Olive Bentley (6 results)
Language: English
Published by Victory for Socialism, London
- Softcover
- First Edition
Seller: valley books, Holton, SUFFO, United Kingdomvalley books
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Add to basketSoft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. No date circa 1952. Quarto printed pamphlet 16pp Supported by 14 Labour MPs. Uncommon.
Seller: Elena, WINNIPEG, MB, CanadaElena
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Add to basketCondition: Used - Very Good. Used - Very Good.
Language: English
Published by Ore, Stevenage, Herts, 1980
- Softcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Marion Pitman Books, Reading, United KingdomMarion Pitman Books
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Add to basketSoft cover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. First Edition. Slight rusing of staple, lower edge front cover has thin line of discolouration. The Chariot Poets, no. 9. 8 pages, illustrated paper covers. Signed by author on title page. Signed by Author(s).
[Frederic Vanson, Essex poet and journalist.] Scarce poetry pamphlet 'Essex Images', with signed Autograph Inscription to Christopher Fry; introduction by John Graham, and illustrations by Graham, Gwen Dymond, David Lee, Olive Bentley, Alan Burgess.
[Frederic Vanson (1919-1993), Essex poet, journalist and lecturer; John Graham; Gwen Dymond; David Lee; Olive Bentley; Alan Burgess [Christopher Fry (1907-2005), playwright]
Published by John Graham Fine Arts Essex;.On back cover: 'This edition is printed at 19 The Rows Harlow. February 1984.', 1984
- Softcover
- Manuscript / Paper Collectible
Seller: Richard M. Ford Ltd, London, United KingdomRichard M. Ford Ltd
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Add to basketScarce: the only copy located on WorldCat and COPAC at the Tate Library, London. Unpaginated stapled and duplicated pamphlet: 16pp, 4to. Cover illustration by John Graham. No wraps called for. In good condition, lightly aged and creased. In Vanson's autograph, at top right of cover: 'For Christopher - | affectionately | Frederic… | 3. 84.' The second page carries a poem ('The Rodings') by Graham, beneath the following introduction: 'These images are the result of my invitation to the artists taking part in the exhibition: "Seven Essex Painters", to provide drawings suggested to them by a selection of the poems by Frederic Vanson, to be read in the Gallery one evening during the exhibition. | I realise that the relationship between word and image is sometimes best left unattempted, as my own Essex poem suggests, but I hope this experiment will in some small way link the arts.' Six poems by Vanson ('The End of the Line - Shoeburyness', 'The Stour below Flatford', 'In Wanstead Park', 'Stallion in Retirement', 'Women in a Market Place', 'Stubble Burning'), together with seven accompanying illustrations: three by Gwen Dymond, two by David Lee, and one apiece by Vanson's wife Olive Bentley and Alan Burgess. Vanson's poem 'Stubble Burning' was singled out for praise in David Gaskin's obituary of Vanson, Independent, 27 July 1993. From the Christopher Fry papers.
Published by Between May and November 1986 two undated. All from 24 Morley Grove Harlow Essex, 1971
- Manuscript / Paper Collectible
Seller: Richard M. Ford Ltd, London, United KingdomRichard M. Ford Ltd
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Add to basketAn interesting and sprightly correspondence, mainly concerned with the practicalities of the vocation of a minor provincial poet. See David Gaskin's obituary of Vanson, Independent, 27 July 1993, and Fry's entry in the Oxford DNB. A second slice of Vanson material from the Christopher Fry papers (the other collection is offered…separately). The collection consists of twenty-one items: nineteen letters from Vanson to Fry, a one-page typescript of three of Vanson's poems, and a draft of an introduction by Fry to a proposed collection of poems by Vanson. A few items have wear and creasing to edges, and one has a closed tear caused by clumsy cutting open of an envelope, but the overall condition is good. With the usual folds for postage. The nineteen letters total 30pp, and comprise twelve autograph letters, totalling 19pp (8pp in foolscap 8vo, 3pp in 4to, and 8pp in 12mo); and seven typed letters (two of them undated), totalling 11pp (5pp in 8vo and 6pp in 12mo). All are addressed to 'Dear Christopher' and thirteen are signed 'Frederick', three 'Frederick Vanson' and one 'Frederick (Vanson)'; one is unsigned (annotated by Fry with Vanson's name), and one appears (22 December 1983) to be lacking the final leaf, with signature. The first letter, typed and undated, but dated by Fry to 18 April 1971, is clearly written after a hiatus, and begins: 'Dear Christopher, / I hear from Derek Stanford whom we visited recently at Seaford where he is now living that you are back in England and living in Chichester.' He asks Fry to contribute to an 'anthology of poetry of the second world war period': 'I do not, of course, mean "war" poetry in the George McBeth sense, but anything of the period which you would not mind reappearing.' In discussing the early closure of Fry's play 'A Yard of Sun', which he was not able to see, he writes: 'Sometimes I feel we forties boys have lived too long (in a literary sense only of course). The present clime in poetry seems to me a rather strange and probably very ephemeral one.' He turns to personal news, including the death, 'after much distress', of his first wife Winifred, the fact that his son 'doesn't appear to need me', and his 'quarrels with the teaching profession'. He introduces his second wife, Olive Bentley. He has 'many projects in hand': 'In poetry I appear fairly often in The Tablet, but most of my work goes to the USA'. In the second letter, 8 May 1971, he discusses his move to Essex, after London ceased to be 'tenable as a place to live': 'I can't pretend any great enthusiasm for new towns as such but at least the air is unpolluted and the countryside is near. From our windows we look across the Stort valley into Hertfordshire.' He praises Fry's work: 'There is a whole generation of people growing up, it seems to me, who need reminding that language can be a thing of beauty and that poetry is not necessarily concerned with coprophilia.' Regarding the projected anthology he writes: 'I really don't see how one could justify a collection of Second World War poetry without something of yours in it.' He ends with news of his other writing plans. An undated and 'rather cheeky epistle' fits in here, in which Vanson asks Fry to write an introduction to a poetry collection he is proposing to Oxford University Press, feeling 'like a minor composer approaching Mozart for a few kind words': 'I had a near-success with them with an earlier collection. At that time they suggested that I came back in a year or two when my style had finally matured. In practice my style has become several styles but I certainly feel my work has more maturity.' With the present collection he has 'made the form subservient to what I want to say'. He gives further information on the proposed war anthology, before ending with news of his wife's painting. A copy of Fry's typed proposed introduction (1p, foolscap 8vo) is present, with his autograph annotation: 'Of Frederic Vanson'. Containing quotations from two of Vanson's poems ('The Essential Problem' and 'The Stour below Flatford'), it begins: 'So easily memories vanish, often even quite important ones, such as first meetings with friends. I have no recollection now of when Frederic's path and mine first crossed, only that it was when we were both serving in the non-combatant section of the Pioneer Corps, and that he had a grave kindness, already promising to be the poet.' He praises Vernon as 'a questioner', quotes from his 'first letter' of 1971, before referring to the 'light which permeated so much of his poetry'. The fourth Vanson letter, and the last to be discussed here in detail, is dated to 20 July 1971. Vanson thanks Fry for his 'kind observations on my poems', and is enclosing copies 'of the ones you specially liked and wanted to have by you'. He is 'sometimes surprised [.] at the sheer quantity of verse I have produced in recent years.' Fry's comments have helped Vanson approach 'true objectivity' about his work, but he is annoyed at 'the way in which so many young writers of dubious talent manage to get published by virtue of various gimmicks and fashionable attitudes. But then it has always been so. In general the state of English poetry seems to me to be a healthy one and we have certainly a number of really first class poets today.' He himself does not 'do so badly' with editors: 'At all events if the larger publishers will not play I could almost certainly persuade Howard Sergeant to bring out a selection in his Outposts pamphlet series.' He is pleased that Fry liked his 'Welsh sequence poems': 'The BBC talks man at Bangor liked them too and wanted to arrange a broadcast but he was overruled by the Welsh language fanatics in the end. What a silly business this is.' Also present is a typescript (1p, 8vo) of three poems: 'God shown forth', 'The sun indoors' and 'Wind in Snowdonia'. In the correspondence that follows: Vanson puts Fry's name forward 'as a referee in connection with a full-time lectureship I am after, at Ware C.
[Frederic Vanson, Essex poet and journalist; his wife the painter Olive Bentley.] Eight Autograph Letters Signed and one Typed from Vanson to playwright Christopher Fry, collection of poetry typescripts, and ALS to Fry from Bentley.
Frederic Vanson (1919-1993), Essex poet and and journalist; his wife the painter Olive Bentley [Christopher Fry (1907-2005), playwright]
Published by Correspondence dating from between 29 December and 12 January 1993. Letters of 1983 and 1984 from 24 Morley Grove Harlow Essex; the rest from 178 Elm Tree Avenue Walton on the Naze Essex, 1983
- Signed
- Manuscript / Paper Collectible
Seller: Richard M. Ford Ltd, London, United KingdomRichard M. Ford Ltd
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Add to basketSee David Gaskin's obituary of Vanson, Independent, 27 July 1993, and Fry's entry in the Oxford DNB. The material is in good condition, lightly aged, with one leaf of poetry typescript creased. Vanson's eight Autograph Letters Signed date from between 29 December 1983 and 12 January 1993. total 11pp, 8vo, and 2pp, 12mo. One of t…he letters is lacking all but the last (signed) page; the others are complete. Vanson's Typed Letter Signed is 1p, 8vo. It is undated, but dated by Fry to 14 August (no year, but from the context written in 1992). The nine letters are all signed 'Frederic'. Olive Bentley's Autograph Letter Signed is 7pp, 8vo, dated 14 July 1992, and signed 'Olive'. The correspondence reflects the frustration of Vanson and Bentley over the lack of recognition they are receiving in their 'various arts'. Writing on 20 December 1988 Vanson appears to refer to Fry's sadness over the death the previous year of his wife Phyllis: 'At such times one is faced with only two alternatives (perhaps complementaries?) - the Stoic's courage or the Christian's hope. I fancy you will have both but of course there is no easy comfort & no words can be adequate as we both, as users of words, will know.' He also congratulates Fry on receiving a 'long overdue' doctorate, and criticises Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie ('but then I suppose I view the whole state of the church with no great enthusiasm'). In another letter Vanson reviews his year 1990, describing Walton on Naze as 'a bit of [a] cultural desert', and visits from 'Derrick Gaskin, a poet of some promise in my personal judgment (we were born in adjacent parts of London) and my friend of many years Peter Hardiman Scott'. He describes himself as 'a compulsive writer' who is 'still at it! Not perhaps quite so profusely but still, I believe, well at times. I don't know why since no one wants to know about my sort of poem these days and though I still get into a no. of "little" reviews, I find the "recognised" outlets closed to me. I suppose it is a species of compulsion neurosis!' He returns to this theme two years later, observing in 1992 that he has 'a nice collection of respectful but regretful letters from publishers who seem to like my poems but in the present state of the market etc - - Yet from time to time I still break into verse - a form of insanity?' In the same letter he reports that 'Olive has yet again been refused by the R.A. - so would Manet have been I guess!' At the beginning of 1993 he commends a radio production of Fry's 'Boy with a Cart', and says of his own work: 'There is a 50/50 chance of my recent collection of poems appearing in '93 from Brentham Press but it partly depends on Eastern Arts so it is no time for counting chickens. I hope it does see the light of day as I feel it may prove to be my swansong. Of late I've written little and it may be that I've said all that I have to say. But perhaps - -'. Later in the same letter he writes: 'Lacking inspiration of a literary kind, and having no real talent for painting/sculpture, I've become seriously interested in photography. Not entirely new as I studied the subject at Derby College of Art in the late 40s. Over the years I have contributed photographs to numerous countryside and other magazines but now that I feel less inclined to clamber over fields in search of subjects I've turned to what I can do indoors!' In the typed letter of August 1992, he thanks Fry for accepting the dedication to a collection of poems, before again complaining: 'It is hard at times to find the motivation to go on writing at all. One sees much inferior rubbish being lionised and so much good work being returned. Nor do I refer only to my own case - a friend who is a very good novelist and whose poetry was once published by C Day Lewis at Chattos is now finding it impossible to place his latest, and he believes, best book of all. Ironically his little book of purely local interest on a country "character" is selling like hot cakes. What is one to do?' With a further reference to Bentley's rejection he exclaims: 'Why, I wonder, do we do it at all and not take the Voltairian advice to cultivate our gardens?' Bentley's letter describes the couple's financial situation in explaining why they cannot visit Fry ('The position is this: when poll tax water rates electricity bills food & telephone bills - also household repairs have been paid there is enough for one excursion - holiday earch year & that is that, apart from the expenses connected with our various arts.' In a postscript she writes: 'Frederic sent work to Murray's and André Deutsch and got really nice letters back but no and he sent O.U.P. and got a snooty reply - who do they think they are! / It's good you like his poetry. He really values your opinion.' The first letter concerns plans for a visit by Fry to John Graham's exhibition 'Seven Essex Painters' (including Olive Bentley), which resulted in the pamphlet 'Essex Images' (1984), featuring poems by Vanson: 'When in Harlow you must of course come in & see us. We'd like you to see some of Olive's paintings among other things. [.] I'm certain this will be a very successful event but more than that a chance to meet again after so long.' Ends with reference to Michael Hewlett ('If only all C of E vicars were like him the Church would be in a healthier state!'). On 25 March 1984 he thanks Fry for giving a 'superb' talk: 'I wish I had a copy of it to read, mark & learn by. All the comment I heard was enthusiastic and your visit will not be soon forgotten.' He is sending poems for Fry's 'amusement': 'you are one of the very few whose opinion I truly value!' Also present are sixteen typed poems on a total of 7pp, 8vo. Three of the pages carry seven 'Poems after Turgenev' ('These poems take as their starting point certain of the prose poems of Turgenev.'); one page carries 'By Llyn Ogwen, Caernavonshire'; two other pages carry two poems apiece: 'A Match to Paper' / 'The Adolescents', and 'Cat.