D. H. Lawrence D. H. Lawrence A Literary Life John Worthen Palgrave Macmillan ISBN 978-0-333-43353-9 ISBN 978-1-349-20219-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-20219-5 © John Worthen 1989, 1993 All rights reserved. For information write: Scholarly and Reference Division, St. Martin's Press, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 First published in the United States of America in 1989 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Worthen, John. D.H. Lawrence: a literary life / John Worthen. p. cm. - (Literary lives) Bibliography: p. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-312-03524-2 (hc) ISBN 978-0-312-08752-4 (pbk.) 1. Lawrence, D.H. (David Herbert), 1885-1930. 2. Authors, English-20th century-Biography. I Title. II. Series: Literary lives (New York, N.Y.) PR6023.A93Z955 1993 823'.912-dc20 92-41758 IB] CIP First Paperback Edition: March 1993 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ToConni 1 hope to God 1 shall be able to make a living - but there, one must. (Lawrence to Edward Garnett, 18 February 1913) 1 am reading the Life. It is interesting, but also false: far too jammy. Voltaire had made, acquired for himself, by the time he was my age, an income of £3,000 - equivalent at least to an income of twelve thousand pounds, today. How had he done it? - it means a capital of two hundred thousand pounds. Where had it come from? (Lawrence to Dorothy Brett, 24 November 1926) We talked my poverty - it has got on my nerves lately. But next day had a horrible reaction . .. Definitely I hate the whole money-making world, Tom & Dick as well as en gros. But 1 won't be done by them either. (Memorandum by Lawrence, 19 November 1927) Contents Acknowledgements viii Chronology 1885-1932 ix Introduction xx 1 Early Years 1 2 First Year as a Professional Writer: 1912-13 21 3 Success and Catastrophe: 1913-15 30 4 War: 191'>-16 50 5 Poverty: 1917-19 65 6 Struggling Through: 1919-21 88 7 Living Blithely: 1922-25 114 8 Economising: 192'>-27 134 9 1928 143 10 Providing: 1929-30 160 Epilogue 166 Notes 172 Further Reading 181 Index 184 vii Acknowledgements Michael Black read the first draft of this book, gave me a great deal of splendidly pertinent advice and saved me from numerous errors about Lawrence, book-production and publishing. Lindeth Vasey read the manuscript on two different occasions: her marvellous eye for detail and her wide knowledge of Lawrence helped me enormously. Michael Squires greatly assisted me with the details of the publication of Lady Chatterley's Lover; Gerald Pollinger talked to me, wined and lunched me, and answered my questions about publishing and Lawrence from his own unique position of exper­ tise. Richard Dutton was a thoughtful and helpful general editor. James T. Boulton allowed me access to the complete file of Lawrence's correspondence in Birmingham. I am very grateful to him, to Cambridge University Press, and to Laurence Pollinger Ltd and the Estate of Mrs Frieda Lawrence Ravagli, for permission to quote from the works and the letters of D. H. Lawrence. W. H. Clarke and George Lazarus both kindly allowed me access to their manuscript collections; Margaret Needham and Joan King answered my questions with great patience. I am also indebted to the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, to Northwestern University, to the University of Cincinatti, and to the Berg Collection, New York Public Library. The dedica­ tion, however, records the author's debt to the person who heard this book worked-out in its early stages, expounded over the washing-up as it developed, and at last tapped-out with two fingers: and who supported him financially while he wrote about another man's financial problems ... J.W. Oberhausen viii Chronology 1885-1932 This chronology includes a complete list of Lawrence's publica­ tions up to the end of 1919; thereafter, aU his important publica­ tions are listed, and aU those referred to in the text. 11 September 1885 Born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. October 1892-July 1901 Pupil at Beauvale Board School; then pupil at Nottingham High School. 1902-8 Pupil teacher, teacher, and student at University College, Nottingham. 7 December 1907 'A Prelude', in Nottinghamshire Guardian. October 1908 Appointed teacher at Davidson Road School, Croydon. September 1909 Meets Ford Madox Hueffer. November 1909 Six poems in Hueffer's English Review. February 1910 'Goose Fair' in English Review (now edited by Austin Harrison). April 1910 Six poems in English Review. October 1910 Three poems in English Review. 3 December 1910 Engagement to Louie Burrows; broken off on 4 February 1912. 9 December 1910 Death ofDHL's mother, Lydia Lawrence. 19 January 1911 The White Peacock (Duffield). 20 January 1911 The White Peacock (Heinemann). June 1911 'Odour of Chrysanthemums' in English Review. September 1911 'A Fragment of Stained Glass' in English Review. October 1911 Meets Edward Garnett. 4 November 1911 Two poems (sent by Garnett) in Nation. ix x Chronology 1885-1932 19 November 1911 DHL falls ill with pneumonia after weekend with Garnett; resigns his teaching post on 28 February 1912. November 1911 Review in English Review. January 1912 Review in English Review. February 1912 'Second Best' in English Review. Between 3 and 17 March 1912 Meets Frieda Weekley. 16 March 1912 'The Miner at Home' in Nation. 3 May 1912 DHL and Frieda Weekley go to Germany together. 11 May-l June 1912 Six 'Schoolmaster' poems in Saturday Westminster Gazette. 23 May 1912 The Trespasser (Duckworth). May 1912 The Trespasser (Kennerley). June 1912 One poem in English Review. 3 August 1912 'French Sons of Germany' in Saturday Westminster Gazette. 5 August 1912 Starts journey to Italy. 10 August 1912 'Hail in the Rhineland' in Saturday Westminster Gazette. September 1912-March 1913 At Gargnano, Lago di Garda, Italy. December 1912 One poem in Georgian Poetry 1911- 1912. February 1913 Love Poems (Duckworth). 22 March 1913 'Christs in the Tirol' in Saturday Westminster Gazette. March 1913 Review in Rhythm. March 1913 'The Soiled Rose' in Forum. April-May 1913 In Italy and Germany. 29 May 1913 Sons and Lovers (Duckworth). June-August 1913 In England. July 1913 Review in Blue Review. August 191~June 1914 In Germany, Switzerland and Italy. 16 August 1913 'The Fly in the Ointment' in New Statesman. 6 September 1913 'Her Tum' in Westminster Gazette. 13 September 1913 'A Sick Collier' in New Statesman. 13 September 1913 'Strike-Pay' in Westminster Gazette. 17 September 1913 Sons and Lovers (Kennerley). Chronology 1885-1932 xi September 1913 Three Italian sketches in the English Review. 15 November 1913 One poem in New Statesman. November 1913 One poem in Smart Set. 1913 Love Poems (Kennerley). January 1914 Eight poems in Poetry. February 1914 Two poems in English Review. February 1914 Reprint of Love Poems (Duckworth). February 1914 'The Christening' in Smart Set. March 1914 'The Shadow in the Rose Garden' in Smart Set. 1 Apri11914 The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd (Kennerley). 1 April 1914 Five poems in Egoist. 17 April 1914 The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd (Duckworth). 30 June 1914 Takes J. B. Pinker as agent, signs Methuen contract for The Rainbow. June 1914 'Yin Ordinaire' ['The Thorn in the Flesh'] in English Review. July 1914-December 1915 In London, Buckinghamshire and Sussex. 13 July 1914 Marries Frieda Weekley in London. 18 August 1914 'With the Guns' in Manchester Guardian. August 1914 'Honour and Arms' in English Review. October 1914 'The White Stocking' in Smart Set. 26 November 1914. The Prussian Officer and Other Stories (Duckworth): Garnett's title. November 1914 'Honour and Arms' in Metropolitan. December 1914 One poem in Poetry and Drama. December 1914 Six poems in Poetry. 17 Apri11915 Seven poems in Some Imagist Poets. 1 May 1915 One poem in Egoist. 30 September 1915 The Rainbow (Methuen). xii Chronology 1885-1932 4 October 1915 'The Crown' (i) in The Signature. 18 October 1915 'The Crown' (ii) in The Signature. October 1915 'England, My England' in English Review. 1 November 1915 'The Crown' (iii) in The Signature. 13 November 1915 The Rainbow suppressed by magistrate's order. November 1915 Expurgated The Rainbow (Huebsch). November 1915 Two poems in Georgian Poetry 1913-1915. 30 December 1915 ToComwall. 6 May 1916 Five poems in Some Imagist Poets. 1 June 1916 Twilight in Italy (Duckworth). July 1916 Amores (Duckworth). 25 September 1916 Amores (Huebsch). 1916 The Pruss ian Officer (Huebsch). 1916 Twilight in Italy (Huebsch). January 1917 One poem in Egoist. 28 February 1917 One poem in The New Poetry. February 1917 One poem in Egoist. March 1917 'The Thimble' in Seven Arts. March 1917 'Samson and Delilah' in English Review. 14 April 1917 One poem in Some Imagist Poets. May-August 1917 'The Reality of Peace' in English Review. June 1917 One poem in Poetry. July 1917 'The Mortal Coil' (Seven Arts). September 1917 Three poems in English Review. 15 October 1917 After twenty-one months residence in Cornwall, ordered to leave by the military authorities. October 1917-November 1919 In London, Berkshire and Derbyshire. 26 November 1917 Look! We Have Come Through! (Chatto and Windus). January-February 1918 'Love' and 'Ufe' in English Review. May 1918 Two poems in New Paths. June 1918 Three poems in English Review. Chronology 1885-1932 xiii July 1918 Look! We Have Come Through! (Huebsch). October 1918 New Poems (Secker). November 1918-June 1919 Eight American literature essays in English Review. February 1919 Six poems in Poetry. 11 April 1919 'Whistling of Birds' in Athena!um. April 1919 'Tickets Please' in Strand.