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Reposted by Ivy Compton-Burnett

Old UK TV Listings Magazines @olduktvlistings.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

18/09/1953 issue of Radio Times: Editorial featuring Men and Women; A Family and A Fortune; Any Questions?; Birds in Britain; Gilbert Harding; Christopher Sykes; Freddy Grisewood; Frank Gillard; Michael Bowen and more READ: genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/page/e0248b9586…

This page includes articles about "The Art of Ivy Compton-Burnett" by Christopher Sykes, featuring the show "Men and Women", an adaptation by Peter Mellas. There are advertisements for Old England shirts and for gas cookers, and for "My Amazing Life" by Gilbert Harding, serialized in JOHN BULL. "Any Questions?" is mentioned with the presenters Freddy Grisewood and Frank Gillard, and "Birds in Britain" is also featured.

Editorial featuring:

A Family and A Fortune
Any Questions?
Birds in Britain
Bruce Campbell
Christopher Sykes
Frank Gillard
Freddy Grisewood
George Yeates
Gilbert Harding
Ivy Compton-Burnett
James Fisher
Men and Women
Michael Bowen
Peter Conder
Peter Mellas
Peter Scott

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

“Yes, Plautus, it is a privilege to put a cushion for you, is it?” said Hester. “And to see you settle on it, as if no thanks were needed?” “A cat is at once more and less than a human being,” said Emma. “Now why did he ask for a cushion, if he did not want it? What was in his mind?”

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

“It is an impressive thing, a cat’s complete self-absorption,” said Emma, dreamily. “There is nothing human that compares to it.” “I hope not,” said Miss Burke. “We should not like it in each other.” “No, it would lack a cat’s aloofness and distance.”

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

“How did Plautus get back into the room?” said Miss Burke. “The door is ajar. Did you think he could open it?” “No,” said Miss Burke, who knew he could not. “But it is only ajar about an inch.” “That is enough for Plautus. He can make himself into air. I believe he could get underneath it.”

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

“Get away from me, cat, and keep away. I cannot bear the touch of you. And don’t expect me to open the door. Get underneath it.” “Oh, don’t say more than you mean, dear,” said Emma. “And don’t call Plautus ‘cat’.”

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Gareth @chibiabos83.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Friends fear he's reading Ivy Compton-Burnett again

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Simon Thomas @stuckinabook.bsky.social · 20/03/2024

I loved the madness of James Schuyler's What's For Dinner? Like Ivy Compton-Burnett characters leapt forward a century and started drinking the cooking sherry.

stuckinabook.com

What’s For Dinner? by James Schuyler

I wrote on Instagram that What’s For Dinner? (1978) was ‘like Ivy Compton-Burnett’s characters leapt forward a century and took to drinking cooking sherry’ and I’m hal…

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

“He is asking to be let out,” said Hester. Plautus was doing this, and he meant what he said. “He ought to learn to open the door himself,” said Miss Burke, as she returned from doing so for him. “He would do it, if his will could help him,” said Hester.

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

“Oh, Plautus expects to be attended on.” “Then he should have an attendant,” said Miss Burke, as if this were not at present the case.

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

“So she forgets your wisdom and wit, Plautus." "I do not see how a cat can have wit,” said Miss Burke. “Oh, he has made several bright remarks to me this morning. He came into my room in quite a facetious spirit. I could hardly keep up with him.”

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Harry Stephen Keeler @harryskeeler.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

[P. S. Here's the original cover painting by the great Robert McGinniss (1926 – 2025).]

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Plautus turned his attention to a feather that stirred on the floor. “He is a beautiful cat,” said Miss Burke. “So you do not care for cats, dear,” said Miss Greatheart, turning to her in swift understanding. “I like to look at them,” said Miss Burke, uncertain what her words might imply.

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

“Oh, Plautus, what does she say?” said Miss Wolsey. “I said I liked to look at him,” said Miss Burke, not meeting her eyes. “Well, how could you not? Surely that goes without saying." Miss Burke was silent, as silence could serve to this extent.

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

“I am not an ogress.” “Well, you are rather. That is why I feel it my duty to come between the two of you.”

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

“Anyone would think I was an ogress, and the companion a martyr.” “I think that might be a possible view of the position, Mother.”

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Jean Rhys @msjeanrhys.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

If I was bound for hell, let it be hell. No more false heavens. No more damned magic. You hate me and I hate you. We’ll see who hates best.

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

"It is true that tragedy arouses pity and terror," said Nance. "In me terror is getting the upper hand."

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

“So it is true that comedy and tragedy are mingled,” said Adrian. “Really it is all tragedy,” said his sister. “Comedy is a wicked way of looking at it, when it is not our own.” “Is that why people cannot laugh at themselves?” said Julius.

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

“Rosebud should have been a woman,” said Francis, “he takes so much interest in them. Or perhaps it is the last thing he should have been.”

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

“What is your age?” “I beg your pardon, Mrs. Hume?” “How old are you? How many years have you lived?” “I am over thirty, Mrs. Hume.” “Yes, so I see. So am I. By how much are you over it?” “I did not expect to be asked my age.” “I am under no obligation to consider that.”

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reni 🦌 @reniadeb.com · 25/11/2024

in england, they don't say i'll kick your ass, they say i'll see you on the

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

“Well, it seems I must do what I can.” “You will succeed. People do, when they are thinking of themselves. That is why everyone is so successful. I have heard of failures, but I cannot think of any. I see that thinking of other people might lead to them.”

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

[So anti-fascist activist Natalia Ginzburg, BOTD in 1916, approached family relationships, in her novels, under the influence of Ivy! And, she played Mary of Bethany in Pasolini's IL VANGELO SECONDO MATTEO (1964)!]

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Yes, harm is done. I am wiser, and that comes from harm. We don’t hear it comes from happiness. "Sadder and wiser" is what we say.

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Michael Van Vleet (he/him) @signalstation.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Started into my first Ivy Compton-Burnett this week, mostly on the strength of having enjoyed a number of short excerpts from this quoted account, and feeling that I should like a great deal more of it, but all in a row, and with a binding.

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fabriceds.bsky.social @fabriceds.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

”’It has happened at last Nance,’ said Cassie. ’We had no hope, and really did not want it. And Mother knew, and had a heart of hatred at the end.’ ’I am glad she died as she lived.’” A House and Its Head, Ivy Compton-Burnett.

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Grant McGaheran @grantmcgaheran.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

"Why do you sit reading by yourself, Tamasin, instead of playing with the others?" said Horace. "People have to read by themselves," said a girl of ten, keeping her hands on her open book. "And people do nothing by themselves too. We are waiting for time to pass."

Manservant and Maidservant
Ivy Compton-Burnett
NYRB Classics
Rachel Whiteread, detail from Untitled (floor)

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Radz Pandit @radzpandit.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

This came through the post today, a book I have wanted for a while. Robert Liddell's ELIZABETH AND IVY, on the friendship between Elizabeth Taylor and Ivy Compton-Burnett. #bookmail

ELIZABETH AND IVY by Robert Liddell. Published by Peter Owen.

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RV @sediziosevoci.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Ten best novels The Countess Zoubaroff - Ronald Firbank More Women Than Men - Ivy Compton Burnett The Flower Beneath the Foot - Ronald Firbank Caprice - Ronald Firbank Folie d'Opium - Jane de la Vaudère

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JacquiWine @jacquiwine.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

For Ivy Compton-Burnett, #BornOnThisDay in 1884, my thoughts on A HOUSE AND ITS HEAD. A savage, transgressive novel exposing the fault lines & depravity in a dysfunctional upper-middle-class family in the late 19th century. Quite an experience! #BookSky 💙📚 jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/08/21/a...

jacquiwine.wordpress.com

A House and Its Head by Ivy Compton-Burnett

Ivy Compton-Burnett is widely considered to be one of the most original British modernist writers of the early 20th century. She published twenty novels in her lifetime, of which A House and Its He…

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Jude @gaffelet.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Ivy Compton-Burnett. Manservant and Maidservant. a revisit. great book. one wonders if the psychological sharpness of her observation of English gentry in decline didn't contribute to Losey's Victim or Ishiguro's Remains of the Day

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Nico Levin @nicolevin.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Gelesen und beschrieben Ivy Compton-Burnett: "A House and its Head" Gnadenlos irritierendes Dialoggewitter 2/5 www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Buchcover Ivy Compton-Burnett A House and its Head

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countanton.bsky.social @countanton.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Absolutely — I’ve always thought that’s the joke (and makes Austen a mentor to Ivy Compton-Burnett).

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Engelsberg Ideas @engelsbergideas.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

The unique novels of Ivy Compton-Burnett have slipped out of the canon, but this true one-off deserves a place alongside contemporaries such as Evelyn Waugh. Ivy Compton-Burnett’s forgotten genius | Nigel Andrew engelsbergideas.com/notebook/ivy...

engelsbergideas.com

Ivy Compton-Burnett's forgotten genius

Ivy Compton-Burnett's unique novels have slipped out of the canon, but this true one-off deserves a place alongside contemporaries such as Evelyn Waugh.

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graywyvern @graywyvern.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

" 'Shall we ever be able to face it?' said Robin. 'No, we shall not. That will be our solution,' said Andrew." —Ivy Compton-Burnett, 𝐵𝑟𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠

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Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

the new immigration and asylum bill won't work; campaigning for a United Ireland; why the Lib Dems' Defence Bonds are a bad idea; does anyone in English cricket know what they are doing?; Charles Dickens visits the White House; the forgotten genius of Ivy Compton-Burnett

liberalengland.blogspot.com

The Joy of Six 1543

"In many cases, lack of coordination and administrative errors in the Home Office cause failed removals. Complications around booking flight...

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Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · 06/07/2026

Ivy Compton-Burnett’s forgotten genius by Nigel Andrew engelsbergideas.com/notebook/ivy... About Ivy Compton-Burnett: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Com... #books #literature #literaryCriticism

Ivy Compton-Burnett.

A black-and-white portrait photograph of a young woman with short, straight hair cut in a blunt fringe, wearing drop earrings and a dark top.

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John Wynberg @johnwynberg.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Horace advanced into the room as though his attention were withdrawn from his surroundings. “Good morning,” he said in a preoccupied tone, that changed as his eyes resumed their direction. “It does seem that the fire is smoking.” Ivy Compton-Burnett, Manservant and Maidservant, 1947.

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Kathleen Weldon @kathleenweldon.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

But not living women? Iris Murdoch, Dawn Powell, Rebecca West, Muriel Spark, Barbara Pym, Barbara Comyns, Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Bowen, Anita Brookner, Ivy Compton-Burnett, Penelope Fitzgerald, and that's off the top of my head and not touching genre

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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 25/04/2024

Yes, he is good. He is so good one wonders why he isn't better. [Ivy on Anthony Trollope, BOTD in 1815.]

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Eamonn Sweeney @sweeneyagonistes.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

ICB is really worth a read. An acquired taste but the greatest of black comedies if you get on her wavelength. A bit like Jeeves and Wooster written by Kafka. Manservant and Maidservant is a good place to start.

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Gareth @chibiabos83.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

I love this in Ivy Compton-Burnett's MANSERVANT AND MAIDSERVANT. The 'HMM' at the bottom is the printer's way of identifying that this is gathering H of M[anservant] and M[aidservant] (pages earlier on are labelled e.g. GMM and FMM), but it looks like a sardonic commentary on the action.

The truth in these words was heard, and Mortimer went on the quest. The five little figures stood at the bed, and the five pale faces looked at the suffering face, showing their wonder that it was still the face they knew.
"You are all there?" said Horace, looking past them as if he could not focus his sight.
HMM
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Ivy Compton-Burnett @ivycomptonburnett.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

“It is not as plain as you all think,” said Lavinia. “Why, have you personal knowledge or experience?” said Ninian. “You should not ask dreadful questions,” said Hugo. “You deserve to have a dreadful answer.”

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