Mischief (48 page)
Authors: Fay Weldon
The dates the published stories first appeared in print:
Angel, All lnnocence
was first published in
The Thirteenth Ghost Book
[Barrie and Jenkins, 1977];
Alopecia
in
Winter’s Tale
, [Macmillan, 1976];
The Man with No Eyes
in
New Stories 2
, Arts Council, 1977;
Breakages
in
The Midnight Ghost Book
[Barrie and Jenkins, 1978];
Weekend
in
Cosmopolitan,
1978 and BBC radio, 1979;
Delights of France
or
Horrors of the Road
in
Cosmopolitan,
1984;
A Gentle Tonic Effect
in
Marie Claire,
1988
; Chew You Up and Spit You Out
in
Woman,
1989;
Baked Alaska
in
Wicked Women
[HarperCollins, 1995];
Down the Clinical Disco
in
The New Statesman,
1985;
GUP
or
Falling in love in Helsinki
in
Leader of the Band
[HarperCollins, 1989];
Knock-Knock
on BBC Radio, 1993;
Ind Aff
or
Out of Love in Sarajevo
in
The Observer,
1988;
Wasted Lives
in
The New Yorker,
1993;
Love Amongst the Artists
in
The Times,
1991;
A Knife for Cutting Mangoes
on BBC Radio, 2000;
Smoking Chimneys
in
Harpers and Queen,
2001;
Happy Yuletide Schiphol
in
The Times,
2003;
Christmas on Møn
in
Politiken,
2009.
The dates the published stories were first collected:
Angel All Innocence
,
Alopecia
,
The Man With No Eyes
,
Breakages
, and
Weekend
were first anthologised in
Watching Me, Watching You
[Hodder and Stoughton, 1981];
Delights of France
or
Horrors of the Road
in
Polaris
[Hodder and Stoughton, 1985];
Down the Clinical Disco
,
A Gentle Tonic Effec
t,
Chew You Up and Spit You Out
and
Ind Aff
or
Out of Love in Sarajevo
in
Moon over Minneapolis
[HarperCollins, 1991];
Baked Alaska
,
Love Amongst the Artists
and
Wasted Lives
in
Wicked Women
[HarperCollins, 1995];
GUP
or
Falling in love in Helsinki
, and
Knock-Knock
in
A Hard Time to be a Father
[HarperCollins, 1998];
A Knife for Cutting Mangoes
and
Smoking Chimneys
in
Nothing to Wear and Nowhere to Hide
[HarperCollins, 2002].
Fay Weldon’s inimitable voice has never gone short of praise. Here in her own words she introduces her pick of twenty-one favourite short stories from a fifty year career as one of Britain’s foremost writers – with the added bonus of a new novella,
The Ted Dreams
, a ghost story for the age of cyber culture, big pharma, and surveillance.
‘Queen of words – she’s a tribal elder.’
Caitlin Moran
‘If you want to know about the man-woman thing, read Fay Weldon.’
New York Times
‘Weldon reinstates irony to its rightful high place in literature.’
John Irving
‘To read Fay Weldon is like drinking champagne.’
The Times
‘Fay Weldon is a national treasure.’
Literary Review
‘Wickedly stylish. Bursting with intelligence and fire.’
Daily Telegraph
‘Prolific and provocative, Weldon shines brightest in the league table of British women novelists.’
Time Out
‘One of the great lionesses of modern English literature.’
Harper’s Bazaar
‘A sparkling river of wit.’
Mail on Sunday
‘Readable, articulate and fascinating.’
Scotsman
‘
Witty and highly entertaining.’
The Times
‘Wise, knowing, forthright.’
Independent
‘Outrageously funny.’
Daily Express
‘Funny, absolutely hypnotic... heartwarming.’
Irish Press
‘Fay Weldon’s novels are sharp as needles.’
Daily Mail
‘Fay Weldon’s voice is as unmistakable as her acerbic wit.’
Financial Times
‘The social and sexual soothsayer of our literary times.’
Company
‘Weldon’s writing is seductively readable.’
Times Literary Supplement
‘When she’s on form – marshalling those elegant, deadly, sentences – there’s simply no touching Weldon as a writer.’
Observer
‘Intoxicating.’
Spectator
F
AY
W
ELDON
is one of the foremost chroniclers of our time, a novelist who spoke to an entire generation of women by daring to say the things that no one else would. Her work ranges over novels, short stories, children’s books, nonfiction, journalism, television, radio, and the stage. She was awarded a CBE in 2001. She has seven sons and stepsons and one stepdaughter, and lives on a hill in the west of England.
To find out more about Fay Weldon, visit her website,
www.fayweldon.co.uk
, follow her on Twitter,
@Fay_Weldon
, or like her on Facebook,
https://www.facebook.com/fayweldon.writer
.
The
Love and Inheritance
trilogy is a family saga set between 1899 and 1906. The aristocratic Dilberne family lurch from wild wealth, to bankruptcy, and back again, their fortunes dependent on the new steam-powered automobiles, Spiritualist gatherings and Christmases at Sandringham. But as the century turns, the rigid rules of society begin to soften...
Following lives and loves upstairs and downstairs, and brimming with Fay Weldon’s trademark wit, wisdom and warmth, this is a trilogy to treasure.
In the dying days of Victoria’s reign, the events of a single turbulent morning herald bankruptcy and ruin for the Earl of Dilberne. His wife, the Countess Isobel, believes the solution is to marry off their handsome, wilful son to a rich and pretty heiress from the Chicago stockyards. It’s a clash of cultures and principles that rocks the household from parlour to pantry.
Gold mines fail, bankers plot, bad girls flourish, the London fog descends, Royalty intervenes and unlikely lovers triumph.
Habits of the House
, the first book in the Love & Inheritance trilogy, is a ravishing portrait of the
fin de siècle
from one of our best-loved British authors.
Habits of the House
is available
here
.
Jump to a free preview
here
.
With London Society in a frenzy of anticipation for the coronation of King Edward VII, the Earl and Countess of Dilberne are caught up in lavish preparations. Yet Lady Isobel still has ample time to fret, and no wonder with a much longed-for heir on the way, an elopement, family tragedy, a runaway niece and a gaggle of fraudulent spiritualists to contend with…
Fay Weldon once again draws her readers into the lives and loves of the aristocratic Dilberne family, as they embrace not only a new century, but a new generation – a generation with somewhat radical views…
Long Live the King
is available
here
.
III.
The New Countess
The King had foreign tastes; a French chef would have to be brought in and where could one find such a one at short notice? Existing staff would have to move up and share beds, which always made them sulky and resentful just when they should not be. Pathways must be constructed so the ladies would not get their feet muddy as they joined the men, and field kitchens erected so that dishes could be served hot and claret warmed. At least the King’s champagne – he had to have champagne when shooting, though frugal enough with alcohol otherwise – would be cold enough. Isobel found her heart beating hard and her breath coming short. Five months to prepare for one weekend – it was a monstrous task.
The New Countess
is available
here
.
