A Calendar of the Letters of Willa Cather

9 letters found

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To Wilbur CrossJan. 10, 1922Beinecke 

Understood from the Canbys that she would see him before now, so didn't write. Has articles due to the New Republic and the Nation in February, so can't get one done for the Yale Review right away.   Willa Cather   [Stout #572]


To Wilbur CrossOct. 11, 1922, from New YorkBeinecke 

People seem to have strong feelings about One of Ours, pro or con. Has been thinking he might like a memoir about Mrs. James T. Fields [for Yale Review], but through a misunderstanding Henry Seidel Canby is expecting such a piece from her [for Literary Review, New York Evening Post]. No longer interested in doing the article she discussed with Miss McAfee a year ago. Wants to keep working on a new novelette [ A Lost Lady ].   Willa Sibert Cather   [Stout #626]


To Wilbur Cross,  n.d. [early June 1929?] , from Long Beach, Calif.Beinecke 

Looking forward to seeing him and to the dinner. Mother in very sad condition. Hard to get good care for someone in a situation like this, in such a place as California.   Willa Cather   [Stout #973]


To Wilbur CrossFeb. 11, [1930]Beinecke 

Is glad to answer his questions, but has very little time to see friends. Yes, is working on another book, but unsettlement of present life is impeding it. P.S.: Recommends he read Laughing Boy [LaFarge]  Willa Cather   [Stout #1005]


To Wilbur CrossOct. 5 [pm. Nov. 7, 1930], from Jaffrey, N.H.Beinecke 

Hopes to see him on the 14th. Came here directly by way of Quebec.   Willa Cather   [Stout #1019]


To Wilbur CrossAug. 25, [1931], from Grand MananBeinecke 

Many thanks for insightful review. First reviewer to understand how Shadows differs from Archbishop. Title indicates mood—how a particular culture has endured while individual lives have passed over it. Thinks of the spirit of the place more as a song than a legend. Life of an ordinary household more interesting to her than exciting things like Indian wars. Salad dressing the true beginning of a society. Hard for an American to capture the sense of that culture, but enjoyed trying. Wishes American writers did more experimenting.   Willa Cather   [Stout #1071]


To Thomas MasarykSept. 23, [prob. 1932], from Jaffrey, N.H.Berkeley 

Hopes he has received a copy of her new book [Obscure Destinies, pub. August 1932] and agrees that "Old Mrs. Harris" rings true, more true than the book about Quebec last year. Books drawn from early memories are always truest. Even so, likes to try different things. Being true is her greatest wish. No, is not becoming a Catholic, though greatly admires Catholic missionaries. Enclosing her letter to Gov. Cross ["On Shadows on the Rock," Saturday Review of Literature, Oct. 17, 1931].   Willa Cather   [Stout #1123]


To Whitney DarrowJan. 24, [1933]Princeton 

Accepts invitation to Friends of the Princeton Library dinner on May 4.[Others who accepted were Wilbur Cross, Robert Frost, Mr. and Mrs. Ira Gershwin, Ellen Glasgow, and Mr. and Mrs. Oliver LaFarge.]   Willa Cather   [Stout #1156]


To Henry Goddard LeachSeptember 1, [1931]Drew U (Adams 162) 

It is not a review she wrote about, but an essay evaluating her writing and character generally [Granville Hicks, "Bright Incidents," Forum, September 1931, vi-vii]. People seem to think the piece reflected Leach's and the Forum's viewpoint, for Hicks was not cited in letters they have sent her. Understands an unobtrusive editorial relationship, but this went too far. At McClure's, would never have let such a destructive article be published, and no staff member would have let it through without explicit approval from Mr. McClure or herself. It is possible to be civilly critical, but the piece is so disrespectful that it never should have been published. The Forum is free to think what it pleases, but what editor can justify printing the following [Hicks's text is literally cut out and pasted on the letter]: "Like most of her books, it is elegiac, beguiling its readers with pictures of a life that has disappeared, and deliberately exploiting the remoteness of that life in order to cast a golden haze about it." "Deliberately exploiting" suggests she is manipulating her readers for self-aggrandizing reasons, and she is not. Other reviewers, like Dr. Cross, don't particularly care for the novel [Shadows on the Rock], but at least have enough sophistication to see what she was attempting [in Wilbur Cross, "Men and Images," Saturday Review of Literature 8 (August 22, 1931): 67-8]. The Forum's piece certainly damages her reputation, but even worse, it injures her personally, as the Forum has always been a friend. Is sorry that first letter of complaint sent to an editor is being sent to him.   Willa Cather