* CANADIAN THESES ON MICROFICHE SBN THESES CANALIENNES SUR MICROFICHE I • T National Library of Canada j Bibliotheque nationale du Canada Collectians Development Branch Direction du devefoppement des collections Sanation Theses on Service des theses canadiennes • Microfiche Service sur microfiche' Ottawa, Canada 'K1A0N4 NOTICE AVIS The quality of this microfiche is heavily dependent La qualite de cette microfiche depend grandement de upon the "quality of the original thesis submitted for la qUalite de la these soumise au microfilmage Nous microfolrnmg, Every effort has been made to ensure avons tout fait'pour assurer une qualite supeneure the highest quahty'of reproduction possible de reproduction If pages are missing, contact the university which S'II manque des pages, veu'illez communiquer granted the degree ' ,. avec I'universite qui a confere le grade Some pages may have rnd"istinct print especially La qualite d'impression de ceYtaines pages peut if the original pages were typed with a poor typewriter [aisser a desirer, surtout si les* pages onojnales ont ete ribbon or if thB university sent us a poor photocopy dactylographies a I'aide d'un'ruban use ou si I'univer site n.ous a fait parvenir une photocopie de mauvaise . qualite « Previously ' copyrighted rha"tenalsrh<3 , (journal articles, Les dotuments qui font deja Tobjet d'qn droit .published tests/etc) are not filmed "W d'auteur (articles de revue, examens publies, etc ) ne sont pas microfilmes I r Reproduction in full or in part of this film is gov " La reproduction, merrie partielle, de ce microfjlm erned by the Canadian Copyfight Act, RSC 1970. est soumise a la Lof canadienne sur le droit d'auteur, c, C-30 Please read the authorization forms which SRG 1970, c C-30 Vewflez prendre connaissance des accompany thjs thesis ' < formulesd'autorisation qui accompagnent cette these THIS DISSERTATION LA THESE A ETE . ' HAS BEEN MICROFILMED MICROFfLMEE TELLE QUE EXACTLY AS RECEIVED NOUS L'AVONS RECUE NL-339 (r 82/08) Canada .% > V 1 JOHN LEHMANN " EDITOR AND ARBITER OF TASTE: \ » 1936-1950 A ©PETER ROBERT, RANS * * • 1 . CR Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies 4 Dalhousie University * In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for ,the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy June, 1984 Halifax, Nova Scotia J 4 ' ' ' * Abstract This dissertation is concerned with the editorial career of John Lehmann between 1936 and 1950. As the editor of New Aiiiins, Folios of Hew Writing, Daylight^ New Writing and djjVUftht, Penguin Hew Writing and Orpheus,^^ was a;bie to influence the development of English literature in*the thirties and fbrties. He was also able to introduce $ nujnber of foreign writers Wan English" reading public through, these magazines.. 0 Lehmann's editorial choices, "and the advice he gave to many would-be contributors, enable us to scrutinize one special case * of the relationship between politics and literature in the 'thirties and fofties. 'This period of English literature was the last occasion on wJii-ch a whole section of the literary world self-consciously "tried to make literature into "public" writing— •"that is, writing which would influence social and political conditions. The thesis explores Lehmann's chasging attitude to working-class reportage, to the SoViet realists and to politics, as well a§ his commitment to publish the^best writing "available to him as arn editor. All of Lehmann's magazines\are considered in their historical conteKt. No attempt is madeNto judge Lehmann's talent as a poet, .nor" to engage in the intensive theoretical debate waged around "socialist realism." Instead, Lehmann's magazines are analysed for their content and for the editorial rationale behind their composition. 'i iii . f *J ' . & Abbreviations The following is a list of abbreviations used in the notes'" and the body of the text: _^ > • A.L.S. Autographed letter signed. A.Ms. Autographed manuscript. ; f A.' revisions Autographed revisions./ ^ A.T.L.I. ' 'Autographed typed letter initialled. I F.fl.w. ' folios of Hew" Writing. H.R.C. Humanities Research Center at Austin, Texas. • HJL. New Writing, ' N.W.p. New Writing, and DayliKht. ^ ;. - -+ \ P.N.W. Penguin Hew Writing.- . x T.C.C.L. Typed carwon copy letter. xr < T.L.S. Typed letter signed. T.c.c.Hs.S. Typed oprboh copy manuscript signdd. T.tjs^ . Typed Manuscript, iv •I Acknowledgements - My thanks are due to Dr. Rowland Smith for his persistant' criticism, support-and advd.ce as my supervisor, and to Dr. Bruce' * » Stovel and Dr. John Fraser for their helpful criticism of my opinions; to Dean Leffek of -Dalhousie Graduate Studies who gave me mocr^ financial support than I had a right to expect; to Ellen » Dunlap and all the staff at the Humanities Research Center in Austin,* Texas, for their tolerance of my vising their facilities and for their efficient*management of the Lehmann collection; to John Lehmann for allowing me to interview him (I hope there ic nothing in this thesis to give offence to a man whose life's work I admire); and to Lisa and Joshua, Nikki and Susan, all of-whom haye paid a pVice forj the writing of this thesis. ')\ ' .*. \ (.. / •X ,v, - :-J \ Dedica,ti'on With Much Love and Gratitude . ; 0 Nfor my parents* Doug and Joan Rans', . and their belief in "education"- N .. 9 V-}' J I ! Table of Contents • * Title page Copyright, form t. Abstradt Abbreviations Acknowledgements Dedication Table/ of contents Introduction Chapter I New Writing Chapter II Ntevf Writing: Th,e, International Element Chapter III Folios py New Writing Chapter IV PayllKht and New Writing and Daylight Chapter V Penguin New Writing Chapter VI ,. .Jphn Lehmann and Poetry ConclusfoTF Appendix Bibliography / vii Introduction * John Lehmann's editorial careerfejctends from 1936 to 1961. It is the intention of this thesis to"explore this career between 1936 and 1950, when he was most clearly one of the most important figures in,English letters. He began his literary career in 1931 with the public£tion.by the Hogarth Press of'a book of poetry. Increasingly his interests tWned towards publishing, journalism and editing. This thesis makes no' attempt to analyse how good a • ' . poet Lehmann was, nor how good he could have been if he had concentrated on writing poetry, although some of his poetry will be di-scussed' as it appeared in New Writing and' Penguin New Writing. Lehmann came from a distinguished family* He was friendly with many of the left-wing • intellectuals of the thirties, and like another major editor of the period, Cyril Connolly, he went to Eton and Oxbridge. By examining thfc conteijt. of the various magazines he edited, it is.possible to draw some conclusions about the political and philosophical concerns of the writers of the thirties and forties. The focus of this thesis is upon Lehmann's changing perceptions of the appropriate 0 relationship between politics and literatur^e.- * The thesis traces Lehmann's editorial career by seekl/g the common themes and is'sues which emerge from the short stlories, poetry and articles he published.' In addition, the thesis * - \ explores how one magazine differed from another. This study Haas ••*» •'2 involved extensive research in the Humanities Research Center at Austin, Texas, where many of Lehmann's letters, diaries*and unpublished manuscripts are located. I was also able to interview Lehmann, in London, in the summer of '1981; this Interview centred on how Lehmann felt in retrospect «about many of the contributions to his magazines, as well as how he felt about .his career as a whole. The interview took place in his flat just off the Gloucester Road, which was filled with French period- furniture' and lined with books. These articles suggested the Edwardian grace of hi3 family background which supported him through years of literary struggle. Lehmann's three-volume autobiography is one of the finest of its kind to cpver the period under consideration irr this thesis. All of the biographical information in the following pages isUrawn from this work. • ^. John Lehmann was born in 1907, He spent his early years living at Bourne End, Hertfordshire, in 'the family- home, 'Fieldhead, whose gardens bordered on the Thames, His father regularly contributed light verses and sketches to Punch under- the initials R.C.L. For a brief period during the Boer War his father edited the Daily News. In the 1905-6. and 1910 elections his £&ther was returned as a Liberal member for the Market Harborough Division of Leicestershire. Lehmann describes his father as a radical Liberal and suggests that had his father J.iv'ed longer he would have found a political home in the Labour PartyJ Two of Lehmann's sisters, Rosamond and Beatrix, were - successful public figures; Rosamond became a novelist and Beatrix V one, of,the finest character actresses of the thirties and k v forties. t • « Lehma'nn was sent to Efcan ,in 1^fe1 where he met*sueh later - -^ - • *' • literary coll"eagties a.s George Orwell, Cyril .Goi\nolly, Anthony Powell, Henry Green, Harold Acton, Rupert Hart-Davis,*Alan >ryce- Jone^s and Freddie Ayer. He attended Eton for five years and then went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied classic^, and later history and modern languages. He also concentrated on reading widely in literature, in which he was'encourage^kand guj.ded by George Rylands. Two" of Lehmanrv's clc4NJM friends at Cambridge were Julian Bell and Michael Redgrave. LeTBrann contributed poems an'd woodcuts to the first number of The Veifcure which appeared in 1928, artB which was edited by^Robin Fedden.and Anthony Blunt. In the following year he joined Michael Redgrave t • and became assistant editor of the Cambridge -Review.. •• When Lehmann left Cambridge In 1930 he obtained.employment Cfcl in the Prints and Drawings Department of tihe British Museum and-, .