The Family Man
V. S. Pritchett
“V.S. Pritchett (1900–1997)was the best short story writer in English during the twentieth century. There should be no argument about this. (emphasis mine)”
— David Miller, That Glimpse of Truth: The 100 Finest Short Stories Ever Written, Head of Zeus, 2014. ISBN:9781784080037
Extracted from https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2008/feb/22/vspritchett
Victor Sawdon Pritchett, or VSP, as he preferred to be known (he loathed his Christian name), exemplifies the gap that can yawn between reputation and readership. Hugely productive throughout his 97-year life as a short story writer, essayist, biographer, autobiographer and novelist, he is little read just 11 years after his death. In his short fiction Pritchett is one of the English writers who most clearly exhibits the mark of Chekhov’s influence. The significance the Russian placed on the commonplace thing and apparently incidental aside is there, as is the deceptively simple expression of complex emotional processes. But the chief Chekhovian element which Pritchett makes his own is the way he subsumes himself within the story. To borrow from drama, Pritchett should be seen, not as a director with a signature style, but as an actor with the ability to lose himself entirely in whatever role he is playing. His stories situate the reader in direct relation to their characters, with little or no authorial filter between them.
Story
We will read his story A Family Man.
Themes
- Lies and Lying
- Affairs
- “Collateral” damage to other people
- “Satyam bruyat, Priyam Bruyaat..
- सत्यं ब्रूयात् प्रियं ब्रूयात् न ब्रूयात् सत्यमप्रियम्
- प्रियं च नानृतं ब्रूयात् एष धर्मः सनातनः ॥
Additional Material
- Adultery makes for good fiction!
- Ford Madox Ford, The Good Soldier
- Jane Smiley, The Age of Grief
- Kate Chopin, The Awakening
Notes and References
Songs for the Story
- Whitney Houston (1985) : Saving All my Love for You
- Fleetwood Mac (1987) : Tell Me Lies
Writing Prompts
- Lying for the sake of goodness