Oh To Be In England

The arrival of a French guest heralds christenings and chaos for the Larkin clan in this comic classic by the author of The Darling Buds of May. When Mademoiselle Dupont, the hotel manager from the Larkins’ frightful French holiday, announces she is coming over to be Oscar’s godmother at his christening, Pop and Ma reveal none of their children are baptized. Mariette and Charley are already planning to christen their little Blenheim, but now all seven Larkin children will be joining him. Not that Pop and Ma would turn down a reason to partake of some champagne or Dragon’s Blood . . . But their plan is far from blessed. The second eldest Larkin, Primrose, is infatuated with the handsome young vicar, who already has his hands full dealing with the hell-raising Larkin twins. Of course, that is only the beginning of the Larkins’ troubles, and it will take more than holy water to get them out of this mess. Praise for the Pop Larkin Chronicles “Pop Larkin, Ma and their progeny . . . are essentially English of the rich and ribald England of Chaucer and Shakespeare. A superb and timeless comedy.” —The Scotsman “Like Wodehouse’s Jeeves, Bates’ Larkins must continue in their own delightful milieu—in this case the Kentish countryside.” —The New York Times

"If I was French, it would be simple; I'd commit crime passionel in a riot of garlic and vin ordinaire. And if I was German, I'd invoke the phantom of the Fuhrer and get hacking. In America, the husband generally shoots the family first, then takes a dozen high-powered rifles up some bell tower and blasts away at the town. But I knew the English way was the only way, God help me. You make a bloody great speech - and then you have a stiff drink.” Like Pinner's contemporaneous 1973 Stalin play The Teddy Bears' Picnic, Oh, To Be In England was unproduceable at the time of its writing because of its unapologetic skewering of political extremism in the UK. Unlike The Teddy Bears' Picnic, which finally ran in 1990 to press acclaim, Oh, To Be In England has remained lost. After thirty-five years, it is now receiving its world premiere. Frighteningly prescient, and tragically current, Oh, To Be In England is a dark comedic examination what it means to live in an ex-empire in economic free-fall, and the political and personal extremism that results when all other belief is lost. A middle-aged Englishman, bred to believe in his innate superiority as a birthright of class, race, and gender, loses his job in the City. Left floundering impotently in a world that is no longer cricket, his family, security, and sanity follow close behind.

"Home-Thoughts from Abroad" is a poem by English poet Robert Browning (1812-1889). Gale Group, Inc., a division of the Thomson Corporation, presents the full text of this poem as part of Poet's Corner, a resource featuring biographies of poets, poems, commentaries, poetry activities, and more. A biographical sketch of Browning is available.

A letter arrives from Madame Dupont, the Larkins' landlady during their disastrous French holiday. Within it is the reminder that they had asked her to be godmother to little Oscar, and the news that she is coming over to England for the christening. Pop and Ma, who need no excuse to crack open bottles and host the 'perfick party', are more than happy to celebrate the occasion in style. But when the parson discovers that none of the Larkin brood has ever been baptised, it seems the whole lot of them are in line for a splash of holy water...

*MATT HAIG’S NEW NOVEL THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW * FROM THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR Meet the Hunter family: Adam, Kate, and their children Hal and Charlotte. And Prince, their Labrador. Prince is an earnest young dog, striving hard to live up to the tenets of the Labrador Pact (Remain Loyal to Your Human Masters, Serve and Protect Your Family at Any Cost). Other dogs, led by the Springer Spaniels, have revolted. As things in the Hunter family begin to go badly awry – marital breakdown, rowdy teenage parties, attempted suicide – Prince’s responsibilities threaten to overwhelm him and he is forced to break the Labrador Pact and take desperate action to save his Family.