About the Exhibit
On May 28, 1949, before email or texting existed, poet Richard Wilbur picked up the newest issue of The New Yorker, read Peter Taylor’s story “Dudley for the Dartmouth Cup,” and immediately sat down to write Taylor a note about how much he admired his writing. The trouble was, he didn’t have Taylor’s address. Knowing that Taylor was teaching at Indiana University, he checked his 12-year-old World Almanac and found that “Indiana U.” was located in Bloomington. Trusting to the dedication of the United States Postal Service, he addressed his postcard with the information he had and dropped it into the mailbox. The card did make its way to Taylor; and, eventually, when Taylor’s papers arrived at Vanderbilt in 1988, it made its way into the Special Collections Library for all to see.
Wilbur’s card ends by praising Taylor’s “awfully nice directness” and asking him to “please continue.” The letters in this exhibit span a century of English literature, from the 1880s to the 1980s, and each one was sent with the hope that it would bring a response in return, continuing the conversation. Because the fiction writers and poets who wrote this correspondence were all devoted to the craft of writing, their missives are works of art in themselves, albeit more personal and playful than their published volumes had the freedom to be. Each author’s epistles express personality not only through the chosen text, but also through paper color, handwriting, choice of writing utensil, and the many other physical details required to complete and mail a letter. The messages also hint at the lives on the receiving end of the correspondence, prompting us to imagine responses to the questions asked, praises doled out, and affections expressed.
This exhibit may be viewed in the Vanderbilt Special Collections Library at 1101 19th Ave. S. from August 22 through December 2024.
