Letters of D. H. Lawrence: Volume 8, Previously Unpublished Letters and General Index »

Pensive and insightful, D. H. Lawrence brought to his work a frankness that had been missing from early 20th-century fiction. Though novels such as Lady Chatterly's Lover, Sons and Lovers, and others incited controversy and censorship for their sexual content, Lawrence was not being prurient; he was simply trying to describe the world around him, in both his fiction and his many letters and essays.

This final volume includes 148 recently-discovered letters and a comprehensive critical index to the edition.

Library Journal

Lawrence wrote the 763 letters in this volume in the last 15 months of his life. Most of the letters are previously unpublished; many more are available only in incomplete texts. A large number concern ``business,'' and Lawrence's poor health noticeably saps his energy. The letters are also shadowed by Lawrence's growing awareness that he would die before reaching his 45th birthday. Still, the characteristic Lawrentian spirit is here in abundance. The letters are masterfully but unobtrusively edited by Sagar and Boulton, two English academics. It's fair to say that they know more about Lawrence's life than he knew himself. Volume 8 will mainly provide a comprehensive index to the over 5500 letters of the first seven volumes. This edition of Lawrence's letters will stand as a monument of modern literary scholarship; all research collections should own it.-- Keith Cushman, Univ. of North Carolina, Greensboro

Preface; Acknowledgements; Note on the text; Previously uncollected letters; Additional letters; Corrigenda and addenda, Volumes 1-VII; Index, Volumes 1-VIII.