Stevie Smith, The Holiday

William May (University of Southern California)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Kerry Myler (Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1949

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Stevie Smith’s third and final novel The Holiday (1949) remained her favourite until her death. Originally written in the early 40s, but revised to take place in the “post-war” era when publishing difficulties delayed the book, it moves away from the stream-of-consciousness style of her first two novels to a more distanced first-person narration. Her heroine has changed, too. The irreverent voice of Pompey Casmilus is replaced with Celia Phoze, who works for the Ministry as a code-breaker in London. However, the book is haunted by both the fictional memory of the earlier books and Smith’s own biographical situation. Like Pompey and Smith herself, Celia lives in a quiet London suburb with her beloved Aunt. Much of the …

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1066 words

Citation: May, William. "The Holiday". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 September 2006 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=9926, accessed 25 November 2024.]

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