Absent in the Spring
Encyclopedia
Absent in the Spring is a novel
written by Agatha Christie
and first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons in August 1944
and in the US by Farrar & Rinehart
later in the same year. It was the third of six novels Christie wrote under the nom-de-plume Mary Westmacott.
98
: "From you have I been absent in the spring,..."
s review of August 19, 1944 by Marjorie Grant Cook stated positively, "The writer has succeeded in making this novel told in retrospect, with its many technical difficulties, very readable indeed. She has not made Joan, with her shallow, scrappy mind, sympathetic, and the other characters in the tale, seen through her eyes, lack the charm they had for each other and withheld from her."
J. D. Beresford
's review in The Guardian
of August 25, 1944 concluded, "It is a very clever and consistently interesting study of a character that not even a desert vision could permanently change."
The novel was first serialised in the US in Good Housekeeping
in two abridged instalments from July to August 1944.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
and first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons in August 1944
1944 in literature
The year 1944 in literature involved some significant new books.-New books:*Samuel Hopkins Adams – Canal Town*Jorge Amado – Terras do Sem Fim *Saul Bellow – Dangling Man*Jorge Luis Borges – Fictions...
and in the US by Farrar & Rinehart
Farrar & Rinehart
Farrar & Rinehart was a United States book publishing company founded in New York. Farrar & Rinehart enjoyed success with both nonfiction and novels, notably, the landmark Rivers of America Series and the first ten books in the Nero Wolfe corpus of Rex Stout...
later in the same year. It was the third of six novels Christie wrote under the nom-de-plume Mary Westmacott.
Explanation of the novel's title
The title is a quotation from Shakespeare's sonnetShakespeare's sonnets
Shakespeare's sonnets are 154 poems in sonnet form written by William Shakespeare, dealing with themes such as the passage of time, love, beauty and mortality. All but two of the poems were first published in a 1609 quarto entitled SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS.: Never before imprinted. Sonnets 138 and 144...
98
Sonnet 98
Sonnet 98 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It's a member of the Fair Youth sequence, in which the persona expresses his love towards a young man...
: "From you have I been absent in the spring,..."
Plot introduction
Stranded between trains, Joan Scudamore finds herself reflecting upon her life, her family, and finally coming to grips with the uncomfortable truths about her life.Literary significance and reception
The Times Literary SupplementThe Times Literary Supplement
The Times Literary Supplement is a weekly literary review published in London by News International, a subsidiary of News Corporation.-History:...
s review of August 19, 1944 by Marjorie Grant Cook stated positively, "The writer has succeeded in making this novel told in retrospect, with its many technical difficulties, very readable indeed. She has not made Joan, with her shallow, scrappy mind, sympathetic, and the other characters in the tale, seen through her eyes, lack the charm they had for each other and withheld from her."
J. D. Beresford
J. D. Beresford
John Davys Beresford was an English writer, now remembered for his early science fiction and some short stories in the horror story and ghost story genres. His Hampdenshire Wonder was a major influence on Olaf Stapledon. His other science-fiction novels includeThe Riddle of the Tower, about a...
's review in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
of August 25, 1944 concluded, "It is a very clever and consistently interesting study of a character that not even a desert vision could permanently change."
Publication history
- 1944, William Collins & Sons (London), August 1944, Hardcover, 160 pp
- 1944, Farrar & Rinehart (New York), 1944, Hardcover, 250 pp
- 1967, Dell Books, Paperback, 192 pp
- 1971, Arbor HouseArbor HouseArbor House was an independent publishing house founded by Donald Fine in 1969. Specialising in hard cover publications, Arbor House published works by Hortense Calisher, Ken Follett, Cynthia Freeman, Elmore Leonard and Irwin Shaw before being acquired by the Hearst Corporation in 1979 to move into...
, Hardback, 250 pp - 1974, Fontana Books (Imprint of HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
), Paperback, 192 pp - 1978, Ulverscroft Large-print Edition, Hardcover, 300 pp ISBN 0-7089-0115-8
The novel was first serialised in the US in Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...
in two abridged instalments from July to August 1944.
External links
- Absent in the Spring at the official Agatha Christie website