Enclosure – Letter from Desmond Flower regarding LR's Collected Poems

CASSELL & COMPANY, Ltd.
Publishers
LA BELLE SAUVAGE
LONDON, E.C.4
Eighteenth of MAY
1938.
Robert Graves, Esq. [Esquire],
31, Alma Square,
St. John's Wood,
N.W. [North Way]8
Dear Graves,
We are sending you herewith a proof copy of THE COLLECTED POEMS OF LAURA RIDING, which we are having the privilege of publishing shortly, in conjunction with Random House of New York.
Though Laura Riding's poetic work is regarded with high respect on both sides of the Atlantic, poets and critics of poetry have had some difficulty in characterizing that unfamiliar quality which differentiates it from the work of every other poet of her time. Is it because she is the first woman poet to write neither in the 'feminine' tradition nor in the 'modern' male tradition – but with a powerful sense of the significance of woman in the world of poetic values? Or is it because her ability language carry more meaning than it conventionally does?1 Certainly there seems to be no one with whom she can be easily compared – though her work has provoked imitation and exerted strong influence.
We are writing on this subject to a limited number of poets and critics, asking them to signalize the appearance of this book with a considered statement about its contents; and should be most grateful if you would care to give yours as briefly or as fully as you find convenient.
Yours sincerely,
Desmond Flower

Editorial Notes

1"does" is a handwritten correction over typescript: the corrected word is not clear. eds

Hands Referenced

Places Mentioned

  • Alma Square

    London, Westminster, England
    Between Maida Vale and Abbey Road; R.G. & L.R. lived there in the winter of 1937. eds

  • London

    England

  • St. John's Wood

    Westminster, London, England

  • New York

    New York City, New York, United States

People Mentioned

  • Laura

    Riding, Laura
    (1901-91) American poet. Laura Riding (née Reichenthal; then Laura Gottschalk).

  • Robert

    Graves, Robert
    [1st person]. (1895-1985). Poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and author of his diary. eds.

  • Desmond Flower

    Flower, Desmond
    associated with Cassell publishers KG

Organizations Mentioned

  • Random House

    American publishers (New York) eds.

  • Editors

    Editors of the Graves Diary Project.

Bibliography

    • Title: Collected Poems [1938]
    • Author: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: London, Toronto, Melbourne & Sydney
    • Publisher: Cassell and Co. Ltd
    • Idno: A35
    • Date: 1938