Skip to main content

#1687: Willa Cather to Zoë Akins, January 5, 1945

More about this letter…
Plain view:

Guide to Reading Letter Transcriptions

Some of these features are only visible when "plain text" is off.

Textual Feature Appearance
passage deleted with a strikethrough mark deleted passage
passage deleted by overwritten added letters overwritten passage
passage added above the line passage with added text above
passage added on the line passage with added text inline
passage added in the margin passage with text added in margin
handwritten addition to a typewritten letter typed passage with added handwritten text
missing or unreadable text missing text noted with "[illegible]"
uncertain transcriptions word[?]
notes written by someone other than Willa Cather Note in another's hand
printed letterhead text printed text
text printed on postcards, envelopes, etc. printed text
text of date and place stamps stamped text
passage written by Cather on separate enclosure. written text
⬩W⬩S⬩C⬩ My dear Zoe1:

Never worry about the turkey. Don't think I could have managed him if he had arrived. We3 have only a part-time cook - not very expert.

But the plant from Thorley's4 was, and is, a great success: a cyclamen, deep rose color, with the beautiful leaves all fresh and strong. I enjoy beautiful plants just as much as I detest ratty ones. This one has given me great pleasure. I would love to write you by hand, but just in the middle of a piece5 of work which I was enjoying very much, my right hand6 went back on me complete and is tied up in a brace7 again. It cannot even get out to wish you a Happy New Year with a pen.

Thinking about years, Old and New, (in a period of enforced inactivity, one does think, you know) it has occurred to me that you have had the things you most wanted out of the years, and that I have got a good deal of what I wanted. Above all, I have pretty well escaped the things I violently did not want, some of which were: too much money, noisy publicity, the bother of meeting lots of people. While I was editor of McClure's8 I had to meet a great many people, both here2 and in England9. I enjoyed it, but after I had enough of it, I wanted to be absolutely free - and I have enjoyed that much more.

Affectionately and with a thousand good wishes, Willa Cather