Charles Morgan letter to Mademoiselle Engel

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0099-F0928

Staff Only

Scope and Content Note

British writer Charles Morgan (1894-1958) wrote to Mademoiselle Engel concerning the French publication rights to some of his work.

In his lengthy letter, Morgan noted that although he only wished to publish his books with the Paris publisher Stock, he would consider it an honor to contribute to the French publication, La Semaine. He offered to send literary articles, previously published by The Sunday Times, for consideration. Morgan would sell them to La Semaine for a one third of the price paid by The Sunday Times, on the condition that La Semaine arrange for the translation of the published article.

Morgan apologized to Engel for the elaborate message and that this was all he could offer at the moment. He closed the letter by hoping to see Mademoiselle Engel in Geneva.

Dates

Creation: 1946 May 29

Creator

Morgan, Charles, 1894-1958 (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/

Charles Langbridge Morgan (1894-1958)

British writer Charles Langbridge Morgan (1894-1958) wrote several plays, eleven novels, and numerous essays.

Charles Langbridge Morgan 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. During his internment he 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.

This letter suggests that Mademoiselle Engel was known to Morgan and may have been connected to the French publication La Semaine. It is possible that this may be Claire Éliane Engel, French literary critic, translator and writer, who specialized in the history of mountaineering, particularly in the Alps.

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).

"Claire Éliane Engel." Wikipédia. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_%C3%89liane_Engel (accessed February 2013).