The Selected Letters of D. H. Lawrence (The Cambridge Edition of the Letters of D. H. Lawrence) [Hardcover]

D. H. Lawrence (Author), James T. Boulton (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521401151 | ISBN-13: 978-0521401159 | Publication Date: April 13, 1997

D.H. Lawrence's renowned creativity is conspicuous in his letters. He wrote to aristocrats, fellow authors, painters, publishers, and others from the intelligentsia--but with equal concern to his sisters, a childhood friend suffering from tuberculosis, a post office clerk or an Italian servant-girl. Lawrence reveled in the act of communication, using a direct, unvarnished but invariably vivid style appropriate to each correspondent. In this book, over 330 of Lawrence's letters, carefully chosen from the authoritative seven-volume Cambridge Edition exemplify Lawrence's artistry and humanness. In his introductory essay James T. Boulton provides a rare critical assessment of Lawrence's epistolary achievement. There are annotations to the letters, a biographical list of correspondents, brief chronological and descriptive introductions to each section and a full general index. This selection will appeal to Lawrence aficionados and will make good companion reading to his works.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is another good book to have at your desk for those between-chapter breaks: flip it open and read from this distillation of over 300 letters written by D. H. Lawrence. There are letters to lords and ladies, culture barons, chambermaids and pals, discoursing widely on Whitman, wilderness ("the big old pagan cosmos"), German gingerbread, and Mexican railways--the selections are fun and lively, and they illuminate an era. Plus, his political predictions tend to be right on the money: "Chaos," Lawrence writes, "is necessary for Russia." For the peripatetic author, too: Lawrence never stayed in one place too long. The better to keep up the letters.

Review

"The greatest virtue of this volume is that it does present readers with an entertaining overview of the flexibility of Lawrence's talent and his mind. The Selected Letters succeeds in representing Lawrence's quirky brilliance, his always surprising common sense, and above all else the sheer beauty of his writing." Carol Siegel, English Literature in Transition 1880-1920

"Lawrence is his letters, the most vivid and engaging self-portrait left by any English writer since Keats. Unlike Keats, Lawrence traveled the world knowing that his life would be short, and he captured the spirit of each place in unforgettable phrases." The Week, Brenda Maddox

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 584 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (April 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521401151
• ISBN-13: 978-0521401159
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,202,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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