PRITCHET Victor Sodon

PRITCHET, VICTOR SODON (Pritchett, Victor Sawdon) (1900-1997), English novelist, literary critic. President of International PEN (1974-1976), member of the Royal Literary Society (since 1969). The biggest master of the English novel after R. Kipling, author of biographical books, collections of literary-critical essays, travel writing and memoirs.

Born December 16, 1900 in Ipswich (Suffolk). In 15 years, left school, went to Paris, wrote short essays for the newspaper 'Christian Science Monitor'. His first book "Walking in Spain" (Marching Spain) came out in 1928.

Pritchet-story stands out in a few words the ability to reveal the essence of the depicted characters, the art of money-saving features and subtle psychology combined with his grotesque. Prose Pritcheta focuses on the living, spoken language, it is clear and concrete. Excellent reputation earned him the narrator's novel "Sense of humor" (Sense of Humour, 1934). In 1991 came his "Collected Stories" (Complete Collected Stories). Of the novels Pritcheta best considered "Mr. Bilankl" (Mr. Beluncle, 1951), a sympathetic portrait of eccentric Puritan.

"Live the novel" (The Living Novel) and "Additional reviews of" (Later Appreciations) - collections of critical essays, originally published in 'New Statesman': with this newspaper Pritchet collaborated since 1928, was its chief editor in 1946-1978. "Complete Collection of Critical Essays" (Complete Collected Essays) Pritcheta came out in 1992. In 1968 saw the first volume of his autobiography, "a cab at the door" (A Cab at the Door), in 1971 - the second, "Lamp at midnight" (Midnight Oil). An example of insightful literary criticism became biographies Balzac (Balzac, 1973) and I. C. Turgenev (Noble Barbarian - The Gentle Barbarian, 1977) and essays in the collection Creators mifa "(The Myth Makers, 1979). "Creators parables" (The Tale Bearers, 1980) - a collection of twenty-three essays on writers, from pip to S. S. Bellow. Appreciation specialists and readers got the Oxford book of short stories "(The Oxford Book of Short Stories), published in 1981 under the editorship of Pritcheta. In 1975, Pritchet was elevated to the dignity of knighthood.

Pritchet died in London on March 20, 1997.