The Unrest-Cure and Other Stories (New York Review Books Classics)

The pairing of H.H.Munro (Saki) and Edward Gorey seems so natural in retrospect that one wonders why this book had to be rediscovered by the NYRB imprint. Both share the same dry macabre wit and love for foolish British names (I am certain if you put Gorey's character names alongside Saki's you would be unable to tell who created what). They both based their stories in a mythical Edwardian world and both are, quite simply, hysterically funny.Saki is never out of print and yet he is not nearly as well known as other classic short story writers such as O. Henry. His style is vaguely reminiscent of Oscar Wilde but lacks the latter's frequent fall into sentimentality and his plots can involve talking cats and werewolves and bloodthirsty ferrets.The addition of Gorey's illustrations make too much of a good thing, and the two should become an inseparable bond, like John Tenniel and Lewis Carroll. If you have never read Saki's stories you are in for a treat. There is no need for me to review one of the greats of the short story form. But in this edition, Saki has met his perfect illustrator.

Would have been 5 star had the book been more safely packaged.

Saki is an author like no other: so witty and clever one simply can't stop laughing.

Saki is not unlike Edward Gory. He's talented but a bit harebrained. The short stories are sometimes merely extended conversations. Notwithstanding that, I never know what to expect with the next story.

A well-designed selection of some of the most famous and satirical stories by the English master of the form. Though some are over-familiar, there are enough less-often-anthologized ones to make it worthwhile.

It is the funniest book. The drawings are terrific. A must have. We will be sending it as gifts to those we love.

Who better to illustrate Saki than Edward Gorey? Gorey's pen and ink drawings of sinister couples, strange animals, and mysterious goings-on are a perfect fit for Saki (Hector Hugh Munro)'s macabre tales of Edwardian ladies and gentlemen who sometimes find themselves in the most bizarre circumstances or (in some of the best of the tales) suddenly realize that what appears to be commonplace or even banal is really quite odd.H.H. Munro was born in Burma in 1870, but spent most of his childhood in England in the care of some unusually eccentric relations. He became a writer, political satirist,and foreign correspondent, producing a series of short, bitingly funny stories, some plays, and a couple of novels under the pen name Saki from Omar Khayyam. Although his health was always delicate and he was beyond military age he joined the British Army when World War I broke out and was killed in 1916.Saki's short stories are filled with languid young men, haughty dowagers, elegant young women, and some very strange animals, often with a supernatural touch or two. They are set in drawingrooms, country houses, Continental watering spots, suburban railways, hotel diningrooms, and other unlikely spots. Some, like the Reginald stories, are basically transcriptions of the conversations of highly witty and extremely precious people as they sit and chat over tea. Others, like Tobermory and Sredni Vashtar, involve sinister animals. The funniest ones poke fun at snobbish, self-important people such as the ones found in Mrs. Packletide's Tiger and The Stampeding of Lady Bastable. Then there are others, like The Reticence of Lady Anne, which finish up with a little tingle of horror. Nearly every story contains at least one priceless bon mot, like "She was a good cook, as cooks go, and as cooks go she went," or "Mrs. Jallat didn't study cheapness, but somehow she generally attained it." You'll be reminded of Oscar Wilde at his very height. Each of the stories in this selection has at least one illustration by Gorey. There are many more of Saki's stories, and they are well worth searching out, as are his plays and the novels "The Unbearable Bassington" and "When William Came."

In The Unrest Cure and Other Stories, the characters and situations are a comedy of manners, most of which have a dark, dry sense of humor. Saki rights of the well off, their silly endeavors and those who would seek their downfall in some way.My favorite is the story of a house cat that learns to talk. At first, to the delight of the home full of guests, then with horror as the cat is a little too honest with what he has observed. Also included is the story The Open Window, which may be Saki's most famous. My memory of this story erased the hilarious dark comedy of a child taunting a guest with a nervous disorder.Each story has one or two included illustrations by Edward Gorey. Gorey is more famous today for his more gruesome works, like The Gashlycrumb Tinies, but the illustrations in here are more reminiscent of magazine illustrations of the day. There is still humor, and it is distinctly Gorey's style, and they are wonderful to view. I enjoyed the stories and think any fan of Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster stories would also enjoy them.

I read this in 2 days. I bought the book because of the illustrations of Edward Gorey and have discovered a new author. One witty and entertaining book of short stories that completely complement the illustrations.