Seven 'Saki' Shorts | H. H. Munro | A Bitesized Audio Compilation

Seven classic tales by the Edwardian master of the macabre, Saki. See below for details and timestamps. As Saki's stories are typically very short, I've put together this compilation featuring three stories already available on the channel to listen to individually, plus four new recordings.

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:21 The Phantom Luncheon
00:12:02 The Seventh Pullet
00:27:58 The Recessional
00:38:22 Mrs. Packletide's Tiger
00:47:57 The Schartz-Metterklume Method
01:00:36 The Disappearance of Crispina Umberleigh
01:13:04 The Easter Egg
01:24:00 Credits and thanks
(Story teasers and more details below)

If you enjoy Saki, my earlier compilation featuring seven of his best-known stories, including 'The Open Window' and 'Tobermory', can be heard here:    • A Selection from 'Saki' | H. H. Munro...  

Narrated/performed by Simon Stanhope. If you enjoy this content and would like to help me keep creating, there are a few ways you can support me (and get access to exclusive content):

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Saki was the pen name of Hector Hugh Munro, one of the greatest masters of the short story form in English. He was born in 1870 in Burma, then part of British India, where his father was an Inspector General for the Imperial Police, but his life was affected by tragedy when he was just two years old: his mother Mary Munro was charged by a cow while visiting family back in England, and she died as a result of her injuries. Hector and his siblings were sent home to England, to live in Devon with his paternal grandmother and two maiden aunts. The aunts (Augusta and Charlotte) were apparently strict and austere and provided much material for future character studies in Saki's stories. Hector eventually "escaped" to boarding school.

In his early 20s he followed his father's footsteps and enrolled in the Indian Imperial Police, but was invalided home with fever after little over a year. Turning to writing to make his living, Munro began working as a journalist in the late 1890s. He wrote countless pieces for magazine and newspaper publication, and took up the pen name Saki around 1900. His always witty – and sometimes macabre – stories established his reputation as one of the greatest satirists of the Edwardian era.

Despite being officially over-age for military service, turning 44 at the end of 1914, he enlisted in World War I, turning down the offer of a commission and serving as an ordinary trooper in the 2nd King Edward’s Horse regiment. Tragically, he was killed by a sniper while sheltering in a shell hole during the Battle of the Ancre in November 1916. His last words were reported to be “Put that bloody cigarette out”. His resting place is unknown.

The Phantom Luncheon | 00:01:21
They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. When Sir James Drakmanton MP asks his wife to entertain some of his political supporters, she decides to demonstrate the truth behind this cliché...

The Seventh Pullet | 00:12:02
Nothing of interest ever seems to happen to Blenkinthrope, the dull, grey sameness of his life depresses him and bores his friends and acquaintances. So his friend Gorworth suggests a solution: invent something! And the tale of the seventh pullet seems to do the trick.

The Recessional | 00:27:58
Clovis decides to become a published poet in order to prove a point to Loona Bimberton, who has asserted that poetry is strictly the province of "the gifted few".

Mrs. Packletide's Tiger | 00:38:22
Mrs. Packletide travels to India for an arranged and undemanding tiger hunt, to improve her social standing at home. Unfortunately, she encounters some unanticipated incidental expenses.

The Schartz-Metterklume Method | 00:47:57
Stranded without her luggage at an unfamiliar train station, Lady Carlotta takes advantage of a misunderstanding to have some fun at the expense of the rather overbearing Mrs. Quabarl.

The Disappearance of Crispina Umberleigh | 01:00:36
Two English travellers on a train crossing central Europe fall into conversation about strange disappearances. One of them relates the remarkable story of his aunt, Crispina Umberleigh, who vanished mysteriously some years earlier. The true story behind it has been hushed up, until now.

The Easter Egg | 01:13:04
Lester Slaggby is indisputably a coward, much to the regret of his mother Lady Barbara, who takes pride in her "good fighting stock". But when events at an Easter parade take an unexpectedly sinister turn, Lester surprises himself by rising to the occasion.

Recordings © Bitesized Audio 2023