A Quiver Full of Arrows
Encyclopedia
A Quiver Full of Arrows is a 1980 collection of twelve short stories by British
writer and politician Jeffrey Archer.
- son of the Governor of the Judea Province, is sent by his mother to buy three pomegranates and a chicken. In the town of Bethlehem he meets Joseph and Mary, just before the birth of Jesus Christ. He is mesmerised by the presence of Mary and offers all his food items to Mary. On the way back he sees the three wise men (The Magi
) and give them the pomegranates. When he arrives home very late- his authoratian father demands the truth from Pontius and refuses to believe his story and whips him very badly sending him to bed.
His mother is also reluctant to believe his story but when she comes to Apply balm on his wounds- she discovers that all his wounds have miraculously healed. She walks out the room claiming to believe him.
Mysteriously enough- Harry Newman had suffered a lot. His wife had left him for a partner, his partner had stolen his share of money and he was nearly destitute. Yet after this win, Harry had gone from success to success with amazing ease.
When the Author met Shrimpton- he found out from Shrimpton that Shrimpton had intentionally made Newman win- to give him some hope and did not care about any recognition in the matter- continuing to claim that Newman won because of his own talents- making Shrimpton a Perfect Gentleman.
Michael returns to New York, calls Debbie and the couple have a one night stand. As Michael turns to leave, Debbie informs him to his horror that Debbie herself had decided to have a one night stand, and deciding to ignore New Yorkers who would think she was easy, had made a decision that whichever one of Michael or Adrian came to New York, she would have a one night stand with him...
has an ambition to succeed as a Cricketeer for Oxford and follow his famous Cricketeer father's footsteps. He wishes to make a name for himself in the Oxford vs Cambridge cricket match.
In his first year- he makes the team and has a terrific season but somehow injures his finger before the final match. In his second year- he is in poor form and asks his captain to drop him from the finals. In his third year- he is the captain.
He struggles with the ball and with the bat getting out cheaply for a duck in the first innings. In his second innings- set a total of 214 to get- he struggles and nearly gets out- but after hooking a boundary- begins to score runs briskly. At his score on 99, he is stranded in the middle of the crease and the ball is with the opposition captain Robin Oakley who instead of running the captain out and thereby putting Cambridge in a winning position chooses to allow the captain to go back to the crease. The Captain hits a boundary, scores his hundred and deliberately gets out hit wicket to honour the opposition.
The match ends in a draw as rain pours down- thereby being the ideal situation expected for one and all.
The story is reportedly based on the famous Indian cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan "Tiger" Pataudi (also known as the Nawab of Pataudi). Pataudi was a student at Oxford, and was involved in a serious car accident in which he lost the use of his right eye.
Debbie could have been a desperate woman.
During the war- he stays in America and returns after the war. He gets married to a young woman- Victoria. During their honeymoon- without Barker- Henry runs into one difficulty after another- travelling third class by train and ship to France and staying in a small room in the George V without making arrangements.
In the end- a flower girl who knew him sarcastically gifts him flowers for his wife- when she realizes that he has no money and forgot to bring any. An Apt end to a man who knows nothing and depended on everything for his manservant Barker.
He refuses to believe that an Agent is required to be appointed to whom 10% of the contract price must be paid and that this percentage is actually the Minister's cut. He visits the Minister and insists on knowing the full details and simply refuses to believe any version of the Minister (including the Minister's story of his gratitude to the agent).
In the end- the Minister realizes that Sir Hamish is not a man who can do business the Mexican way and sends him out.
Their love is decided by the Charles Oldham which both of them share. They get married and are deeply in love- their love expressed by absolute sarcastic remarks of each other- they rise to become phenomenal successes in their own fields-becoming Professors and teaching chairs of Oxford in English Literature- receiving knighthoods.
One day William and Phillipa have an argument on a crossword puzzle on the existence of the word 'Whymwham'. Phillipa dies of a heart attack after William leaves for College. When William finds this out- he shoots himself leaving a note saying -'Forgive me i had to let her know...'. He could not bear to live without her and rumour had it that they did not be apart for more than a few hours. This was Old Love.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer and politician Jeffrey Archer.
The Chinese Statue
The story concerns a statuette originating from the Ming Dynasty. The statuette was bought to London by Sir Alexander who kept it in his family for generations. Each of his heirs- Civil Servants, Army Officers alike keep the statuette very safely and in great glory- until the latest descendant of Sir Alexander Heathcote- forced upon very tough times due to reckless gambling-decides to sell the statuette. He discovers to his shock that the Statuette is a fake, a good fake but a fake nevertheless. Just as he contemplates suicide, he also finds out that the base of the statuette is authentic and he makes close to Twenty Thousand Guineas on the sale.The Coup
Two Business Rivals, Construction Magnates from Brazil- Eduardo De Silveria and Manuel Rodrigues arrive in Nigeria for their own projects. Eduardo is in Nigeria hoping to receive the contract for building the city of Abuja while Manuel is here for a Port Contract. A Coup owing to Colonel Dimka who assassinates the President General Muhammad- causes all the flights out of Nigeria to be cancelled and both Eduardo and Manuel are forced to spend time together locked out from the world. During this time- they discover a friendship and at the end of the period- become good friends and even business partners.The First Miracle
Pontius PilatePontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
- son of the Governor of the Judea Province, is sent by his mother to buy three pomegranates and a chicken. In the town of Bethlehem he meets Joseph and Mary, just before the birth of Jesus Christ. He is mesmerised by the presence of Mary and offers all his food items to Mary. On the way back he sees the three wise men (The Magi
Magi
Magi is a term, used since at least the 4th century BC, to denote a follower of Zoroaster, or rather, a follower of what the Hellenistic world associated Zoroaster with, which...
) and give them the pomegranates. When he arrives home very late- his authoratian father demands the truth from Pontius and refuses to believe his story and whips him very badly sending him to bed.
His mother is also reluctant to believe his story but when she comes to Apply balm on his wounds- she discovers that all his wounds have miraculously healed. She walks out the room claiming to believe him.
The Perfect Gentleman
Edward Shrimpton is met by the author at a local club. Shrimpton was an ace player of backgammon for the club- considered to be the best. He was defeated by Harry Newman however on the eve of a major club championship which was puzzling as Newman was a good player but not in Shrimpton's league.Mysteriously enough- Harry Newman had suffered a lot. His wife had left him for a partner, his partner had stolen his share of money and he was nearly destitute. Yet after this win, Harry had gone from success to success with amazing ease.
When the Author met Shrimpton- he found out from Shrimpton that Shrimpton had intentionally made Newman win- to give him some hope and did not care about any recognition in the matter- continuing to claim that Newman won because of his own talents- making Shrimpton a Perfect Gentleman.
One Night Stand
Michael and Adrian run into Debbie in New York. They are both Londoners, and decide between themselves to have a one night stand with Debbie. They also share a code that whoever returns to New York gets to have a one night stand with Debbie.Michael returns to New York, calls Debbie and the couple have a one night stand. As Michael turns to leave, Debbie informs him to his horror that Debbie herself had decided to have a one night stand, and deciding to ignore New Yorkers who would think she was easy, had made a decision that whichever one of Michael or Adrian came to New York, she would have a one night stand with him...
The Century
An Unnamed OxonianOxonian
An Oxonian is a member of the University of Oxford, England. The term is derived from Oxonia, the Latin form of Oxenford or Oxford. The term can also refer to an inhabitant of the city of Oxford, but is less used in this context.The matching word for Cambridge and the University of Cambridge is...
has an ambition to succeed as a Cricketeer for Oxford and follow his famous Cricketeer father's footsteps. He wishes to make a name for himself in the Oxford vs Cambridge cricket match.
In his first year- he makes the team and has a terrific season but somehow injures his finger before the final match. In his second year- he is in poor form and asks his captain to drop him from the finals. In his third year- he is the captain.
He struggles with the ball and with the bat getting out cheaply for a duck in the first innings. In his second innings- set a total of 214 to get- he struggles and nearly gets out- but after hooking a boundary- begins to score runs briskly. At his score on 99, he is stranded in the middle of the crease and the ball is with the opposition captain Robin Oakley who instead of running the captain out and thereby putting Cambridge in a winning position chooses to allow the captain to go back to the crease. The Captain hits a boundary, scores his hundred and deliberately gets out hit wicket to honour the opposition.
The match ends in a draw as rain pours down- thereby being the ideal situation expected for one and all.
The story is reportedly based on the famous Indian cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan "Tiger" Pataudi (also known as the Nawab of Pataudi). Pataudi was a student at Oxford, and was involved in a serious car accident in which he lost the use of his right eye.
Debbie could have been a desperate woman.
Broken Routine
Septimus Horatio Cornwallis is a normal man who has a pretty common routine. He is a Claims Adjuster with an Insurance Company. His routine is extremely tight but one day his routine is badly affected when he is asked to stay late. He returns home in a packed train- when he discovers that a young hoodlum has misappropriated his cigarettes and his newspaper. He decides to confront the young man- and smokes his cigarettes one after the other- the young man does the same and it becomes a contest. Finally Septimus feeling that he has taught the young man a lesson- opens his briefcase to find his cigarettes intact and his paper intact implying that he has actually been smoking the young man's cigarettes and been abusing the young man's papers.- This idea was used in Dus Kahaniyan in Rohit Roy's Rice Plate, whilst a similar story is told by Arthur Dent in So Long, and Thanks for All the FishSo Long, and Thanks for All the FishSo Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is the fourth book of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "trilogy" written by Douglas Adams. Its title is the message left by the dolphins when they departed Planet Earth just before it was demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, as described in The...
from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.
Henry's Hiccup
Henry is the son of the Grand Pasha of Egypt. He is a millionaire living in London but is used to everything being done by his manservant Barker. He has done nothing in his life- and so has no knowledge of travel or of making arrangements.During the war- he stays in America and returns after the war. He gets married to a young woman- Victoria. During their honeymoon- without Barker- Henry runs into one difficulty after another- travelling third class by train and ship to France and staying in a small room in the George V without making arrangements.
In the end- a flower girl who knew him sarcastically gifts him flowers for his wife- when she realizes that he has no money and forgot to bring any. An Apt end to a man who knows nothing and depended on everything for his manservant Barker.
A Matter of Principle
Sir Hamish Graham was bought up in the 1950s. He is an uncompromising scot who is honest and talented and hardworking but also extremely narrow minded and unadaptable and pompous. In the 1970s his Construction Company is not doing too well- when he is given a Mexican Contract.He refuses to believe that an Agent is required to be appointed to whom 10% of the contract price must be paid and that this percentage is actually the Minister's cut. He visits the Minister and insists on knowing the full details and simply refuses to believe any version of the Minister (including the Minister's story of his gratitude to the agent).
In the end- the Minister realizes that Sir Hamish is not a man who can do business the Mexican way and sends him out.
The Hungarian Professor
The writer meets a Professor in Hungary- after the revolution who knows more about England than the writer who hails from London himself. The Professors interest in London touches the writer however the writer realizes that the Professor died without achieving his dream to visit England.Old Love
William Hatchard and Phillipa are English Literature Undergraduates who are the best in their class and start a rivalry among themselves. Their rivalry is to be decided by the 'Charles Oldham Prize'- when Phillipa's father dies. William decides to drive Phillipa to the funeral and the two fall in love.Their love is decided by the Charles Oldham which both of them share. They get married and are deeply in love- their love expressed by absolute sarcastic remarks of each other- they rise to become phenomenal successes in their own fields-becoming Professors and teaching chairs of Oxford in English Literature- receiving knighthoods.
One day William and Phillipa have an argument on a crossword puzzle on the existence of the word 'Whymwham'. Phillipa dies of a heart attack after William leaves for College. When William finds this out- he shoots himself leaving a note saying -'Forgive me i had to let her know...'. He could not bear to live without her and rumour had it that they did not be apart for more than a few hours. This was Old Love.