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A novelist among the anthropologists: Barbara Pym and the International African Institute

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2025

Paul Richards
Paul Richards*
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Abstract

The acclaimed novelist Barbara Pym worked for the International African Institute from 1948 to 1974 contributing her editing and administrative skills to the Institute’s journal, Africa, and output of scholarly publications on Africa. This article explores that contribution, her working relationships with Cyril Daryll Forde and other anthropologists, and how all this is reflected and referenced in her novels, especially in points of contact between Forde’s ethnography and Pym’s Quartet in Autumn.

Résumé

Résumé

Barbara Pym, romancière au talent reconnu, a travaillé pour l’Institut africain international de 1948 à 1974, apportant ses compétences éditoriales et administratives à la revue de l’Institut, Africa, et à la production de publications savantes sur l’Afrique. Cet article explore cette contribution, ses relations de travail avec Cyril Daryll Forde et d’autres anthropologues, et la manière dont cela se reflète dans ses romans et y fait référence, en particulier dans les points de contact entre l’ethnographie de Forde et le roman « Quartet in Autumn » de Pym.

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Article
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Africa Bibliography, Research and Documentation , First View , pp. 1 - 11
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International African Institute

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References

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