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If Eliot's will says nobody can quote from his letters until all of them hav=
e=20
been published, and Valerie Eliot doesn't get all of them published...then=20
what happens?
pat
------------------------------------------------
THE SUNDAY TIMES: NEWS=20
March 19 2000BRITAIN
=A9
Eliot: rejected marriage offer
Fight to publish memoir of T S Eliot's spurned love
Richard Brooks, Arts Editor=20
SHE was T S Eliot's closest female companion for two decades. Sh=
e=20
helped him to write some of his greatest works, was the=20
inspiration=20
for Julia in The Cocktail Party and had some "doodles" of poems=20
composed for her.=20
In 1949, Mary Trevelyan proposed to the poet in a letter. He=20
turned=20
her down. She tried again the following year. Again, Eliot=20
rejected=20
her marriage offer. She was devastated when he later married his=
=20
secretary, Valerie, in 1957.=20
But their love story was eventually written as a memoir by=20
Trevelyan, who first offered it in the late 1960s to Faber and=20
Faber, Eliot's publisher. It has been barred from publication fo=
r=20
the past 35 years, partly to protect Eliot's reputation.=20
His widow, Valerie - who is a large shareholder in Faber - was=20
concerned that any portrayal of Eliot as a man who had spurned a=
=20
woman obviously in love with him could harm the poet's image.=20
"She=20
doesn't want anything appearing which could harm his reputation,=
=20
and=20
has blocked the memoirs for years," said an Eliot expert.=20
Valerie Eliot, now in her seventies, has copyright in her late=20
husband's letters, on which the Trevelyan memoir is partly based=
..=20
In=20
his will, Eliot stipulated that Valerie should edit his letters=20
and=20
that Faber then publish them. Only when they were all published=20
could others use them.=20
Though Eliot, author of The Waste Land, died 35 years ago, his=20
widow=20
has so far only brought out one volume of the letters. These ran=
=20
up=20
to 1922, and were published in 1988.=20
"I think the memoir should be published, even though there=20
clearly=20
is a problem with the letters," says Lyndall Gordon, whose=20
two-volume biography is widely accepted as the most authoritativ=
e=20
version of the life of the American-born poet. "Trevelyan really=
=20
was=20
Eliot's Boswell," he says. "Hugely influential, as well as being=
=20
clearly in love with him."=20
The letters of Trevelyan, a woman of some substance herself=20
through=20
her work for the Foreign Office and appearing on BBC Radio's The=
=20
Brains Trust, seem to have been destroyed by the poet. She, in=20
turn,=20
burnt her diaries because "her heart was broken". Eliot's letter=
s=20
to=20
Trevelyan are kept at Harvard University, the poet's alma mater.=
=20
Eliot and Trevelyan first met in 1938 at a Christian conference=20
in=20
Derbyshire. This was the same year as his first wife, Vivienne,=20
was=20
put into a hos-=20
pital because of her "madness". Trevelyan also helped Eliot with=
=20
his=20
play The Confidential Clerk, and with names for some of his=20
characters.=20
Trevelyan, who ended her last years in poor mental and physical=20
health, died in 1983. The memoir was jointly left to her nephew,=
=20
the=20
biographer Humphrey Carpenter, who has written books on W H=20
Auden,=20
Dennis Potter and Benjamin Britten, and her niece, Kate=20
Trevelyan.=20
They and an Oxford post-graduate, Ian Smith, who has been editin=
g=20
the memoir, called The Pope of Russell Square (a nickname for=20
Eliot=20
from some of his admirers), are seeking to publish the story.=20
"It's a remarkable chapter in both their lives," said Carpenter.=
=20
"But for a variety of reasons it's proving very hard to get a=20
publisher."=20
Faber said last week that it was open to discussion on the=20
memoir.=20
"Humphrey Carpenter should write to me, and let's see if it can=20
be=20
published," said Matthew Evans, Faber's chairman. Valerie Eliot=20
could not be contacted.=20
Next page: BBC to plug pop chart sponsor=20
=20
=20
=20
=20
=20
Next: BBC to plug pop chart sponsor=20
Copyright 2000 Times Newspapers Ltd. This service is provided on Times=
=20
Newspapers' standard terms and conditions. To inquire about a licence=20
to=20
reproduce material from The Sunday Times, visit the Syndication websit=
e.
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<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=3D3 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=
=3D"Arial Narrow" LANG=3D"0"><B>If Eliot's will says nobody can quote from h=
is letters until all of them have=20
<BR>been published, and Valerie Eliot doesn't get all of them published...th=
en=20
<BR>what happens?
<BR>
<BR>pat
<BR>------------------------------------------------
<BR>THE SUNDAY TIMES: NEWS=20
<BR> March=
19 2000BRITAIN
<BR> =A9
<BR>  =
; Eliot: rejected marriage offer
<BR>
<BR> Fight=
to publish memoir of T S Eliot's spurned love
<BR> Richa=
rd Brooks, Arts Editor=20
<BR>
<BR> SHE w=
as T S Eliot's closest female companion for two decades. She=20
<BR> helpe=
d him to write some of his greatest works, was the=20
<BR>inspiration=20
<BR> for J=
ulia in The Cocktail Party and had some "doodles" of poems=20
<BR> compo=
sed for her.=20
<BR> In 19=
49, Mary Trevelyan proposed to the poet in a letter. He=20
<BR>turned=20
<BR> her d=
own. She tried again the following year. Again, Eliot=20
<BR>rejected=20
<BR> her m=
arriage offer. She was devastated when he later married his=20
<BR> secre=
tary, Valerie, in 1957.=20
<BR> But t=
heir love story was eventually written as a memoir by=20
<BR> Treve=
lyan, who first offered it in the late 1960s to Faber and=20
<BR> Faber=
, Eliot's publisher. It has been barred from publication for=20
<BR> the p=
ast 35 years, partly to protect Eliot's reputation.=20
<BR> His w=
idow, Valerie - who is a large shareholder in Faber - was=20
<BR> conce=
rned that any portrayal of Eliot as a man who had spurned a=20
<BR> woman=
obviously in love with him could harm the poet's image.=20
<BR>"She=20
<BR> doesn=
't want anything appearing which could harm his reputation,=20
<BR>and=20
<BR> has b=
locked the memoirs for years," said an Eliot expert.=20
<BR> Valer=
ie Eliot, now in her seventies, has copyright in her late=20
<BR> husba=
nd's letters, on which the Trevelyan memoir is partly based.=20
<BR>In=20
<BR> his w=
ill, Eliot stipulated that Valerie should edit his letters=20
<BR>and=20
<BR> that=20=
Faber then publish them. Only when they were all published=20
<BR> could=
others use them.=20
<BR> Thoug=
h Eliot, author of The Waste Land, died 35 years ago, his=20
<BR>widow=20
<BR> has s=
o far only brought out one volume of the letters. These ran=20
<BR>up=20
<BR> to 19=
22, and were published in 1988.=20
<BR> "I th=
ink the memoir should be published, even though there=20
<BR>clearly=20
<BR> is a=20=
problem with the letters," says Lyndall Gordon, whose=20
<BR> two-v=
olume biography is widely accepted as the most authoritative=20
<BR> versi=
on of the life of the American-born poet. "Trevelyan really=20
<BR>was=20
<BR> Eliot=
's Boswell," he says. "Hugely influential, as well as being=20
<BR> clear=
ly in love with him."=20
<BR> The l=
etters of Trevelyan, a woman of some substance herself=20
<BR>through=20
<BR> her w=
ork for the Foreign Office and appearing on BBC Radio's The=20
<BR> Brain=
s Trust, seem to have been destroyed by the poet. She, in=20
<BR>turn,=20
<BR> burnt=
her diaries because "her heart was broken". Eliot's letters=20
<BR>to=20
<BR> Treve=
lyan are kept at Harvard University, the poet's alma mater.=20
<BR> Eliot=
and Trevelyan first met in 1938 at a Christian conference=20
<BR>in=20
<BR> Derby=
shire. This was the same year as his first wife, Vivienne,=20
<BR>was=20
<BR> put i=
nto a hos-=20
<BR> pital=
because of her "madness". Trevelyan also helped Eliot with=20
<BR>his=20
<BR> play=20=
The Confidential Clerk, and with names for some of his=20
<BR> chara=
cters.=20
<BR> Treve=
lyan, who ended her last years in poor mental and physical=20
<BR> healt=
h, died in 1983. The memoir was jointly left to her nephew,=20
<BR>the=20
<BR> biogr=
apher Humphrey Carpenter, who has written books on W H=20
<BR>Auden,=20
<BR> Denni=
s Potter and Benjamin Britten, and her niece, Kate=20
<BR>Trevelyan.=20
<BR> They=20=
and an Oxford post-graduate, Ian Smith, who has been editing=20
<BR> the m=
emoir, called The Pope of Russell Square (a nickname for=20
<BR>Eliot=20
<BR> from=20=
some of his admirers), are seeking to publish the story.=20
<BR> "It's=
a remarkable chapter in both their lives," said Carpenter.=20
<BR> "But=20=
for a variety of reasons it's proving very hard to get a=20
<BR> publi=
sher."=20
<BR> Faber=
said last week that it was open to discussion on the=20
<BR>memoir.=20
<BR> "Hump=
hrey Carpenter should write to me, and let's see if it can=20
<BR>be=20
<BR> publi=
shed," said Matthew Evans, Faber's chairman. Valerie Eliot=20
<BR> could=
not be contacted.=20
<BR> Next=20=
page: BBC to plug pop chart sponsor=20
<BR>  =
;
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>  =
;
<BR>  =
;
<BR>  =
;
<BR> Next:=
BBC to plug pop chart sponsor=20
<BR>
<BR>
<BR> Copyright 2000 Times Newspapers Ltd. This=
service is provided on Times=20
<BR> Newspapers' standard terms and conditions=
.. To inquire about a licence=20
<BR>to=20
<BR> reproduce material from The Sunday Times,=
visit the Syndication website.
<BR>
<BR></B></FONT></HTML>
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