| Saki | ||||||||||
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Saki
was the pen-name of Hector Hugh Munro (1870-1916). A mysterious figure
who was regarded as a master by Coward and Waugh, he is famous for his
short stories which expose the thinness of the social veneer of his
time. The facade which cloaks the savagery of nature is fragile, and
this is illustrated starkly in the story "Sredni Vashtar", the story of
a sickly boy and the fate of his oppressive aunt. "The Music on the
Hill" is another example of Saki's personification of natural force
being contrasted with the frail edifice of man's aspiring
convention. The panel shows the delicate order of humanity being
considered by the primal being. All hypocrisy is destroyed. The two small figures represent the author's death in the trenches during the First World War. His last words were, "Put that bloody cigarette out!" Pan (a similar figure to the Ettrick Shepherd) must have smiled... |
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