Unfinished Portrait (novel)
Encyclopedia
Unfinished Portrait is a semi-autobiographical
novel
written by Agatha Christie
and first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons in March 1934
and in the US by Doubleday later in the same year. The British edition retailed for seven shillings and sixpence
(7/6) and the US edition at $2.00. It is the second of six novels Christie wrote under the pen name
Mary Westmacott.
, bereft of the only people in her life she cares for, Celia considers taking her life
. But, while on an exotic island
, Celia meets a successful portrait
paint
er Larraby, who spends a night talking with her, and learning her deepest fears, leaving Celia with the hope that he may be the one to help her come to terms with her past.
review of April 12, 1934 outlined the plot and stated that, "The artist who re-tells Celia's story ends several sentences in every paragraph with dots, a mannerism that irritates; but we must forgive him, since, in the final chapter, he heals Celia's soul in one unpredictable instant."
The New York Times Book Review
of December 9, 1934 said of the plot construction of Celia telling Larraby her life history that, "This literary device seems artificial and unnecessary at first, but is effectively used in the ending." They concluded, "As a study of a shy, emotional nature, verging on the pathological, Unfinished Portrait is moderately well done. It is worth reading for its sympathetic – and sometimes very amusing – account of Celia's childhood. And in Celia's Grannie it introduces a grand old lady – an indomitable Victorian with a keen love of life, a fine hand for managing 'the men', and a gruesome interest in the final takings-off of the many friends and relatives whom she survived."
The first editions in both the UK and US used the same dustjacket illustration by Hookway Cowles. The only other occurrences of this happening for Christie's publications were for The Mysterious Affair at Styles
(1920) and Star Over Bethlehem and other stories
(1965).
, this book carried no dedication.
on the inside flap of the dustjacket of the first edition reads:
"In a Spanish garden overlooking the sea an artist comes upon a solitary woman. He goes away, not wishing to disturb her solitude, but is suddenly impelled to rush back, realising that she means to commit suicide. To save her he takes her back to her hotel and spends the night in her room while she tells him the story of her life. It begins with her childhood, Celia – the name by which the artist calls her, not knowing her real one – was a reserved, highly imaginative, shy and inarticulate child. Occasionally she has a strange dream in which she sees a malevolent-eyed man, a figure which haunts her throughout her life. He is psychologically her symbol for fear. At fifteen she goes to Paris to study music. She becomes a very fine pianist and a good singer, but her temperament handicaps her and prevents her doing herself justice in public. Her mother takes her to Egypt for a winter season, where her beauty and good dancing make her a success with men in spite of her shyness. Celia attracts many admirers, including Major De Burgh, a sensualist who writes her wonderful love letters but is less pleasing in the flesh; Jim Grant, an intensely practical youth, to whom Celia becomes engaged, but who frankly bores her; and Peter Maitland, easy-going, lovable and tenderly devoted. She promises to marry Peter, but while he is in India with his regiment she meets Dermot, who sweeps her off her feet with his egotistical devotion and insists on their being married almost at once. For several years they are happy, but finally she divorces him. For years she travels, a woman whom many men have loved, but never yet has found love. A prey to her own fears, to her refusal to face up to realities, she comes at last to the place where the artist had found her. In a very moving scene she recognises in the artist the incarnation of her ideals and desires."
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
and first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons in March 1934
1934 in literature
The year 1934 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The first Flash Gordon comic strip is published.*Boris Pasternak and Korney Chukovsky are among those present at the first Congress of the Soviet Union of Writers....
and in the US by Doubleday later in the same year. The British edition retailed for seven shillings and sixpence
British sixpence coin
The sixpence, known colloquially as the tanner, or half-shilling, was a British pre-decimal coin, worth six pence, or 1/40th of a pound sterling....
(7/6) and the US edition at $2.00. It is the second of six novels Christie wrote under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Mary Westmacott.
Plot summary
In the midst of divorceDivorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, bereft of the only people in her life she cares for, Celia considers taking her life
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. But, while on an exotic island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
, Celia meets a successful portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
paint
Paint
Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. One may also consider the digital mimicry thereof...
er Larraby, who spends a night talking with her, and learning her deepest fears, leaving Celia with the hope that he may be the one to help her come to terms with her past.
Literary significance and reception
The Times Literary SupplementThe Times Literary Supplement
The Times Literary Supplement is a weekly literary review published in London by News International, a subsidiary of News Corporation.-History:...
review of April 12, 1934 outlined the plot and stated that, "The artist who re-tells Celia's story ends several sentences in every paragraph with dots, a mannerism that irritates; but we must forgive him, since, in the final chapter, he heals Celia's soul in one unpredictable instant."
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
of December 9, 1934 said of the plot construction of Celia telling Larraby her life history that, "This literary device seems artificial and unnecessary at first, but is effectively used in the ending." They concluded, "As a study of a shy, emotional nature, verging on the pathological, Unfinished Portrait is moderately well done. It is worth reading for its sympathetic – and sometimes very amusing – account of Celia's childhood. And in Celia's Grannie it introduces a grand old lady – an indomitable Victorian with a keen love of life, a fine hand for managing 'the men', and a gruesome interest in the final takings-off of the many friends and relatives whom she survived."
Publication history
- 1934, William Collins & Sons (London), March 1934, Hardcover, 320 pp
- 1934, Doubleday (New York), 1934, Hardcover, 323 pp
- 1964, Dell Books (New York), Paperback, 284 pp
- 1972, Arbor House (New York), Hardcover, 284 pp
- 1986, Fontana Books (Imprint of HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
), Paperback, ISBN 0-00-617373-X
The first editions in both the UK and US used the same dustjacket illustration by Hookway Cowles. The only other occurrences of this happening for Christie's publications were for The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a detective novel by Agatha Christie. It was written in 1916 and was first published by John Lane in the United States in October 1920 and in the United Kingdom by The Bodley Head on January 21, 1921. The U.S...
(1920) and Star Over Bethlehem and other stories
Star Over Bethlehem and other stories
Star Over Bethlehem and Other Stories is an illustrated book of poetry and short stories on a religious theme by crime writer Agatha Christie. It was published under the name "Agatha Christie Mallowan"...
(1965).
Book dedication
As with all the Westmacott books, except Giant's BreadGiant's Bread
Giant's Bread is a tragedy novel written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons in April 1930 and in the US by Doubleday later in the same year. The UK edition retailed for seven shillings and sixpence and the US edition at $1.00...
, this book carried no dedication.
Dustjacket blurb
The blurbBlurb
A blurb is a short summary or some words of praise accompanying a creative work, usually used on books without giving away any details, that is usually referring to the words on the back of the book jacket but also commonly seen on DVD and video cases, web portals, and news websites.- History :The...
on the inside flap of the dustjacket of the first edition reads:
"In a Spanish garden overlooking the sea an artist comes upon a solitary woman. He goes away, not wishing to disturb her solitude, but is suddenly impelled to rush back, realising that she means to commit suicide. To save her he takes her back to her hotel and spends the night in her room while she tells him the story of her life. It begins with her childhood, Celia – the name by which the artist calls her, not knowing her real one – was a reserved, highly imaginative, shy and inarticulate child. Occasionally she has a strange dream in which she sees a malevolent-eyed man, a figure which haunts her throughout her life. He is psychologically her symbol for fear. At fifteen she goes to Paris to study music. She becomes a very fine pianist and a good singer, but her temperament handicaps her and prevents her doing herself justice in public. Her mother takes her to Egypt for a winter season, where her beauty and good dancing make her a success with men in spite of her shyness. Celia attracts many admirers, including Major De Burgh, a sensualist who writes her wonderful love letters but is less pleasing in the flesh; Jim Grant, an intensely practical youth, to whom Celia becomes engaged, but who frankly bores her; and Peter Maitland, easy-going, lovable and tenderly devoted. She promises to marry Peter, but while he is in India with his regiment she meets Dermot, who sweeps her off her feet with his egotistical devotion and insists on their being married almost at once. For several years they are happy, but finally she divorces him. For years she travels, a woman whom many men have loved, but never yet has found love. A prey to her own fears, to her refusal to face up to realities, she comes at last to the place where the artist had found her. In a very moving scene she recognises in the artist the incarnation of her ideals and desires."
External links
- Unfinished Portrait at the official Agatha Christie website