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Adrian
A short story by Saki
- GenresShort Stories
4 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 1911
5 people want to read
About the author
Saki
1,669 books590 followersBritish writer Hector Hugh Munro under pen name Saki published his witty and sometimes bitter short stories in collections, such as
The Chronicles of Clovis
(1911).
His sometimes macabre satirized Edwardian society and culture. People consider him a master and often compare him to William Sydney Porter and Dorothy Rothschild Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window," perhaps his most famous, closes with the line, "Romance at short notice was her specialty," which thus entered the lexicon. Newspapers first and then several volumes published him as the custom of the time.
His works include
* a full-length play, The Watched Pot , in collaboration with Charles Maude;
* two one-act plays;
* a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire , the only book under his own name;
* a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington ;
* the episodic The Westminster Alice , a parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland ;
* and When William Came: A Story of London under the Hohenzollerns , an early alternate history.
Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Joseph Rudyard Kipling, influenced Munro, who in turn influenced A. A. Milne, and Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.
His sometimes macabre satirized Edwardian society and culture. People consider him a master and often compare him to William Sydney Porter and Dorothy Rothschild Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window," perhaps his most famous, closes with the line, "Romance at short notice was her specialty," which thus entered the lexicon. Newspapers first and then several volumes published him as the custom of the time.
His works include
* a full-length play, The Watched Pot , in collaboration with Charles Maude;
* two one-act plays;
* a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire , the only book under his own name;
* a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington ;
* the episodic The Westminster Alice , a parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland ;
* and When William Came: A Story of London under the Hohenzollerns , an early alternate history.
Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Joseph Rudyard Kipling, influenced Munro, who in turn influenced A. A. Milne, and Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 20, 2024
(I have reread this story and have slightly improved, but not altered my original review - June 2024)
This story is subtitled 'A chapter in acclimatisation' which is a wonderful preview of the story. But before saying anything else I can not resist the first paragraph of this story:
"His baptismal register spoke of him pessimistically as John Henry, but he had left that behind with the other maladies of infancy, and his friends knew him under the front-name of Adrian. His mother lived in Bethnal Green (for those who don't know Bethnal Green was a working class slum on the borders of the even more disreputable and common Whitechapel. It was the east end of London if not strictly speaking cockney London - Liam), which was not all together his fault; one can discourage to much history in one's family, but one cannot always prevent geography. And after all, the Bethnal Green habit has this virtue - that it is seldom transmitted to the next generation. Adrian lived in a roomlet which came under the auspicious constellation of W (the most fashionable addresses in London, Belgravia, Mayfair, Kensington, were designated with a W postcode- Liam)."
I think it is a superb example of Saki at his best and Adrian both as a character and story is quite extraordinary. Adrian is presented without any excuse or mitigating circumstance as a working class young man living on his wits and his only asset, his good looks. That he is an adventurer and gigolo is apparent and that he relied on the patronage and financial support of wealthy young men is made clear. It is extremely and surprisingly honest and matter of fact. Like many things in Saki's it is so open that it was possible for it to be ignored.
I don't want to give too much away but what is superb is the denouement of the story. Adrian is taken up by an aunt of one of his wealthy young men and whisked off on a tour of continental resorts. In the course of his sojourn amongst the idle rich Adrian discovers that behaving in borish and yobbish way that in Bethnal Green would have earned severe chastisement is accepted as typical of an upper middle class public school educated young man. Adrian is now as the Germans say 'Salonfahig' he has 'passed' and is completely accepted as what he pretended to be by behaving in what would be unacceptable, but expected, in a youth from a working class background. It is an example of Saki's sharp penetrating commentary on snobbery and class. Like his frankness in writing about someone who was a presentable rent boy his perceptive demolition of class is just not seen.
But whether you want to see any of that doesn't take away from the brilliance of this funny and enchanting story.
This story is subtitled 'A chapter in acclimatisation' which is a wonderful preview of the story. But before saying anything else I can not resist the first paragraph of this story:
"His baptismal register spoke of him pessimistically as John Henry, but he had left that behind with the other maladies of infancy, and his friends knew him under the front-name of Adrian. His mother lived in Bethnal Green (for those who don't know Bethnal Green was a working class slum on the borders of the even more disreputable and common Whitechapel. It was the east end of London if not strictly speaking cockney London - Liam), which was not all together his fault; one can discourage to much history in one's family, but one cannot always prevent geography. And after all, the Bethnal Green habit has this virtue - that it is seldom transmitted to the next generation. Adrian lived in a roomlet which came under the auspicious constellation of W (the most fashionable addresses in London, Belgravia, Mayfair, Kensington, were designated with a W postcode- Liam)."
I think it is a superb example of Saki at his best and Adrian both as a character and story is quite extraordinary. Adrian is presented without any excuse or mitigating circumstance as a working class young man living on his wits and his only asset, his good looks. That he is an adventurer and gigolo is apparent and that he relied on the patronage and financial support of wealthy young men is made clear. It is extremely and surprisingly honest and matter of fact. Like many things in Saki's it is so open that it was possible for it to be ignored.
I don't want to give too much away but what is superb is the denouement of the story. Adrian is taken up by an aunt of one of his wealthy young men and whisked off on a tour of continental resorts. In the course of his sojourn amongst the idle rich Adrian discovers that behaving in borish and yobbish way that in Bethnal Green would have earned severe chastisement is accepted as typical of an upper middle class public school educated young man. Adrian is now as the Germans say 'Salonfahig' he has 'passed' and is completely accepted as what he pretended to be by behaving in what would be unacceptable, but expected, in a youth from a working class background. It is an example of Saki's sharp penetrating commentary on snobbery and class. Like his frankness in writing about someone who was a presentable rent boy his perceptive demolition of class is just not seen.
But whether you want to see any of that doesn't take away from the brilliance of this funny and enchanting story.
Displaying 1 of 1 review