A Year in Books/Day 172: Who the Hell is Pansy O’Hara?

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  • Title: Who the Hell is Pansy O’Hara? The Fascinating Stories Behind 50 of the World’s Best-Loved Books
  • Authors: Jenny Bond & Chris Sheedy
  • Year Published: 2008 (Penguin Books)
  • Year Purchased: 2008
  • Source: Unknown (I think it was a gift from my Mom)
  • About: Think of this volume as a book version of one of those biographical dictionaries of famous people and you’ll know what you are in for. The entries are short and informative, while shining a new light on the origins of some of the world’s most famous fiction. You’ll read it quickly and eagerly, but it will end far too soon. They should turn it into a series, if they haven’t already.
  • Motivation: Books have been a solid part of my identity since I was a toddler. I love them. The end.
  • Times Read: 1
  • Random Excerpt/Page 35: “It’s entirely possible Thackeray conceived the idea of Vanity Fair as a novel but because of financial and time constraints decided instead to sell it to Punch as a series of articles. The flamboyant, carefree style in which it is written and the occasional error in continuity would suggest the story was not planned in its entirety but instead written on the run, a few steps ahead of each monthly deadline. Nevertheless, the story was published in serial form over twenty monthly parts, beginning in 1847. It was Thackeray’s first work published under his own name and the author himself produced the illustrations.”
  • Happiness Scale: 10
    The novelist William Makepeace Thackeray, who ...

    The novelist William Makepeace Thackeray, who lived at 36 Onslow Square from 1853 to 1860. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

     

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