The Chronicles Of Clovis

The Chronicles of Clovis (1986) – Saki
Penguin | ISBN: 9780140183498
Condition: Good | Sold by Crappy Old Books

Edwardian England. A glorious age of impeccable manners, elaborate dinner parties, rigid social conventions and an upper class apparently convinced that civilisation depended upon knowing precisely which fork to use while behaving abominably towards everyone else. Into this magnificent world of polished respectability steps Clovis Sangrail, a young gentleman whose principal occupation appears to be making other people’s lives considerably less comfortable.

Welcome to The Chronicles of Clovis, Saki’s wonderfully wicked collection of short stories, in which the respectable world of Edwardian society is subjected to a relentless campaign of mischief, malice and exquisitely delivered insults.

Saki, the pen name of Hector Hugh Munro, was one of the finest satirists of his generation, possessing an extraordinary talent for exposing the vanity, hypocrisy and absurdity lurking beneath the carefully maintained surface of polite society.

His characters inhabit a world of country houses, fashionable drawing rooms, irritating relatives, elaborate social obligations and conversations in which the difference between a compliment and an assassination attempt can be extraordinarily difficult to detect.

Clovis Sangrail is among Saki’s greatest creations: intelligent, mischievous, extravagantly cynical and possessed of a conversational style capable of reducing the most formidable social opponent to bewildered silence.

He is not particularly interested in improving humanity. Indeed, humanity’s endless capacity for foolishness provides him with far too much entertainment to contemplate anything so destructive as reform.

Throughout the collection, respectable assumptions are overturned, pompous individuals receive richly deserved humiliations and apparently innocent situations develop into elaborate exercises in psychological warfare.

Saki’s genius lies in his economy. Where a lesser writer might require an entire novel to expose somebody’s stupidity, Saki can accomplish the task in a few perfectly chosen sentences, frequently leaving the unfortunate victim unaware that the literary equivalent of a grand piano has just fallen upon them.

His humour can be deliciously dark, occasionally cruel and invariably delivered with the elegant precision of somebody arranging flowers while quietly plotting murder.

Animals also make memorable appearances in Saki’s fictional universe, often displaying rather more intelligence and independence than their human counterparts. Nature, it seems, has little respect for the elaborate rules governing Edwardian drawing rooms, and is frequently prepared to demonstrate this through behaviour that would never be tolerated at afternoon tea.

Originally published in 1911, The Chronicles of Clovis remains a sparkling example of the sophisticated, subversive short fiction that established Saki as one of Britain’s most distinctive literary voices.

Beneath the polished prose and extravagant wit lies a sharp understanding of human vanity, social pretension and the extraordinary lengths people will go to in order to preserve their dignity.

This 1986 Penguin edition, offered in Good condition by Crappy Old Books, is an excellent acquisition for admirers of classic English humour, Edwardian literature and short stories with an exceptionally sharp edge.

A magnificent little collection for anyone who appreciates elegant writing, outrageous behaviour and the spectacle of self-important people receiving precisely the treatment they deserve.

Because good manners are all very well.

But sometimes the most satisfying response to an insufferable dinner guest is not to argue with them.

It is to allow Clovis Sangrail to handle the conversation.

Preferably while you sit at a safe distance and enjoy the refreshments.

Keep browsing: See more Fiction books Other books by Saki