Charles Morgan letter to Mademoiselle

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0099-F0929

Staff Only

Content Description

British writer Charles Morgan wrote to an unidentified woman, whom he addressed as "Mademoiselle," regarding his book A Breeze of Morning and his travels.

In his letter, Morgan identified his current location as the Isle of Anglesey and noted that he "wrote a novel...in the solitudes of this palace!" He thanked the recipient in advance for a book that she had sent to him, but which had not yet arrived. He mentioned that his book Liberties was doing well, in part because both the non-conformists and the Jesuits were praising it. Morgan continued by discussing his book, A Breeze of Morning, which he called a "pure love-story" from the period of his own childhood. He explained that the book's title was a phrase from Tennyson's poem "Maud."

Morgan concluded his letter by listing the cities and dates for his European lecturing tour in May of 1952, by noting that the addressee was lucky to be at Ascona, and by inquiring if Gromyko would still be in Paris.

Dates

Creation: 1951 May 15

Creator

Morgan, Charles, 1894-1958 (Person)

Language of Materials

MNaterials entirely in English.

Conditions Governing Use

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/

Charles Morgan (1894-1958)

British writer Charles Langbridge Morgan wrote several plays, eleven novels, and numerous essays.

Charles Langbridge Morgan was born on January 22, 1894, in Bromley, Kent. He was a cadet in the Royal Navy and later attended naval colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth. From 1911-1913, he served in the Atlantic and China before resigning to pursue a literary career. However, at the outbreak of World War I Morgan volunteered for re-enlistment in the Royal Navy, joining the Naval Brigade forces at Antwerp. In the fall of 1914, Morgan was taken prisoner in Holland, where during his internment Morgan began writing his first novel, The Gunroom (1919) in which he was critical of the British Navy. Morgan again volunteered for service during World War II, and he served in the British Admiralty from 1939-1944.

After studying at Oxford, beginning in 1921, Morgan worked as a drama critic for The Times of London. In 1926, he became the paper’s principal drama critic, a post he held until 1939.

In the 1930s and 1940s, when Morgan’s success as a writer was at its peak, he won three important literary prizes for his novels: the Prix Fémina-Vie Heureuse (1929); the Hawthornden Prize (1932); and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize (1940).

Morgan was one of the few foreigners to become an Académicien in the Institut de France. He also received honorary doctorates from St. Andrews University (LL.D., 1947), Université de Caen (1948), and Université de Toulouse (1948). Morgan died in London, on February 6, 1958.

Morgan, Charles. Selected Letters. Ed. Eiluned Lewis. London: Macmillan, 1967.

"Charles Morgan." Contemporary Authors Online (reproduced in Biography Resource Center). http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC (accessed July 2011).

Extent

1 item (2 pages)

Additional Description

Abstract

British author Charles Morgan (1894-1958) wrote this letter to an unidentified woman with news of literary activities and interests.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase, 2012.

Related Materials

This item forms part of MSS 0099 Miscellaneous Literary and Historical Manuscripts. MSS 0397, Charles Morgan letters to Ronald Armstrong; MSS 0099, F0850, Charles Morgan letters to Mrs. Hotson; MSS 0099, F0889, Charles Morgan letter to unidentified recipient; MSS 0099, F891, Charles Morgan letters to Edith Koch; MSS 0099, F0928, Charles Morgan letter to Mademoiselle Engel