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The ship's surgeon's yarn, and other stories
A collection of twelve short stories.
335 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1940
About the author
Francis Brett Young
135 books23 followersFrancis Brett Young was born in 1884 at Hales Owen, Worcestershire, the eldest son of Dr Thomas Brett Young.
Educated at Iona Cottage High School, Sutton Coldfield and Epsom College, Francis read Medicine at Birmingham University before entering general practice at Brixham in 1907. The following year he married Jessie Hankinson whom he had met during his medical studies. She was a singer of some repute, having appeared as a soloist in Henry Wood's Promenade Concerts.
Francis based one of his earliest novels Deep Sea (1914) in Brixham but was soon to be caught up in the Great War. He served in the R.A.M.C. in East Africa, experiences recorded in Marching on Tanga.
After the war Francis and Jessie went to live in Capri where a number of novels with African as well as English backgrounds were produced. Popular success came in 1927 when Francis was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Portrait of Clare.
The Brett Youngs returned to England in 1929, staying for a while in the Lake District before settling at Craycombe House in Worcestershire in 1932. During this period Francis was at the height of his fame and his annually produced novels were eagerly awaited.
During the Second World War Francis laboured on his long poem covering the spread of English history from prehistoric times. Entitled The Island, it was published in 1944 and regarded by Francis as his greatest achievement.
Following a breakdown in his health Francis and Jessie moved to South Africa where he died in 1954. His ashes were brought back to this country and interred in Worcester Cathedral.
Educated at Iona Cottage High School, Sutton Coldfield and Epsom College, Francis read Medicine at Birmingham University before entering general practice at Brixham in 1907. The following year he married Jessie Hankinson whom he had met during his medical studies. She was a singer of some repute, having appeared as a soloist in Henry Wood's Promenade Concerts.
Francis based one of his earliest novels Deep Sea (1914) in Brixham but was soon to be caught up in the Great War. He served in the R.A.M.C. in East Africa, experiences recorded in Marching on Tanga.
After the war Francis and Jessie went to live in Capri where a number of novels with African as well as English backgrounds were produced. Popular success came in 1927 when Francis was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Portrait of Clare.
The Brett Youngs returned to England in 1929, staying for a while in the Lake District before settling at Craycombe House in Worcestershire in 1932. During this period Francis was at the height of his fame and his annually produced novels were eagerly awaited.
During the Second World War Francis laboured on his long poem covering the spread of English history from prehistoric times. Entitled The Island, it was published in 1944 and regarded by Francis as his greatest achievement.
Following a breakdown in his health Francis and Jessie moved to South Africa where he died in 1954. His ashes were brought back to this country and interred in Worcester Cathedral.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 4, 2015
I've been a fan of Francis Brett Young since I first read "Dr. Bradley Remembers" and "My Brother Jonathan" many years ago. Since then Ive collected over a dozen of his works but this is my first taste of his short stories. They're a little harder to come by but I can now officially say that they're worth seeking out.
Most of these stories are set on board ship with our storyteller being a ship's surgeon. I enjoyed these the most. But don't expect surgical tales, these are more human tales of adventure/ misadventure, passion and intrigue that comes to the ears and eyes of our doctor whom everyone confides in, most of which are set on the African coast.
The last four or five stories are set elsewhere (England, Italy etc) with various characters unrelated to the first half of the book.
So FBY always draws the reader in and his writing is wonderful to this reader. My only peeve (which is why this is rated four stars and not five) is that FBY is a realist and his endings reflect this mindset. Its like eating a very satisfying meal but being cheated of the after dinner mints. So I found myself reading a few stories in this book and then going to Ethel M Dell's short story collection and reading one or two of hers to give me my "sugar fix".
CONTENT: Suitable reading for all
Most of these stories are set on board ship with our storyteller being a ship's surgeon. I enjoyed these the most. But don't expect surgical tales, these are more human tales of adventure/ misadventure, passion and intrigue that comes to the ears and eyes of our doctor whom everyone confides in, most of which are set on the African coast.
The last four or five stories are set elsewhere (England, Italy etc) with various characters unrelated to the first half of the book.
So FBY always draws the reader in and his writing is wonderful to this reader. My only peeve (which is why this is rated four stars and not five) is that FBY is a realist and his endings reflect this mindset. Its like eating a very satisfying meal but being cheated of the after dinner mints. So I found myself reading a few stories in this book and then going to Ethel M Dell's short story collection and reading one or two of hers to give me my "sugar fix".
CONTENT: Suitable reading for all
Displaying 1 of 1 review