A Careless Widow and Other Stories is a collection of short fiction by V. S. Pritchett published in 1989 by Random House. The six stories first appeared individually in literary periodicals [See below Stories]Moore, 1989Bayley, 1997 p. xxStinson, 1992 p. 134-135: Bibliography, Collections.
Pritchett's last volume of original short fiction, A Careless Widow was published when he was eighty-eight.Treglown, 2004 p. 247, p. 250 The collection received the £10,000 WH Smith Literary Award in 1989.Treglown, 2004 p. 250
Stories "A Trip to the Seaside" The Atlantic, February 1981. "Things" "A Careless Widow" "Cocky Olly" The New Yorker, July 24, 1988 "A Change of Policy" The New Yorker, April 9, 1989 "The Image Trade" Vanity Fair, July 1984
Reception Characterizing the stories as "quiet and deceptively simple," New York Times critic Lorrie Moore writes:
Moore adds "Sir Victor's is a literature of deep humanity—a mature artist's extension of affection into unexpected corners, a lover's unflagging interest in life."
Footnotes
Sources Bayley, John. 1997. In Memoriam: V. S. Pritchett in V. S. Pritchett: The Pritchett Century. The Modern Library, New York. pp. xiii-xxi Bayley, John. 1997. In Memoriam: V. S. Pritchett. London Review of Books, April 24, 1997, volume 19 No.8 In Memoriam: V.S. Pritchett Moore, Lorrie. 1989. ORDINARY LIFE ALWAYS WENT TOO FAR. New York Times, October 22, 1989. ORDINARY LIFE ALWAYS WENT TOO FAR Accessed October 10, 2024. Pritchett, V. S.. 1989. A Careless Widow and Other Stories. Random House, New York. Stinson, John J. 1992. V. S. Pritchett: A Study of the Short Fiction. Twayne Publishers, New York. Gordon Weaver, General Editor. Treglown, Jeremy. 2004. V. S. Pritchett: A Working Life. Pimlico Random House, London. (paperback).