D. H. Lawrence: A Literary Life

222 Pages·1993·20.734 MB·English

by  John Worthen (auth.)

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).