The Chronicles of Clovis | Saki (H. H. Munro) | A Bitesized Audio Compilation

A selection of stories featuring Saki's classic comic creation Clovis Sangrail. 'The Chronicles of Clovis' was the title of a collection of 28 stories published in 1911, although the majority had previously appeared in newspapers and periodicals. Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:38 The Match-Maker 00:08:09 The Stampeding of Lady Bastable 00:16:14 The Talking-Out of Tarrington 00:23:03 The Recessional 00:33:35 The Secret Sin of Septimus Brope 00:53:59 The Way to the Dairy 01:10:33 The Peace Offering 01:22:57 Tobermory 01:43:43 Credits, thanks and further listening (Story teasers and more details below) Narrated 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 previews and exclusive content): * Occasional/one-off support via Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bitesizedaudio * Monthly support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bitesizedaudio * Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=HMMUWZ7URN26A * Visit my Bandcamp page to purchase and download high quality audio files to listen offline: https://bitesizedaudio.bandcamp.com/ * Become a Bitesized Audio Classics member on YouTube, from $1 / £1 / €1 per month: https://www.youtube.com/c/BitesizedAudioClassics/join 00:01:38 The Match-Maker Clovis Sangrail tells his dinner host all about his mother's intention to get married for the third time. 00:08:09 The Stampeding of Lady Bastable Mrs Sangrail's plan for Clovis to stay with Lady Bastable is put in jeopardy by her son's mischievous pranks. The title card incorporates a 15th century illustration of the Jacquerie: a popular revolt by peasants in northern France in 1358. The relevance to the story will become clear on listening. 00:16:14 The Talking-Out of Tarrington Clovis is only too glad to help his aunt out of an awkward social encounter by talking to Mr Tarrington. 00:23:03 The Recessional 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". 00:33:35 The Secret Sin of Septimus Brope Mr. Brope is perhaps not the most exciting guest to grace Mrs Riversedge's weekend house party. But Clovis is intrigued to learn from his aunt that a whiff of scandal may surround the respectable writer on church architecture. 00:53:59 The Way to the Dairy Clovis relates to the Baroness the story of the Brimley Bomefields, who "have the air of people who have bowed to destiny and are not quite sure whether the salute will be returned." 01:10:33 The Peace Offering With feelings running high after a bitterly contested election, the Baroness seeks to heal political divisions in the county and bring the parties together. Clovis suggests that staging an amateur performance of a classical Greek play could be just the ticket. 01:22:57 Tobermory Lady Blemley has invited clever Mr. Cornelius Appin to join her weekend party in the hope that he might contribute towards the entertainment. She finds he delivers rather more than she bargained for. About the author: 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 satires. After some 10 years or so, 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. Recordings © Bitesized Audio 2021–25, compilation © Bitesized Audio 2025