Limbo Paperback – Import, 11 July 2009

First published in 1920 this was the first collection of Aldous Huxley’s short stories, which we have six of here, plus a play ‘Happy Families’. Reading this you can see that Huxley’s themes that so much of his work was based upon, with his thoughts and ideas are already appearing in this collection, as well as quite a bit of autobiographically inspired work.Ranging from the satirical to the more profound this does make you stop and think at the hypocrisy around us, with people failing to live up to their own convictions, as well as academia and snobbishness, plus even gender identity and mental health issues, along with other issues, and of course the impact of the First World War.This book obviously won’t be for everyone, and I know that some people with books like these are quite vociferous in that a couple of passages as here are in French and even Latin, as there are no footnotes. Of course the people who did read works like this were capable of either knowing what the passages were, or able to work them out, whereas nowadays not only are people ignorant of languages, but are able to go on-line to complain of such things, and yet do not have the sense to just type a line in and get a translation on a search engine.

Aldous’ first collection of short fiction, consisting of six short stories and a play.All in all it’s quite a good read and one can see the young Aldous developing his writing. Admittedly, he is incredibly pompous at times, but one does get the feeling in “Bookshop” that he realises this and that he understands that he needs to tone it down a lot if he wants to get his ideas and thoughts across to the masses.Definitely a must read for all Aldous fans.Farcical History of Richard GreenowA rather interesting look at Dissociative Identity Disorder before and into WWI, where one personality is a conscientious objector while the other is firmly on the side of destroying the Hun with extreme predjudice. Add to this that Richard’s other personality is female and has complete blackouts when she takes over things get a little out of control for him.Yes folks, just because someone with DID is male does not mean that their other personalities are going to be male also. It doesn’t work like that. One’s other personalties are whoever they are and sometimes they will express with different genders to the host.Superbly written in Aldous’ inimitable style.Happily Ever AfterSet in the years of WWI, Aldous introduces us to two young men, both at war, with completely contrasting views on life. I think this is Aldous’ way of reminding himself — and all of us — to not get lost in dogmatic ideologies and, instead, to grasp and enjoy the joys of life while you’re young because you never know if today will be your last.Eupompus Gave Splendour to Art by NumbersOne often gets the impression with Aldous that he liked to show off his classical education: “Oooh, hark at me, i know all these ancient Greek people and things.”All the pompous whimsy aside, the only thing really being said here is Aldous didn’t much think that meditation was good for a person: “Let’s not count breaths, eh.”Happy FamiliesA play. Very much a thing of its time when it comes to race, displaying Aldous’ Victorian heritage to the full.CynthiaA little romance short with Aldous stirring in another good load of the “Oooh, hark at me, i know all these ancient Greek people and things.” that we had in “Eupompus Gave Splendour to Art by Numbers”.The BookshopA short about an impulse purchase all dressed up in a rather lovely piece of descriptive writing. I felt that the undertones of this was Aldous bemoaning the great unwashed and uncultured, while, at the end, he sees that he can’t escape their influence when surrounded on all sides by them: we’re all in this **** life together. Our protagonist finally throws his impulse purchase into some bushes.I find this story very much to have the seed of what Aldous later grew into his life’s work. The symbolism of the bookshop with its classical music, fashions, art and books; representing education, privalege and wealth; surrounded on all sides by the working classes, poverty and need. How can one enjoy such fruits when he’s reminded and intruded upon, at every moment, that so many don’t have these things.The Death of LullyLully is an early christian martyr that is rescued on a passing ship. A well written short but i’m not sure what the message really is. As a devout non-christian, this kind of thing just turns my brain off.

En general me gusta como escribe Huxley. Lo disfruto mucho. Le habría puesto cinco estrellas si no hubiera sido por lo desagradable que me pareció la historia en formato de obra teatral "Happy Families".

This is a Kindle edition that gives photographic copies of pages of the original edition. However, several pages are not printed, and are replaced by black rectangles, the book is unreadable, How do I get a refund?

Table of ContentsFARCICAL HISTORY OF RICHARD GREENOWHAPPILY EVER AFTEREUPOMPUS GAVE SPLENDOUR TO ARTHAPPY FAMILIESCYNTHIATHE BOOKSHOPTHE DEATH OF LULLYPublication date: 1920, two years before  Mortal Coils , to which it bears a relationship such as Please Please Me bears to With the Beatles- less polished, less mature, but the debut of a clearly talented artist.The stories seem to be front-loaded, the first two much more elaborate than the last five- The Farcical History reminded me of one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Saturday Evening Post stories, but through a glass darkly- a sensitive undergraduate finds he has a subconscious personality which writes pot-boiler romances (and jingoistic propaganda when the war starts), which is a somewhat fantastic swerve for what starts as a naturalistic, even autobiographical 'sentimental education'-"Good evening, Mr. Gay," she said, holding out her hand and shutting her eyes; it was one of her disconcerting habits, this shutting of the eyes. "What a pleasure it will be to hear you talking to us again about eschatology."Gay, who had never talked about eschatology and did not know the meaning of the word, smiled a little dimly and made a protesting noise."Eschatology? What a charming subject!" The fluty voice belonged to Henry Cravister, the Headmaster's son, a man of about forty who worked in the British Museum. He was almost too cultured, too erudite."But I don't know anything about it," said Gay desperately."Spare us your modesty," Henry Cravister protested.Happily Ever After is about a philosopher's visit to his professor's country home, the professor's daughter, and her fiance, who also visits on leave. What is already evident is the Huxleyan 'point-counterpoint,' the many points of view which are all, to a greater or lesser degree, self-deluding:"Gibbon," Mr. Petherton had said, "certainly, my dear. How delightful it is to look at these grand old books again. One always finds something new every time."Marjorie gave him to understand that she had never read it. She felt rather proud of her ignorance. Mr. Petherton handed the first of eleven volumes to her."A great book," he murmured--" an essential book. It fills the gap between your classical history and your mediaeval stuff.""Your" classical history, Marjorie repeated to herself, "your" classical history indeed! Her father had an irritating way of taking it for granted that she knew everything, that classical history was as much hers as his. Only a day or two before he had turned to her at luncheon with, " Do you remember, dear child, whether it was Pomponazzi who denied the personal immortality of the soul, or else that queer fellow, Laurentius Valla? It's gone out of my head for the moment." Marjorie had quite lost her temper at the question--much to the innocent bewilderment of her poor father.One more quotation from "Eupompus,""Years ago, when I was first reading Ben Jonson's Discoveries, that queer jotting of his, 'Eupompus gave splendour to Art by Numbers,' tickled my curiosity. You yourself must have been struck by the phrase, everybody must have noticed it; and everybody must have noticed too that no commentator has a word to say on the subject. That is the way of commentators--the obvious points fulsomely explained and discussed, the hard passages, about which one might want to know something passed over in the silence of sheer ignorance. 'Eupompus gave splendour to Art by Numbers'--the absurd phrase stuck in my head. At one time it positively haunted me. I used to chant it in my bath, set to music as an anthem. It went like this, so far as I remember"--and he burst into song: "' Eupompus, Eu-u-pompus gave sple-e-e-endour . . ."' and so on, through all the repetitions, the draggedout rises and falls of a parodied anthem.But Eupompus seems only half-Huxleyan. The set up is great, but the ending just a little too slapdash. Funny, mordant, but not something only Huxley could have done. The stories which follow (and which are probably in fact earlier) are even less distinctive. Hence, like, not love. Mortal Coils