Please Continue: Literary Correspondence as Conversation

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In Summary

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.

[Letter from Langston Hughes to Manuel Zapata Olivella]

Manuel Zapata Olivella first met Langston Hughes in the fall of 1946 after traveling through the United States from Colombia. Zapata Olivella had long admired the American writer, and the two became instant friends when Zapata Olivella found his way to Hughes’ apartment. The two stayed in touch for the next twenty years, until Hughes’ death in 1967.

Title	[Letter from Langston Hughes to Manuel Zapata Olivella]
Creator	Langston Hughes
Date	July 18, 1961
Source	Manuel Zapata Olivella Papers