Short story by Camilla Zajac featured in a new Barbara Pym anthology 27 July 2024
For me, writing and reading have always come a close second to breathing. With reading, there are certain authors who I revisit again and again. One of those is Barbara Pym. For anyone who hasn’t had the joy of reading any of her books, Pym is known for depictions of English life that combine dry humour with more than a little pathos.
Barbara Pym had her ups and downs as a writer, being almost forgotten in her lifetime, then enjoying a resurgence in popularity, thanks to Philip Larkin and others. These days, she continues to be held in high esteem by longstanding fans like me who regularly re-read her books. It seems that there is no other author quite capable of writing in a voice that the New York Times praises as “salt wit in a saline drip”.
Revisiting that very particular kind of poignant comedy is something I enjoy doing every few years. That’s why I’m delighted that a short story I wrote has been included in a new anthology featuring three previously unpublished stories by Barbara Pym!
Image from Green Leaves: The Journal of the Barbara Pym Society
During the strange days of lockdown, in between copywriting projects, I happened to stumble across the Barbara Pym Society and their Ellen J. Miller Memorial Short Story Competition, for which the brief was to write a story that included one or more of Pym’s characters. I thought that sounded like fun. My story ended up winning second place and was then selected as one of 25 from previous competitions for inclusion in the anthology. They say you should never meet your heroes but seeing my little lockdown story nestled up with Barbara Pym’s writings certainly feels amazing!
Written by Camilla Zajac
Camilla Zajac is an award-winning copywriter dedicated to uncovering what’s exciting and unique about organisations and empowering them to communicate that with impact. Learn more about copywriting services from Green Light Copywriting.
