Box 2

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"It appears that Dr. Monti is not going to be able to afford to purchase any manuscript material: as a matter of fact she had to postpone the purchase of Two Leaves until July." "I had a visit several weeks ago from Penelope Fitzgerald, and English novelist. Her last novel, Offshore, a very good one, won the Booker Prize..."

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"As to letters: I deposit all mine at Cornell, under restricted status, no access except by my permission, and, then, the permission of the literary executorship for the period of duration of that. If you have letters that you keep in your own store-places, it would be, as I think, a help towards the growth of a general sense of consideration for the writers of letters that a consition be attached to the handling of them after your death..."

Scope and Contents "I want you to be among the first to know of a quite extraordinary development in my 'archival' course of things. Mr. Mathias, who came into acquaintance with a friend of mine, my friend since her and my college days at Cornell, she helping him with recollection of some biographical pertinence, had put into his hands by her discovery she had recently made of a bundle of material, in a barn on her country place long used as a guest-house and store-place, which proved to be a sizable...

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"Thanks for your letter of 10 July concerning the discovery of your unpublished poems. I'm delighted that these were located and that they have gone to the Berg Collection."

Scope and Contents "I go straightway to comment on what you have written on my report to you in the matter of developments as to the early-poems material of mine recently found by an old friend in her existing household possessions.Your initial response to my telephone speaking with you on the matter, before you had my long letter, to the effect that you should have had the handling of the material, this stated in a tone indicating, as I heard it, resentment as of injury inflicted on you, I put to one side in...

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"I have not heard from Dr. Monti so have to assume that she does not have the funds to purchase the Two Leaves."

Scope and Contents "Your neglect of making response to what I, in two letters in which I took great care to set before you the facts on matters in which you were, in my judgement, taking a stand impulsively disregardful of the facts, and, certainly, as I know the facts and ought to expect respect for my assurances as to them, contentiously unfair in the insinuation as to Mr. Mathias's and my relations, leave me no course but that of considering your and my relations suspended until you face what I have set...

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"I have to-day received the two Leaves, in good condition, they. I thank you for the care taken with wrapping them and mailing them as insured. I am enclosing my check, for covering the mailing expenses."

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"I am sorry to have been slow in following up Mrs. Jackson's exchange of communications with you last month, about the bibliography of her work. The prospect of your co-operating with me in that project, if we can establish a mutually satisfactory way of doing so, is a cheering one for me."

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"I'll be delighted to help you in any way that I can with this project. The big problem, of course, is time. A University Library has recently involved me in a new project that has caused a great deal of disruption in my schedule, a project I fear, with long-term implications. I'm presently working on two bibliographies, Malcolm Lowry and the publications of Harold Monro's Poetry Bookshop."