For Your Eye Alone [Hardcover]

Robertson Davies (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 29, 2001

Robertson Davies, one of North America's most beloved and critically acclaimed novelists, added an impeccable sense of style to all his diverse writings. Now, in this exciting publishing event, there is further cause for celebration with the publication of his selected letters. This volume for the first time gathers together previously unpublished letters that Davies wrote while at the height of his illustrious career.

In these lively and provocative letters readers will find affectionate letters to his daughter, witty barbs to hostile critics, as well as amusing and profound observations on the creative life. Correspondence with famous figures like Sir John Gielgud and Margaret Atwood offers fascinating pieces of gossip: "... and Salvador Dali, at the next table, raised his eyebrows and popped his eyes to such a degree that I feared they might leave their moorings and bounce about the floor."

Poignant, sometimes devilish, and always entertaining, these wonderful letters give a rarely seen portrait of the private Davies.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In amassing the first collection of the late Canadian novelist's letters, Davies's biographer Grant (Robertson Davies: Man of Myth) discovered many had actually been framed, which says something about not only Davies's status as grand old man of Canuck letters, but also their sheer entertainment value. This volume covers the years from 1976, when he was 63, to his death in 1995; during this period, he was at last a successful public figure, as the master of Massey College at the University of Toronto and the successful novelist of the Deptford Trilogy. His status is elevated enough that he not only helpfully blurbs aspiring novelists' works, but also burlesques literary critics and book reviewers (though he warns one lucky recipient, "PS: Of course this letter is for your eye alone"). In the world of letters, his correspondents include fellow novelists John Irving, Mordecai Richler and Margaret Atwood, his editors and translators, and, of course, his readers, from schoolgirls to college professors. He deals with them all with equanimity and good humor, whether answering questions about his Jungian symbolism or explicating the Canada-Quebec culture wars and the propinquitous influence of the United States. As a public figure, he occasionally writes open letters to newspaper editors; in private his sentiments range from cheerfully curmudgeonly to plain irascible. His sporadic reminiscences about his early years in the theater in England and in provincial journalism might leave the reader wishing for letters from that younger Davies, but as these show, the great writer mastered the art of growing old gracefully and entertainingly. (Jan. 15) Forecast: Thanks to Davies's sterling reputation, this will be widely reviewed. Davies has legions of fans south of the Canadian border, and they will delight in this opportunity to meet the novelist in his own words.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

One of the best Canadian novelists of the 20th century, Davies (1913-95) is known for his "Deptford" and "Salterton" trilogies, among other works. This collection of letters, dating from 1976 to 1995, is intended as the first published volume of the author's correspondence. Editor Grant is the author of the massive 1994 biography Robertson Davies: Man of Myth, and some of the letters are addressed to her. Although a number are written to well-known individuals, such as actor John Gielgud and novelist John Irving, most are addressed to friends, colleagues, editors, and family members and reflect Davies's humor, prejudices, strong opinions, and great warmth and feeling. The topics are varied, but many of the letters are concerned with the arts, Canadian literature, the place of Canada as seen by the rest of the world, and the processes by which Davies produced some of his greatest novels. The explanatory notes are informative, while the facsimiles of some of the author's letters give an added pictorial value to the collection. Strongly recommended to all devotees of the writer; for larger public and academic library collections.DMorris Hounion, New York City Technical Coll. Lib., Brooklyn
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; 1st American ed edition (January 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670892912
• ISBN-13: 978-0670892914
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,530,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gems galore, August 14, 2002

By 

Ken Schneyer (Barrington, RI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: For Your Eye Alone (Hardcover)

It's startling how thoughtful, evocative and just plain funny a man can be in writing his regular correspondance. Makes you want to be a prolific letter-writer yourself. Makes you wish he were still alive so that you could respond to some of the more inflammatory things he says.

I don't think I'd realized quite how much Davies was concerned about the "place" of Canadian Literature in the world literature canon; it comes out so plainly here.

Judith Skelton Grant, who edited the letters, is mentioned repeatedly in them -- Davies apparently was amused, worried and sometimes just ticked off about the biography she was writing of him.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Opportunity For More Insight, January 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: For Your Eye Alone (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book's organization, which was established by the various books Davies had written over the last part of his career. While not Canadian, and thereby somewhat in the dark regarding some of the letters' recipients, I found the editor's annotations brief but helpful. The main draw here is the author's distinctive voice, which emerges within the various letters.

I am not usually interested in reading compilations of letters. Here, however, I find a volume that constitutes a diversion from my other reading, a book which I can pick up from time to time and garner ideas for those brighter days when I re-read a Davies' novel. For this end, I found the collection worthwhile!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Your Eyes Alone by Robertson Davies, February 11, 2006

By 

Joseph S. Maresca "Dr. Joseph S. Maresca CPA,... (Bronxville, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: For Your Eye Alone: The Letters of Robertson Davies (Paperback)

Robertson Davies was 82 years old when he died on 12-2-1995 from
a leaky heart and terminal pneumonia. He is one of Canada's most
famous writers of belles lettres literature having multiple nominations for the Nobel Prize.

Some of his best works are Dr. Canon's Cure, What's Bred in the Bone, Jezebel and The Merry Heart. He had 26 honorary degrees. Memorable quotations from his letters are as follows:

- " Writers are an extremely contentious group and old age
does not make them any more peaceful."

- "Sampson should have stayed away from the Barber Shop. "

- "The great leap for writers is in their 40s. They either
gain new energy or go to pot. "

- "Ye have the poor always with you. " Jesus Christ

A strength of this work is that it shows the deeply personal
side of Robertson Davies. He wrote many letters and discussed
small talk and consequential issues in most of them. The book
is well worth the price for the huge value of the letters
contained . The letters are written with considerable wit
and satire. The humor is not unlike British journalistic satire. When you've finished reading this book, it will become apparent why the author is so sorely missed.