The article, appearing in 1950, was part of a series tellingly titled Neglected Books. So completely had Rhys vanished that by the 1950s even her publishers no longer knew anything about her existence. In 1950 when actress Selma Vas Dias dramatized
Good Morning, Midnight , she had to place a newspaper advertisement in order to find news of Rhys's whereabouts.
Only with the publication of Wide Sargasso Sea (1966) did Rhys begin to emerge from nearly three decades of almost complete neglect. Although British reviewers recognized this novel as an important contribution to twentieth-century fiction, she received little recognition in academic circles during the next eight years. Strong impetus for a careful consideration of Rhys's fiction was then provided by Alfred Alvarez, the English writer and critic, in a 1974 article written for The New York Times Book Review. Alvarez's assessment of Rhys as "the best living English novelist" proved to be a turning point, particularly in American critical reception. Since 1974 several hundred articles, many books, and a Rhys journal have attested to her growing reputation as a major twentieth-century novelist.
While her novels, particularly Wide Sargasso Sea, have received much critical attention, her three collections of short stories--The Left Bank, and Other Stories; Tigers Are Better-Looking, with a Selection from The Left Bank (1968); and Sleep It Off, Lady (1976)--have yet to be discussed in depth.
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