Lost in the Stacks: The Square Circle

I'm cheating a little this week.  Denis Mackail is not a totally unknown author to me.  As a matter of fact I count Greenery Street, which he published in 1925, as one of my very favorite comfort reads.  It was reissued by Persephone Books and chronicles the first year of something you don't often come across in literature--a happy marriage.  It's a very gentle read and delightful story, which I wrote about here.  Although I read it a few years ago I still have fond memories of it and recall Felicity's bad luck in getting the books she wanted from her lending library.

Although Mackail wrote more than thirty books, publishing one every year between 1920 and 1938, my library only owns one novel by him as well as a biography of J.M. Barrie.  Apparently the Barrie biography was written as he was recuperating from a nervous breakdown.  The Square Circle comes somewhere in the middle of his oeuvre.

"Tiverton Square: we first meet it in August, when it is largely deserted of its regular complement of inhabitants, giving us a chance to admire its architecture and history. Through the remainder of a ten month period however it teems with Londoners and we follow the lives of the young and the old, the upstairs and the downstairs of its most conspicuous residents. Not everyone has a happy time of it, but this is real life after all."

It sounds as though it was written in a similar vein as Greenery Street, which is not at all a bad thing in my book.   The story begins:

"To begin with, and whether we are considering the central patch of sooty green or the respectable houses which surround it, Tiverton Square is most certainly anything but an equilateral rectangle.  However, we are used to that here in London, where squares can be almost any shape, including circular and oval, that their original designers may have thought pleasant or convenient, and even three-sided and two-sided squares are by no means unknown.  The main requirement, undoubtedly, though even this is sometimes absent, is that central patch with its grass, trees, and shrubberies, with its iron railings and locked gates; and in this respect--albeit Tiverton Square is rounded at all four corners and, apart from this irregularity, forms an elongated parallelogram--we and the residents have nothing to complain of."

After I read Greenery Street I went in search of more books by the author and at the time felt like I was  on a book rescue mission, so I seem to have come full circle and am back at it in earnest (had only I started then instead of just contemplating it and moving on to some other reading project).  As there is not a single book by Denis MacKail on Project Gutenberg (his works are still copyrighted), borrowing a library book or looking on the second hand market is the only way to get your hands on one.  I believe he wrote a book of short stories set in Greenery Street, which I wouldn't mind reading some time. 

If you've not read Denis Mackail but have an interest in literature written between the two world wars do look for his books.  A really excellent resource to learn more about him and his work is the Denis Mackail website.   

Comments

[Caroline]

I liked the sound of Greenery Street so much when I read something about it that I ordered it a while ago. I'm glad I did, it still sounds lovely.

[Danielle]

Caroline--It's a fluffy sort of read--something good to save for a rainy day, but I very much enjoyed it. It's one I will hold on to and pick up again sometime.

[litlove]

I should read Greenery Street again. I enjoyed it the first time, but it fell right after The Night Watch and suffered by comparison - too big a shift in mood, if you see what I mean. But it is certainly a book I could read again, particularly on a day when the weather or my mood was bad!

[Kathy]

I've never heard of Greenery Street or Mackail--I'll go look for him in my library because I'm always on the alert for comfort reads.

[Danielle]

Litlove--I love Sarah Waters and I think most books would pale in comparison if you read them close together! They are very different books--Greenery St is the sort you read when you're feeling under the weather or just want a nice gentle read. Maybe it will fare better some other time you pick it up!
Kathy--Denis Mackail was Angela Thirkell's brother. She wrote the Barsetshire books if you're familiar with them. I really enjoyed this--one to keep on hand when you need something that is not overly demanding!

[Stefanie]

Greenery Street sounds charming and The Square Circle sounds like fun too. And I like the cover.

[Danielle]

Stefanie--Greenery Street is a serious comfort read and I expect The Square Circle to be more of the same. Always good to have books like this handy!

[Katrina]

The only Denis Mackail book which I've read is the J.M. Barrie biography. Barrie was Angela Thirkell's godfather, what an advantage for a girl! I must get around to Denis though.

[Danielle]

Katrina--I didn't realize JM Barrie was Thirkill's godfather--no wonder Makail wrote his bio--he must have been a good friend of the family. Maybe that influenced her to write? I think Denis wrote just as many books as Angela--quite a literary family!