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 Robert Lowell to Peter Taylor]

Robert Lowell won several significant awards for his poetry, including the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, but he states in this letter that “the whole machinery of prize awarding is absurd.” Nevertheless, he hoped that Peter Taylor would win a prize that would cover all of his “needs and purposes.”

Title	[Letter from Robert Lowell to Peter Taylor]
Creator	Robert Lowell
Date	October 15, 1953
Source	Peter Taylor Papers