An Inventory of His Letters at the Harry Ransom Humanities
Research Center
Creator
Russell, Leonard,
1906-
Title:
Leonard Russell Letters
Dates:
1945-1972 (bulk 1948-1960)
Extent:
.5 box (.21 linear feet)
Abstract
The collection comprises
three folders of letters to Russell from writers, literary critics, artists,
actors, statesmen, and other prominent persons in England. Although most of the
letters pertain to Russell's tenure at the
Sunday Times, some are more personal in
tone, and a few are addressed to both Russell and his wife. Most of the letters
are incoming only; a small number include carbon copies of Russell's replies.
Taken as a whole, the letters provide insight into the literary scene of post
World War II Britain.
Call Number:
Manuscript Collection MS-03661
Language:
English.
Access
Open for research
Administrative Information
Acquisition
Purchases, 1990 & 1995 (R11958, R13328)
Processed by
Katie Salzmann, 1995; Sarah Demb, 1996; Jennifer Peters, 1996
Leonard Russell, editor and literary anthologist, was born in London in
1906. He began his career in journalism at the
Daily Telegraph registering the editor's
incoming review copies. Cyril Lakin later made Russell an assistant when Lakin
was appointed literary editor of the
Daily Telegraph in 1929, and of the
Sunday Times in 1933. When Russell succeeded
Lakin literary editor of the
Sunday Times in 1945, he contracted talents
such as Cyril Connolly, Harold Hobson, Raymond Mortimer, and Hugh Trevor-Roper,
who helped make the
Sunday Times a leading voice in the literary
community. He remained literary editor of the
Sunday Times until 1954.
In addition to these accomplishments, Russell founded
The Saturday Review in 1941, worked briefly
on
Go magazine after leaving the
Sunday Times, and later returned to the
newspaper, where he edited a succession of serials that changed the character
of Sunday journalism and increased the
Sunday Times' circulation dramatically.
Notable serializations under Russell's direction include Lord Montgomery's
memoirs, Somerset Maugham's
Ten Novels and Their Authors, and William
Manchester's
Death of a President.
In his later years Russell was involved in several publishing projects,
including
The Pearl of Days, an unofficial history of
the
Sunday Times.
Russell married film critic Dilys Powell in 1943, and they remained
together until his death in 1974.
Scope and Contents
The Leonard Russell Letters, 1945-1972 (bulk 1948-1960), comprise three
folders of correspondence. The letters are divided by Ransom Center accession
number into two parts, each reflecting a separate acquisition, the first a
purchase from Mrs. E. O. Russell, and the second a purchase from the dealer
Bertram Rota. The collection contains letters to Russell from writers, literary
critics, artists, actors, statesmen, and other prominent persons in England.
Although most of the letters pertain to Russell's tenure at the
Sunday Times, some are more personal in
tone, and a few are addressed to both Russell and his wife. Most of the letters
are incoming only; a small number include carbon copies of Russell's replies.
Taken as a whole, the letters provide insight into the literary scene of post
World War II Britain.
The first folder (accession R13328) contains letters received by Russell
in response to his requests for contributions to the
Sunday Times, dating 1948-1957. All of the
letters concern the
Sunday Times' year-end book recommendations.
They are from a number of prominent people whom Russell invited to give their
choices for the best books published during the year. Notable in this first
folder of letters are those from Lady Violet Bonham-Carter, T. S. Eliot, E. M.
Forster, Graham Greene, John Masefield, Somerset Maugham, Laurence Olivier,
Edith Sitwell, and Evelyn Waugh. Of particular interest is Russell's
correspondence with Edith Sitwell regarding censorship of book nominations.
The other two folders (accession R11958) contain letters from authors,
artists, literary critics, and other contributors to the
Sunday Times. Also arranged alphabetically,
but with a broader date range, the letters include single exchanges with
notable writers such as Robert Graves, Aldous Huxley, and Storm Jameson, as
well as multiple letters from Russell's literary friends Richard Church,
Desmond MacCarthy, J. B. Priestley, and others. Generally pertaining to the
Sunday Times, the letters contain references
to the authors' current projects, news about mutual literary acquaintances, and
responses to Russell's requests for contributions. Of particular importance in
this collection is the correspondence from Nancy Mitford, who wrote articles
for the newspaper from Paris. Covering the years 1950-1955 and 1965, these
letters include many of Russell's carbon replies as well as a 2 1/2 page
unfinished manuscript by Mitford on the Salon d'Ars Menagers in France. Other
correspondents of note are H. E. Bates, Terence Rattigan, Colin Wilson, and
Leonard Woolf. Also present are ink sketches by John Hayward, Leonard Rossman,
and Tveda.
Index terms
Correspondents:
Bates, H. E. (Herbert
Ernest), 1905-1974
Berlin, Isaiah,
Sir
Bonham-Carter, Violet
Asquith, Lady, 1887-1969
Church, Richard, 1893-
Eliot, T. S. (Thomas
Stearns), 1888-1965
MacCarthy, Desmond,
1877-1952
Maugham, W. Somerset
(William Somerset), 1874-1965
Mitford, Nancy,
1904-1973
Priestly, J. B. (John
Boynton), 1884-
Sitwell, Edith, Dame,
1887-1964
Whistler, Laurence, 1912-
Wilson, Colin, 1931-
Woolf, Leonard,
1880-1969-
Subjects:
Sunday times (London:
England: 1931).
Books and reading--Great
Britain
English newspapers--Sections,
columns, etc.--Reviews
