Showing results by author "Katherine Mansfield" in All Categories

The art of writing a short story can be barely noticed by a reader or listener - such is the quality with which they are usually written. It is a difficult trade, an unforgiving discipline, but for those who master it, the rewards are many. In this series of works by our greatest female writers we bring you a selection of those we consider the best. In Volume 1 we bring you the classics 'A Dill Pickle' by Katherine Mansfield, 'The Storm' by Kate Chopin, and 'The Sexton’s Hero' by Elizabeth Gaskell.

When we read or listen, words can have a transforming effect. Our mood can alter in the space of a few sentences from joy to sadness. And not just our mood. These words can affect us physically, they can engage our emotions and even in their sadness bring a lump to our throat and tears to our eyes. Sometimes the relief can be palpable. Our authors, from Anton Chekhov, Stephen Crane, Willa Cather, Katherine Mansfield and a wealth of others, are well aware of what their talents will evoke. Genius has many names.

Katherine was born on the 14th October 1888 into a prominent family in Wellington, New Zealand, the middle child of five. At 19 Katherine left for England, where she met and befriended the modernist writers D.H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf, amongst others. She then travelled to Europe before returning to New Zealand. There she began to write the short stories that she would later become so famous for. But there was another less-heralded side to Katherine’s writings; that of poetry. Her verse certainly reflects much of the themes of her life and interests.

In a German Pension (1911) was Katherine Mansfield’s first published collection of short stories. Many of these works had been previously published in the British weekly magazine, The New Age, which also featured work by figures including G. K. Chesterton, H. G. Wells, and George Bernard Shaw. The word “pension" in the title refers to a European guest-house.

This collection of short stories, by celebrated New Zealand writer Katherine Mansfield, was first published in 1920. Many of Mansfield’s short stories explore New Zealand landscapes and identity, and her work has been a shaping force in the short story genre.

Katherine Mansfield verlässt mit zwanzig Jahren ihre neuseeländische Heimat, um in London Schriftstellerin zu werden. Doch erst einmal landet sie schwanger in der Pension eines bayerischen Kurorts. Dort kann sie ihre Beobachtungsgabe literarisch ausleben, vor allem wenn sie auf Menschen trifft, die während der Kur das enge Korsett gesellschaftlicher Zwänge ablegen. Entstanden sind messerscharfe und sehr amüsante Erzählungen. Über scheinbare Banalitäten verdeutlichen sie tief verankerte Verhaltensmuster, Vorurteile und Klischees im beginnenden 20. Jahrhunderts. Nina Hoss leiht der Pionierin der modernen Short Story ihre Stimme.

The Garden Party and Other Stories was published in 1922. A collection of fifteen short stories, it explores themes including life and death, gender and family roles, relationships and duty.