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56th out of 134 books
—
169 voters
The Chronicles of Clovis
by
Saki,
Auberon Waugh
1911. Introduction by A.A. Milne of Winnie the Pooh fame. Saki (pseudonym of H. H. Munro), English author, is best known for his witty, sometimes whimsical, often cynical and bizarre short stories; they are collected in Reginald, The Chronicles of Clovis, Beasts and Super-Beasts, and other volumes. Contents of The Chronicles of Clovis include: Esme, The Match-Maker, Toberm...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
December 14th 1989
by Penguin Classics
(first published 1911)
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These remain my favorite short stories of all time. Saki's caustic wit and social subversion are wickedly funny. The central protagonist, Clovis, is a trickster to the bone who can rarely resist an opportunity to upset the social apple cart, even if the fallout lands on himself. While there are other authors who depict a slice of upper class British life in the pre-WWI period, the putative innocence of this age (e.g. in P.G. Wodehouse) is revealed by Saki to have swirling undercurrents of human...more
When I was young I discovered Saki and read all his stories. Over the years, of course, one comes across a few very popular stories repeatedly. Now I've come across a wonderful podcast, The Clovis Stories by Saki which is working its way through all the Saki stories, beginning with The Chronicles of Clovis. By the time I discovered it, The Chronicles were completed and they had moved on to Beasts and Super-Beasts. But I am listening to a story a day (or so) from the beginning. And enjoying vastl...more
Sep 03, 2011
Jane
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who enjoys dry, dark humor mixed with utter ridiculousness.
Shelves:
favorites
This book was problematic for me - I "read" it mostly as an audiobook from Librivox.org and partly on my laptop while taking the train to and from Sacramento and Oakland. This means that I was around other people when I was reading this and it was really hard to keep from laughing out loud. I never recommend books to people on the basis of "OMG, it's sooo funny!" and I hate it when people recommend books to me for that reason, but I'm going to break that rule for this book. It's darkly, morbidly...more
I agree with A.A. Milne when, in the introduction to the edition of The Chronicles of Clovis that I own, he writes:
"There are dearly loved books of which we babble to a neighbor at dinner, insisting that she shall share our delight in them; and there are books, equally dear to us, of which we say nothing, fearing lest the praise of others should cheapen our discovery. The books of "Saki" were, for me at least, in the second class."
The same is true for me, and for many others I imagine, because I...more
"There are dearly loved books of which we babble to a neighbor at dinner, insisting that she shall share our delight in them; and there are books, equally dear to us, of which we say nothing, fearing lest the praise of others should cheapen our discovery. The books of "Saki" were, for me at least, in the second class."
The same is true for me, and for many others I imagine, because I...more
Clovis (like Reginald, the other Saki character)is a young man with an attitude. If you like the mischievous wit of Wilde's four comedies, you should try Saki. Between the two of them Wilde and Saki invented trolling. Clovis operates at tea parties, dance parties and lunches in the garden of the mansion etc. He drives everyone who deserves it (and then some) to distraction with his very original verbal wickedness.
Saki writes like a very charming sociopath (who you find yourself liking, despite your better judgment). Stories range from talking cats named Tobermory, hyenas eating gypsy toddlers(!!!), and children feeding their tiresome minders to badgers. Sometimes it reaches the other end of the spectrum and the casual heartlessness becomes a little too jarring, though. The Introduction by A.A Milne was a fantastic surprise.
I don't know what to think yet. I must have read some Saki in the past as I know the name. When Goodreads suggested The Complete Saki, I went to Gutenberg and downloaded this book, The Chronicles of Clovis. A.A.Milne's introduction almost turned me off to it as perhaps a bit too precious for me. I even quit reading but went back and looked at a few reviews here on Goodreads. So, I went back and read the rest of Esme', I'd only read the first couple of paragraphs. It certainly did take an O. Henr...more
I actually read this book in the EPUB edition at Project Gutenberg. These are amusing stories that stand the test of time pretty well. Mostly of upper class English life around 1900. Favorites include "The Unrest-Cure", "Sredni Vashtar", "Tobermory", and "The Secret Sin of Septimus Brope".
A really snarky, condescending book of short stories- most of which have a dark angle or humorously macabre twist (somebody ends up dead in the majority of them...). Each story is told by, or involves, the character "Clovis," your average trouble making rich kid circa the late 19th /early 20th century. You'll wonder what it is you like about Clovis, until you realize he's much like a leprechaun: an amusing deviant with too much money.
Awesome book. Clovis is the gem of the books I have discovered since buying a Kindle. Not all of the short stories herein are outstanding, but the majority are funny and fast-paced. The ones featuring Clovis himself are hilarious. A must read.
When he was good, he was very very good, and when he was bad, he was tiresome. (Then I read something brilliant and cheered up!) Some of these stories are rather more like Ambrose Bierce than I remembered.
If you love Evelyn Waugh (and wish he had written more short stories), go for Saki! Not every single story in this collection will make you laugh mischievously but those that will you won't forget.
I did enjoy the first few stories in this collection, but it just didn't feel consistent enough for me to want to carry on with it. It has therefore been added to my abandoned shelf.
Saki is a great author, and since this particular ebooks is available free for any ereader including your computer or phone I recommend him to anyone.
Beautifully written collection of short stories - witty, quirky and sometimes downright bizarre. Often made me laugh out loud. Highly recommended.
Nov 24, 2009
Clara banjo
added it
Wonderfully funny!
Have a free reading of TOBERMORY at:
http://www.sff.net/people/DoylemacDon...
and ENJOY!
Have a free reading of TOBERMORY at:
http://www.sff.net/people/DoylemacDon...
and ENJOY!
Read ebook on Touch with Stanza from here: http://feedbooks.com/book/3401
Decidedly wicked and wickedly funny.
Decidedly wicked and wickedly funny.
This book is available for free on Project Gutenberg. And most of the stories are really short. So there's really no excuse to not pop over there and read one or two to see if you dig the style.
Personally, I love the simplicity of his writing style, and there's tons of funny lines here. Mostly great (though I have a weakness for detached irony), with some clunkers here and there.
Top 5 Stories: "The Back Ground", "Sredni Vashtar", "The Story of St. Vespaluus", "Mrs. Packletide's Tiger", "Wratisla...more
Personally, I love the simplicity of his writing style, and there's tons of funny lines here. Mostly great (though I have a weakness for detached irony), with some clunkers here and there.
Top 5 Stories: "The Back Ground", "Sredni Vashtar", "The Story of St. Vespaluus", "Mrs. Packletide's Tiger", "Wratisla...more
Decadent, Wildean, and shockingly un-P.C. Always good for a snort on long car trips.
Probably my favorite collection of short stories. Wickedly funny!
Short stories that bite. Clever, but tiresome if read in one sitting. Better in small doses, I think. Actually, I have to also recommend A. A. Milne's introduction to this collection; it gets one in the right mood to read about foolish people saying wise words.
All funny. Several sublimely so.
Saki at his best.You would love the satire,the humour and his takes on human nature..Very entertaining..
Tobermory is fantastic...
Hysterical, sometimes creepy, always unnerving and amusing!
I want to BE Clovis - so clever, so wicked, so good at getting away with it!
May 14, 2010
Catherine
added it
"And in the sting and misery of
his defeat, he began to chant loudly and defiantly the hymn of his
threatened idol:
Sredni Vashtar went forth,
His thoughts were red thoughts and his teeth were white.
His enemies called for peace, but he brought them death.
Sredni Vashtar the Beautiful."
his defeat, he began to chant loudly and defiantly the hymn of his
threatened idol:
Sredni Vashtar went forth,
His thoughts were red thoughts and his teeth were white.
His enemies called for peace, but he brought them death.
Sredni Vashtar the Beautiful."
A truly delightful collection! My favorites: "The Unrest-Cure," "The Background," "The Story of St. Vespaluus," "The Hounds of Fate," and "Sin of Septimus Brope."
Quite delightful tales by Saki. I particularly like "Wratislav" and that quote at the end, 'Its other people's consciences that send one abroad in a hurry.' Then there was "Tobermory", "Mrs. Packletide's tiger" and "The Quest".
Saki's short pieces never let you down. In even the lightest of contrived stories, his turns of phrase are still delicious.
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Hector Hugh Munro, better known by the pen name Saki, was born in Akyab, Burma (now known as Sittwe, Myanmar), was a British writer, whose witty and sometimes macabre stories satirized Edwardian society and culture. He is considered a master of the short story and is often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open...more
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“The censorious said she slept in a hammock and understood Yeats's poems, but her family denied both stories.”
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“And the vagueness of his alarm added to its terrors; when once you have taken the Impossible into your calculations its possibilities become practically limitless.”
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Feb 16, 2012 03:34am