Editing Barbara Pym (section)

==="Wilderness years"===
In 1963, Pym submitted her seventh novel – ''[[An Unsuitable Attachment]]'' – to Cape. Editor [[Tom Maschler]], who had recently joined the firm, rejected the manuscript, on the advice of two readers.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Miss Pym's Day Out |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi8Zezov9RQ |access-date=26 April 2020 |series=Bookmark |station=[[BBC]] |date=19 February 1992 |season=9 |number=8 |minutes=36 |language=en}}</ref> Pym wrote back to protest that she was being unfairly treated, but was told (sympathetically but firmly) that the novel did not show promise.<ref>Holt 1990, pp.192–197</ref> Pym revised the manuscript and sent it to several other publishers, but with no success. Pym was advised that her style of writing was old-fashioned, and that the public were no longer interested in books about small-town spinsters and vicars. She was forced to consider finding a new authorial voice, but ultimately felt that she was too old to adapt to what publishers considered popular taste.<ref>https://barbara-pym.org/about-barbara-pym-and-her-writings/finding-a-voice/ Pym, Barbara, ''Finding a Voice'', radio talk given 4 April 1978 on [[BBC Radio 3]], archived at The Barbara Pym Society website, accessed 26 April 2020]</ref> Pym was told that the minimum 'economic figure' for book sales was 4,000 copies, whereas several of her books from the 1950s had not achieved that number.<ref>Holt 1990, p.204</ref>
 
As a result, Pym did not publish anything from 1962 until 1977. Regardless, she continued writing novels and short stories, and refining existing works, while she continued her professional career at the International African Institute. Pym never fully forgave Cape, or Tom Maschler. She and her sister invented a dessert called "Maschler pudding", which was a combination of [[lime (fruit)|lime]] [[Gelatin dessert|jelly]] and milk.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Miss Pym's Day Out |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi8Zezov9RQ |access-date=26 April 2020 |series=Bookmark |station=[[BBC]] |date=19 February 1992 |season=9 |number=8 |minutes=35 |language=en}}</ref> In 1965, she wrote in a letter, "I really still wonder if my books will ''ever'' be acceptable again".<ref>Pym 1984, p.234</ref> Pym wrote ''[[The Sweet Dove Died]]'' in 1968 and ''[[An Academic Question]]'' in 1970. She submitted ''Dove'' to several publishers but it was again rejected. However, her earlier novels were reprinted during this period because of popular demand in public libraries.<ref>Pym 1984, p.254</ref> Pym wrote 27 short stories, of which only six were published during her lifetime. The remainder are stored in the Pym archives at the [[Bodleian Library]].<ref>''A Few Green Leaves: The Journal of the Barbara Pym Society'', Vol 11, No. 1, May 2005</ref>

In 1961, Pym began a correspondence with Philip Larkin, as he was preparing to write a review article of her novels.<ref>Pym 1984, p.214</ref> They continued a constant series of letters for 19 years, right up to her death. They met for the first time in April 1975, at the [[Randolph Hotel, Oxford]].

In 1971, Pym was diagnosed with [[breast cancer]] and underwent a [[mastectomy]] of her left breast. The operation was successful and she was deemed clear of cancer.<ref>Pym 1984, p.261</ref> In 1972, Pym and her sister Hilary purchased Barn Cottage at [[Finstock]] in Oxfordshire. The sisters played an active role in the social life of the village. Pym retired  in 1974.<ref>Pym 1984, p.276</ref> That year, she had a small [[stroke]], which left her with temporary [[dyslexia]].<ref>Holt 1990, p.240</ref> She continued to write, completing ''[[Quartet in Autumn]]'' in 1976, which was similarly rejected by [[Hamish Hamilton|Hamish Hamilton Limited]]. Although Pym was no longer being published, she found a job on the awards committee of the [[Romantic Novelists' Association]].