“A Favorite of the Gods” By Sybille Bedford
Sybille Bedford wrote two novels that are considered twentieth century classics, “A Legacy: A Novel”, written in 1959, and “Jigsaw: An Unsentimental Education”, written in 1989. I read these novels several years ago and was duly impressed. She is one of those writers who puts herself in every sentence, can’t write a dull sentence. She passed away in 2006. After reading these two novels which are pretty much universally acclaimed, I wanted to read more Sybille Bedford, so I read “A Compass Error”, which I had heard nothing about. That novel, for me, was just as good as her two classics. By this time, Sybille Bedford had gone to nearly the top of my list of novelists, and I had a desire to read more of her work. So I had a chance to read “A Favorite of the Gods”, a novel written in 1963.
This novel was a disappointment to me. I suppose every writer has at least one book that isn’t up to their usual standard. I was used to being charmed by her words, but for some reason, her assumptions here grated on me. In all of her novels, people travel from country to country in Europe from mansion to villa to castle, along with their large coterie of servants. Even though my circumstances have been pretty much the opposite of these, having always to concern myself with earning a living, Bedford’s charm was more than enough to bridge our differences. But here the story wasn’t strong enough, so all these servants and villas grated on me.
Should you read Sybille Bedford? Absolutely! Any of the first three novels mentioned above are marvelous, three of the best novels the late twentieth century has to offer. Save “A Favorite of the Gods” until you’ve read the rest of her work. She is also quite famous for her travel writing.