The Square Egg and Other Sketches with Three Plays

by Saki

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics

292 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1924

About the author

British 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.

Reviews

[Anastasija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mix of humor and irony, sharp societal critique, simplicity and readability of the stories and historical depth, containing the author’s views and experiences during wartime. Saki definitely has a distinctive voice with clever twists.

[Sanam · Rating 4 out of 5]

من ترجمه مزدک بلوری از کتاب تخم مرغ چهارگوش را خواندم که مجموعه ای برگزیده از داستانهای ساکی است چند داستانی از این کتاب انگلیسی بیشتر دارد
داستانهای ساکی ساده و بسیار روان نوشته شده هیچ پیچ و خم روایی ندارد و بسیار دلنشین و خوش خوان است طنز بامزه ای در اکثر داستانها وجود دارد که همراه با نقد اجتماعی آداب و رسوم و روش زندگی به اصطلاح انگلیسی است... ساکی در داستانهایش با قواعد تربیت و ادب و در واقع با کلاس اجتماعی فرهیختگان و برژواهای انگلیسی (نمیدانم چقدر این تعبیرم درست است) کمی هنجارشکنانه برخورد میکند، دو داستان به نظرم بسیار خاص بودند یکی سردنی واشتار و دیگری تخم مرغ چهار گوش.... البته بعضی از داستانها همان شیوه قدیمی ضربه نهایی به خواننده را دارند ولی باز هم طنز اجتماعی جاری در آنها ارزشمند است به این خاطر که موارد ریز و دقیقی از دغدغه های شخصی، نحوه تربیت و روابط اجتماعی در آنها همراه نکات طنزآمیز منتقدانه بیان میشوند
ساکی تا حدودی لذت بخش از کودکان نیز در داستانهایش نقل میکند این مورد هم جز نقاط قوت کار است

[Johan D'Haenen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit zijn zo ongeveer de laatste stukken die Saki geschreven heeft voor hij sneuvelde. Het boekje is heel kort, maar er staan een paar verhalen in die een heel wrang, cynisch en sarcastisch beeld schetsen van de mens, wat niet verwonderlijk is, gezien de tijd en de omgeving waarin ze geschreven werden. Het eerste stuk bijvoorbeeld, dat geschreven is vanuit de loopgraven, spreekt boekdelen. Hier is geen plaats meer voor fijne humor... wel integendeel.
Voor wie houdt van Saki, een onmisbare bundel.

[Daniy ♠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 9 of the 30 days challenge (2)

A Short Short Story Collection.
1. The Square Egg 5*
2. Birds of the Western Front 5*
3. The Gala Progamme 4*
4. The Infernal Parliament 5*, my favorite
5. Th Achievement of the Cat 5*
6. The Old Town of Pskoff, 3*, this one flew over my head, I probably missed something
7. Clovis on the Alleged Romance of Business 3*, once more I missed something
8. The Comments of Moung Ka, 5*

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Contains the stories:

The Square Egg -
Birds on the Western Front -
The Gala Programme -
The Infernal Parliament -
The Achievement of the Cat -
The Old Town of Pskoff -
Clovis on the Alleged Romance of Business -
The Comments of Moung Ka -

[Pardis · Rating 2 out of 5]

داستان‌های ساکی بازتاب دهندهٔ اوضاع اجتماعی و فرهنگی زمان پادشاهی ادوارد هفتم هستند و با لحنی طنزآمیز به تمسخر تظاهرها، حماقت‌ها و نامهربانی‌های اجتماع می‌پردازند.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The version I have only
has 30 pages.

[Aina Aneanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting, beyond memorable, despite the short length.

[Theodora Vn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though not my favourite or the best of Saki’s works, this little book is full of entertainment and mischief, ideal to read on a rainy day with a cup of tea. Beware the fruitcake!

[Rose]

I feel a bit guilty for adding this because it's so short, but never mind. My least favourite Saki to date, but that's pretty understandable given the context of his life when he was writing it (fighting on the Western Front, where he ultimately died in 1916).