Selected Letters

This volume features selections from New Directions founder James Laughlin's correspondence with Guy Davenport, the polymath artist and author of The Geography of the Imagination. Fittingly, their correspondence began when Laughlin wrote Davenport in 1969 to commend him on his article celebrating the recently deceased Thomas Merton, one of Laughlin's dearest friends.
Their exchanges continued fitfully until they hit a stride in the 1980s and 1990s, the period from which the bulk of the selected letters have been drawn. Both men were amazingly adept correspondents, and their letters are filled with anecdotes, wry humor, some gossip here and there, and general good cheer. From W. C. Bamberger's skillful sifting of the correspondence emerges a portrait of an evolving relationship between the two men. Their distinct personalities come through clearly: Davenport is the scholar, deeply learned but quiet about his personal life. Laughlin, conversely, writes more autobiographically, allowing the reader to see his life refracted through his letters to Davenport. Still, with his life as entwined as it was with New Directions, Laughlin speaks often and interestingly about some of the giants of the modern period - most often Ezra Pound, in whose work Davenport had a deep interest.
The most distinct aspect of their correspondence stems from the fact that, although Laughlin ended up publishing some of Davenport's work, their friendship was the primary force behind their letters. More than simply detailing an author/publisher relationship, these letters depict two fine minds educating and supporting each other in the service of literature.