''A Bit of Singing and Dancing'' is a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

collection by British writer

Susan Hill Dame Susan Hill, Lady Wells, (born 5 February 1942) is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include ''The Woman in Black'', '' The Mist in the Mirror'', and ''I'm the King of the Castle'', for which she received th ...

. It was published in 1973 in the United Kingdom and reissued along with ''

In the Springtime of the Year IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...

'' in the United States in 1984. The stories mainly focus on tyranny and freedom.

Reception

A 1984 book review by ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' of two short story collections by Hill, concluded; "Like Hill's other stories, these are tales of thwarted passions and odd couples—with the mixture of pathos and charm at its best in the title story." The book has been described as "a vivid picture of the loneliness of old age".Ronald Carter and John McRae. ''The Routledge History of Literature in English: Britain and Ireland''. Routledge, 2001. 490.

References

External links

*Gina Wisker
''A Bit of Singing and Dancing''

The Literary Encyclopedia ''The Literary Encyclopedia'' is an online reference work first published in October 2000. It was founded as an innovative project designed to bring the benefits of information technology to what at the time was still a largely conservative li ...

. March 28, 2001. Retrieved on March 8, 2008. 1973 short story collections British short story collections Hamish Hamilton books {{1970s-story-collection-stub