Details
STEVIE SMITH (1902-71)
A collection of 3 typed letters, signed, and two autograph letters, signed, the earliest from Tower House, Southampton Street, London W.C.2., the others from 1 Avondale Road, Palmers Green, N.13, all to Polly Hill, dated 3rd January 1946, November 12th 1953, March and April 1967 and November 1969. One 2-page autograph letter, signed, dated November 12th 1953, reads: "Wrote this cross poem, not too serious, but just to express crossness: They killed a poet by neglect/And treating him worse than an insect/They said what he wrote was feeble/And should never be read by serious people/Serious people/Serious people/I should say it was serious/To be such people!" Another two-page typed letter, signed, dated March 25th 1967, states: "I still have my love-hate attitude to poetry and now I've so taken against my own that I am saying 'no' to the readings most of the time. I don't know why writing sort of gets me in such a state, peeling potatoes by contrast is so nice" (occasional marginal creasing). (5)
A collection of 3 typed letters, signed, and two autograph letters, signed, the earliest from Tower House, Southampton Street, London W.C.2., the others from 1 Avondale Road, Palmers Green, N.13, all to Polly Hill, dated 3rd January 1946, November 12th 1953, March and April 1967 and November 1969. One 2-page autograph letter, signed, dated November 12th 1953, reads: "Wrote this cross poem, not too serious, but just to express crossness: They killed a poet by neglect/And treating him worse than an insect/They said what he wrote was feeble/And should never be read by serious people/Serious people/Serious people/I should say it was serious/To be such people!" Another two-page typed letter, signed, dated March 25th 1967, states: "I still have my love-hate attitude to poetry and now I've so taken against my own that I am saying 'no' to the readings most of the time. I don't know why writing sort of gets me in such a state, peeling potatoes by contrast is so nice" (occasional marginal creasing). (5)