Norman Nicholson letters to Alan Young

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0099-F0886

Staff Only

Scope and Content Note

These two letters, written by British poet Norman Nicholson to his friend Alan Young, as well as a 1981 clipping regarding Nicholson, were originally laid in a presentation copy of Nicholson's The Shadow of Black Combe.

The book, which was enclosed with the first letter, was a gift to Alan and Rene Young. In addition to sending his book, Nicholson wrote that in January he would be receiving an Honorary Fellowship of Manchester Polytechnic. He discussed some details for the January trip to the ceremony and asked Young if Nicholson and his wife might stay to the Youngs' new home in Manchester.

In his second letter, Nicholson continued to discuss the details of his trip to Manchester and the arrangements for staying with the Youngs. He invited the Young family to visit his home in Millom around Christmas, when they would be traveling to the Bankfield area. He also mentioned a photograph on the back cover of The Shadow of the Black Combe, which he did not choose and thought had a Dylan Thomas reference, but concluded: "but I felt that it would be recognized by very few of the people whom we hoped would buy the book, so I let it stay."

The December 13, 1981, clipping from Observer Review contains a interview with Nicholson by Pendennis.

Dates

Creation: 1978-1981

Creator

Nicholson, Norman, 1914-1987 (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

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/

Norman Nicholson (1914-1987)

British poet Norman Nicholson also wrote verse dramas, novels, literary biography and criticism, and an autobiography titled Wednesday Early Closing. In addition he was an editor of anthologies and gave readings and lectures.

Born January 08, 1914, in Millom, Cumberland (now Cumbria), England, Nicholson began writing poetry at the age of twenty-two. The first appearance of his poems in a book was the publication in 1943 of Selected Poems, a volume which also included poetry by John Hall and Keith Douglas.

Nicholson was awarded the Heineman Prize for poetry in 1945 for Five Rivers, the Cholmondeley Award for poetry in 1967, and the Queen’s Gold Medal for poetry in 1977. Nicholson was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1981. Nicholson died on May 30, 1987.

"Norman (Cornthwaite) Nicholson." Contemporary Authors Online (reproduced in Gale Biography In Context). http://ic.galegroup.com (accessed July 2011).PN Review 13 (Volume 6 Number 5, May - June 1980). http://www.pnreview.co.uk (accessed July 2011).

Alan Young

Dr. Alan Young, Head of Arts Education, Didsbury College of Education, Manchester Polytechnic, was a long time friend of Norman Nicholson. Nicholson and his wife stayed at the home of the Youngs in January 1979, when Nicholson was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Manchester Polytechnic.

Extent

3 item (4 pages)

Additional Description

Abstract

These two letters, written by British poet Norman Nicholson (1914-1987) to his friend Dr. Alan Young, along with a 1981 clipping regarding Nicholson, were originally laid in a presentation copy of Nicholson's The Shadow of Black Combe.