Barbara Comyns

Short Biography

BARBARA COMYNS (1907-1992)(pseudonym of Barbara Comyns Carr, née Bayley, first married name Pemberton)Black humor, tragedy, and childish innocence characterize Comyns' odd little novels. Although Our Spoons Came from Woolworth's (1950) and The Vet's Daughter (1959)—which tone down the more fantastic, surreal, and humorous elements of other works while retaining their darkness—are reputedly her "best, " for me they can't hold a candle to Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead (1955), with its descriptions of a horrific flood in an English village and the outbreak of suicidal madness that follows, all related in a deadpan, hilariously morbid, and yet strangely life-affirming tone. Other works, such as Sisters by a River (1947) and The Skin Chairs (1962), also explore the humorous and horrific from the even, nonjudgmental perspective of children. Her later novels include Birds in Tiny Cages (1964), The Juniper Tree (1985), and The House of Dolls (1989). Comyns may not be for all tastes, but she is decidedly unique. If you like a little edge to your humor and don't mind a few floating animal corpses strewn about, then definitely give her a try.