V. S. Pritchett
Sir Victor Sawdon Pritchett CH CBE FRSL (also known as VSP; 16 December 1900 – 20 March 1997) was a British writer and literary critic.
V. S. Pritchett
20 March 1997 (aged 96)
London, England
- Writer
- literary critic
1928–1997
Matt Pritchett (grandson)
Georgia Pritchett (granddaughter)
Pritchett was known particularly for his short stories, collated in a number of volumes. Among his most noteworthy works of short fiction are “The Sailor,” “The Saint,” and “The Camberwell Beauty.”[1][2]
His non-fiction works include the memoirs A Cab at the Door (1968) and Midnight Oil (1971), and many collections of essays on literary biography and criticism.[3]
Legacy[edit]
The V. S. Pritchett Memorial Prize was founded by the Royal Society of Literature at the beginning of the new millennium to commemorate the centenary of the birth of "an author widely regarded as the finest English short-story writer of the 20th century, and to preserve a tradition encompassing Pritchett's mastery of narrative".[10] This prize is awarded annually, with up to £2,000 being given for the best unpublished short story of the year.[10]
Perhaps his most prominent literary successor is the contemporary American writer Darin Strauss, who has written widely about Pritchett,[11] and who worked to get Pritchett's 1951 novel Mr Beluncle back into print in America, providing a new introduction.[12]