Tea at the Midland

Byatt has described reading a previous collection of Constantine's short fiction as akin to experiencing ''a series of short shocks of agreeably envious pleasure''.

Tea at the Midland by David Constantine – review

Tea at the Midland shows the author to be on equally sparkling form again. Constantine's writing is rare today, unafraid to be rich and allusive and unashamedly moving. Stylistically, it is elegant, nothing is superfluous. Inspired by that image or specific instance, his work has a feeling of wholeness and growth.

Natural phenomena are deeply expressive. His stories centre on moments, conversations, meetings that feel like small details picked out from a larger tapestry. His characters are strange and vividly drawn. Sometimes a respectable clergyman lets his hair down. Sometimes a lonely man reaches out to a sympathetic woman Born in Salford in , David Constantine worked for thirty years as a university teacher of German language and literature.

Thanks for reading and for writing. It comes with a prize of 25, Euros.

1. Opening Times;
2. See a Problem?!
3. Afternoon Tea at The Midland;
4. Tea at the Midland by David Constantine – review | Books | The Guardian.
5. Tea at the Midland and Other Stories!

Not a bad haul for short stories. Like many great short-story writers, Constantine says he is not partial to creating plots, adding: I detest the idea of closure, in life and in writing. So what is the kind of story written by someone who mainly writes poems? I will try to pose an answer that question by making a few comments about the title story of Tea at the Midland.

The two most basic questions we often ask about a story are: What happens in this story? And what is this story about? The answer to the first question is, on the surface, quite simple. A man and a woman are having tea and scones and an argument in a hotel tearoom. They are having, or have been having, an affair; he is married; she is not. An unknown narrator describes the event, largely from the perspective of the woman, although at certain points he seems to know what the man is thinking also.

Telling the story, the woman cries, and the man accuses her of never crying about him, after which he leaves. After the woman watches the surfers paddle ashore with their boards and sails, she pays the bill. On the way out, she sees a man kneeling and explaining the frieze to a little girl—telling her it is about how the people welcomed Odysseus, a stranger, because every stranger was sacred to them, concluding that the lady in the frieze would have liked to marry the stranger, but because he already had a wife they rowed him home.

The perspective shifts to the surfers towed by kites: This makes her angrier, and her turning away makes him fills him with rage. I could go on and on with other great short story writers who use language to suggest but not explain complex human interactions and emotions.

A tall man is kneeling in the lobby by the frieze explaining to a little girl, probably his daughter, what the sculpture depicts. He tells her it is about welcome, for every stranger was sacred to the people of the island, concluding, the lady admitted she would have liked to marry him but he already had a wife at home.

Festive Afternoon Tea

So they rowed him home. She watches the surfers and longs for their detachment, their control of their own transcendent moment. And that moment has nothing to do with what Odysseus has done in the past or will do in the future. Posted by Charles May at 2: Newer Post Older Post Home. I have been taking some time off because I have been working on a new book on the short story. I have submitted a proposal to a publisher and am waiting for a reply. I will let you know when I hear from them. Thank you for continuing to read essays in my archives.

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Tea at the Midland - Comma Press

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