zealand, she left for England at 19 and eventually settled there, often spending time in Continental Europe. Her first collection of stories, In a German Pension, appeared in 1911 and she went on to publish widely in avant-garde magazines. Diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1919, Mansfield wrote many of her most famous works while plagued with ill health. She spent her final years seeking treatment in Switzerland and France, where she died aged 34.
What is this book about?
A beguiling new selection of Katherine Mansfield’s finest stories, focused on her mysterious, complex portrayals of relationships between women
Katherine Mansfield was one of the true pioneers of the short story. Her style shifts subtly between the comic and the tragic, as calm surfaces are punctured by moments of disruption, insight and strange beauty.
This new collection gathers together the best of Mansfield’s work exploring different facets of relationships between women. From complex expressions of desire and connection to shared experiences of frustration and release, these stories capture fleeting movements of feeling with unmatched precision.
Helpful review from Sue on goodreads:
The six stories in this collection from Katherine Mansfield were written between 1912 and 1922 and demonstrate her ear for and understanding of domestic relationships and (dis)harmonies. All of the characters appear dissatisfied with their lives in some way though, possibly because it was the early 20th century, no one was yet acting out. In “The Daughters of the Late Colonel,” on the death of their tyrannical father, two women are belatedly seeming to realize that they have missed out on a life. In the bookend stories, “Prelude” and “At the Bay,” the characters are searching for something other. A mother finds she has no feelings for her children and wishes her husband to be the romantic he used to be. Her husband, meanwhile, has become a man obsessed with accomplishments but not happy with anything.
Mansfield exposes some misogyny, racism, sexism, paternalistic attitudes of her time (and some still present in our time) in very well written stories that have also aged well.
