Review of Quartet

Quite outstanding and very British in concept and execution,"Quartet" consists of four short stories by William Somerset Maugham,the poet of the English Middle classes.He peers deeply into the lace curtain stratum of our society with its triumphs and tragedies,small and large, and deals sympathetically with its denizens,a writer with a compassion for human weakness and vanity. Because,above all else,his characters are recognisably human.They may be petit-bourgois like Mr George Cole or somewhat higher up the social scale like Mr Cecil Parker or highly sensitive like Mr Dirk Bogarde,but they live their lives - as we all do - in a strange melange of thwarted ambition and satisfaction in small things... Some are reluctant to assume the role society has apparently marked out for them,tilting at the windmills of fate,determined to meet the world on their terms.Sometimes with unforeseen results. My personal favourite is the sublime "The kite" with Mr Cole as the innocent hobbyist,but all the episodes are gently ironic in the fine English way,subtle and quiet,before Monty Python's stormtroopers' jackbooted irony with the subtlety of several Panzer divisions became the fashion. The fashion for compendium pictures passed away a long time ago,sadly, but if you are looking to acquaint yourself with the genre,there is no better exemplar than "Quartet".It will engage your attention and stay in your memory;what more recommendation can you want?