The section of this volume titled “Essays, Reviews, and Other Writings” presents a selection of short nonfiction pieces published by Katherine Anne Porter between 1920 and 1977. It includes versions of all the pieces that Porter reprinted in her collection The Days Before (New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1952) as well as part of Porter’s foreword to that collection. (A list of acknowledgments and credits for previously published material that appeared as part of the foreword has been omitted.) It also adopts the three rubrics under which Porter organized the pieces collected in The Days Before—“Critical,” “Personal and Particular,” and “Mexican”—adding to them a fourth, “Autobiographical.” The table of contents of The Days Before appears in the Notes to the present volume, on page 1062.
The pieces collected in The Days Before were reprinted, many in versions slightly revised by the author, in The Collected Essays and Occasional Writings of Katherine Anne Porter (New York: A Seymour Lawrence Book/Delacorte Press, 1970). Porter began preparing her Collected Essays in the late 1960s, but illness prevented her from making the final selection unassisted. Her work was completed by a “committee of friends” chaired by her editor and publisher, Seymour Lawrence, and including Robert A. Beach Jr., George Core, William Humphrey, Rhea Johnson, and Glenway Wescott. The contents included many essays and reviews published after The Days Before and several uncollected earlier pieces, as well as much material outside the scope of the present selection, including poems, public letters, and three chapters of an uncompleted biography of Cotton Mather. The present selection reprints 51 items from Collected Essays, including the 34 pieces that previously appeared in The Days Before.
Of the remaining 25 items, two, “A Christmas Story” and “The Never-Ending Wrong,” were published as small books during Porter’s lifetime. Seventeen items are taken from posthumous collections: nine from “This Strange, Old World” and Other Book Reviews by Katherine Anne Porter, edited by Darlene Harbour Unrue (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1991), and eight from Uncollected Early Prose of Katherine Anne Porter, edited by Ruth M. Alvarez and Thomas F. Walsh (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1993). Six items—“A Note on The Troll Garden,” “No Masters or Teachers,” “On ‘Flowering Judas,’” “Notes on the Texas I Remember,” “About the Author,” and “The Land That Is Nowhere”—are reprinted here for the first time since their original appearances.
The following list presents a publication history of the items selected for inclusion here, with the texts chosen for the present volume noted.
“I needed both. . .” first appeared as part of the foreword to The Days Before (1952); the remainder of the foreword, as mentioned above, is not reprinted here. The text from The Days Before is used here, under a title supplied by the editor.
CRITICAL: “The Days Before” first appeared in The Kenyon Review (Autumn 1943); it was revised for inclusion in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“Reflections on Willa Cather” first appeared, in much different form, as “The Calm, Pure Art of Willa Cather,” a review of Willa Cather on Writing (1949) in The New York Times Book Review (September 25, 1949). It later appeared, in an expanded version and under its present title, in Mademoiselle (July 1952); it was collected in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here. “A Note on The Troll Garden” first appeared as the afterword to the Signet paperback reprint edition of The Troll Garden by Willa Cather (New York: New American Library, 1961). The text from the Signet edition is used here.
“Gertrude Stein: Three Views” is a set of three items that first appeared in The Days Before (1952). “‘Everybody Is a Real One’” first appeared in New York Herald Tribune Books (January 16, 1927); “Second Wind” first appeared in New York Herald Tribune Books (September 23, 1928); and “The Wooden Umbrella” first appeared, as “Gertrude Stein: A Self-Portrait,” in Harper’s Magazine (December 1947). All three items were revised for inclusion, under the heading “Gertrude Stein: Three Views,” in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted, under the same heading, in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“‘It Is Hard to Stand in the Middle’” first appeared, as “Yours, Ezra Pound,” in The New York Times Book Review (October 29, 1950); it was revised for inclusion, under its present title, in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“Eudora Welty and A Curtain of Green” first appeared as the introduction to A Curtain of Green: A Book of Stories by Eudora Welty (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran, 1943); it was revised for inclusion, under its present title, in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“The Wingèd Skull” first appeared in The Nation (July 17, 1943) and was revised for inclusion in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“On a Criticism of Thomas Hardy” first appeared, as “Notes on a Criticism of Thomas Hardy,” in The Southern Review (Summer 1940); it was revised for inclusion, under its present title, in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“E. M. Forster” first appeared, as “E. M. Forster Speaks Out for the Things He Holds Dear,” in The New York Times Book Review (November 4, 1951); it was collected, under its present title, in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“Virginia Woolf” first appeared, as “Virginia Woolf’s Essays—A Great Art, a Sober Craft,” in The New York Times Book Review (May 7, 1950); it was collected, under its present title, in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
Two book reviews of novels by D. H. Lawrence are presented in this volume under the heading “D. H. Lawrence.” “Quetzalcoatl” first appeared in New York Herald Tribune Books (March 7, 1926); it was revised for inclusion in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here. “A Wreath for the Gamekeeper” first appeared in Shenandoah (Autumn 1959) and was reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“‘The Laughing Heat of the Sun’” first appeared, as “Edith Sitwell’s Steady Growth to Great Poetic Art,” in New York Herald Tribune Books (December 18, 1949); it was collected, under its present title, in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“The Art of Katherine Mansfield” first appeared in The Nation (October 23, 1937); it was revised for inclusion in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“The Hundredth Role” first appeared in New York Herald Tribune Books (October 7, 1928) and was reprinted in “This Strange, Old World” (1991). The text from “This Strange, Old World” is used here.
“Dylan Thomas” is a set of three book reviews that first appeared in Collected Essays (1970). “A death of days. . .” first appeared, as “His Poetry Makes a Difference,” in The New York Times Book Review (November 20, 1955); “A fever chart. . .” first appeared, as “In the Depths of Grief, a Towering Rage,” in The New York Times Book Review (October 13, 1957); and “In the morning of the poet. . .” first appeared, as “In the Morning of the Poet,” in The New York Times Book Review (February 2, 1958). The text of “Dylan Thomas” from The Collected Essays is used here, with subheadings (“A death of days. . . ,” “A fever chart. . . ,” “In the morning of the poet. . .”) supplied by the editor.
“A Most Lively Genius” first appeared in The New York Times Book Review (November 18, 1951) and was reprinted in “This Strange, Old World” (1991). The text from “This Strange, Old World” is used here.
“Orpheus in Purgatory” first appeared in T
he New York Times Book Review (January 1, 1950); it was revised for inclusion in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
Four memorial tributes by Porter to literary figures of her acquaintance are presented in this volume under the heading “In Memoriam.” “Ford Madox Ford” first appeared, untitled, in New Directions in Prose and Poetry (1942) as one of 24 tributes by various writers published under the heading “In Memoriam: Ford Madox Ford, 1875–1939”; it was revised for inclusion, under the title “Homage to Ford Madox Ford,” in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted, as “Homage to Ford Madox Ford,” in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here, under a title supplied by the editor. “James Joyce” first appeared, as part of “From the Notebooks of Katherine Anne Porter,” in The Southern Review (Summer 1965); it was revised for inclusion, as part of “From the Notebooks: Yeats, Joyce, Eliot, Pound,” in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here, under a title supplied by the editor. “Sylvia Beach” first appeared, as “Paris: A Little Incident in the Rue de l’Odéon,” in The Ladies’ Home Journal (August 1964); it was revised for inclusion, under the title “A Little Incident in the Rue de l’Odéon,” in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here, under a title supplied by the editor. “Flannery O’Connor” first appeared, as “Gracious Greatness,” in Esprit (Winter 1964); it was revised for inclusion, under the title “Flannery O’Connor at Home,” in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here, under a title supplied by the editor.
PERSONAL AND PARTICULAR: This volume collects four pieces by Porter on the craft of fiction under the heading “On Writing.” “My First Speech” first appeared in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here. “I must write from memory. . .” first appeared, as part of “Notes on Writing,” in New Directions in Prose and Poetry (1940); it was reprinted, as part of “Notes on Writing,” in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here, under a title supplied by the editor. “No Plot, My Dear, No Story” first appeared in The Writer (June 1942); it was revised for inclusion in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here. “Writing cannot be taught. . .” first appeared, as “On Writing,” in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here, under a title supplied by the editor.
Porter’s written responses to three sets of symposium questions are presented here under the heading “The Situation of the Writer.” “The Situation in American Writing” first appeared, as part of “Symposium: The Situation in American Writing,” in Partisan Review (Summer 1939); it was collected, under the title “1939: The Situation in American Writing,” as the first item under the heading “Three Statements about Writing” in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted, in the same manner, in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here, under a title revised by the editor. “Transplanted Writers” first appeared, as part of the symposium “Transplanted Writers,” in Books Abroad (July 1942); it was collected, under the title “1942: Transplanted Writers,” and as the third item under the heading “Three Statements about Writing,” in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted, in the same manner, in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here, under a title revised by the editor. “The International Exchange of Writers” first appeared, as “Remarks on the Agenda by Katherine Anne Porter,” in The Arts and Exchange of Persons—Report of a Conference on the Arts and Exchange of Persons Held October 4 and 5, 1956, at the Institute of International Education (New York: Institute of International Education, 1956); it was reprinted, as “Remarks on the Agenda,” in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here, under a title supplied by the editor.
Four pieces by Porter commenting on her own fiction are presented in this volume under the heading “The Author on Her Work.” “No Masters or Teachers” first appeared in New Voices 2: American Writing Today, edited by Don M. Wolfe (New York: Hendricks House, 1955). The text from New Voices 2 is used here. “On ‘Flowering Judas’” first appeared, as “Katherine Anne Porter: Why She Selected ‘Flowering Judas,’” in This Is My Best, edited by Whit Burnett (New York: The Dial Press, 1942). The text from This Is My Best is used here. “The only reality. . .” first appeared as the introduction to the Modern Library edition of Flowering Judas and Other Stories (New York: Modern Library, 1940); it was collected, under the title “1940: Introduction to Flowering Judas,” as the second item under the heading “Three Statements about Writing” in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted, in the same manner, in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here, under a title revised by the editor. “‘Noon Wine’: The Sources” first appeared in The Yale Review (September 1956) and was reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“Notes on the Texas I Remember” first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly (March 1975). The text from The Atlantic Monthly is used here.
“Portrait: Old South” first appeared in Mademoiselle (February 1944); it was collected in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“A Christmas Story” first appeared in Mademoiselle (December 1946). In 1958 it was privately printed in a hardcover edition of 2,500 copies for distribution as a Christmas gift to the staff and associates of Mademoiselle magazine. In 1967 it was published as A Christmas Story (New York: A Seymour Lawrence Book/Delacorte Press), with an afterword by Porter and drawings by Ben Shahn. The text from the Delacorte edition is used here; the afterword appears in the Notes to the present volume, on page 1070.
“Audubon’s Happy Land” first appeared, as “Happy Land,” in Vogue (November 1, 1939); it was revised for inclusion, under its present title, in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“The Flower of Flowers” first appeared in Flair (May 1950); it was collected in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“A Note on Pierre-Joseph Redouté” first appeared, as “Pierre-Joseph Redouté,” in Flair (May 1950); it was collected, under its present title, in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“A House of My Own” first appeared, as “Now at Last a House of My Own,” in Vogue (September 1, 1941); it was revised for inclusion, under its present title, in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“The Necessary Enemy” first appeared, as “Love and Hate,” in Mademoiselle (October 1948); it was revised for inclusion, under its present title, in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“‘Marriage Is Belonging’” first appeared in Mademoiselle (October 15, 1951); it was collected in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“A Defense of Circe” first appeared in Mademoiselle (June 1954). It was revised for its publication in 1955 by Harcourt, Brace & Co., in a hardcover edition of 1,700 copies, as a “New Year’s Greeting” to the friends of the author and publisher. The Harcourt text was reprinted, with an author’s note, in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“St. Augustine and the Bullfight” first appeared, as “Adventure in Living,” in Mademoiselle (July 1955) and was revised for inclusion, under its present title, in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“Act of Faith: 4 July 1942” first appeared, as “American Statement,” in Mademoiselle (July 1942); it was revised for inclusion, as “American Statement: 4 July 1942,” in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted, under its present
title, in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“The Future Is Now” first appeared in Mademoiselle (November 1950); it was revised for inclusion in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
“The Never-Ending Wrong” first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly (June 1977); it was reprinted, with added foreword and footnotes, as The Never-Ending Wrong (Boston: Atlantic Monthly Press/Little, Brown & Co., 1977). Porter dedicated the book to her personal secretary, William R. Wilkins. The text of the book edition is used here; the foreword appears in the Notes to the present volume, on page 1073.
MEXICAN: “Why I Write About Mexico” first appeared, as a contributor’s note to the story “The Martyr,” in The Century Magazine (July 1923); it was revised for inclusion, under its present title, in The Days Before (1952) and reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
Six journalistic pieces written by Porter in 1920–22 are collected in this volume under the heading “Reports from Mexico City.” “The New Man and The New Order” first appeared in The Magazine of Mexico (March 1921) and was reprinted in Uncollected Early Prose (1993). The text from Uncollected Early Prose is used here. “The Fiesta of Guadalupe” first appeared in El Heraldo de México (December 13, 1920). It was revised for inclusion in Collected Essays (1970) and the original Heraldo text was reprinted in Uncollected Early Prose (1993). The text from Collected Essays is used here, with an emendation suggested by the editors of Uncollected Early Prose: at page 883.3 the words “Over that painted and carved bit of wood,” from the original Heraldo text, replace the words “They have parted a carved bit of wood” in the text published in Collected Essays. “The Funeral of General Benjamín Hill” first appeared in El Heraldo de México (December 17, 1920) and was reprinted in Uncollected Early Prose (1993). The text from Uncollected Early Prose is used here. “Children of Xochitl” first appeared in Uncollected Early Prose (1993); it is based on an 11-page typescript in the Katherine Anne Porter Papers, Archives and Manuscripts Department, University of Maryland Libraries, College Park, Maryland, and was given its title by the editors of Uncollected Early Prose. (A variant of the piece appeared, as “Xochimilco,” in The Christian Science Monitor, May 31, 1921.) The text from Uncollected Early Prose is used here. “The Mexican Trinity” first appeared in The Freeman (August 3, 1921); it was revised for inclusion in The Days Before (1952) and was reprinted in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here. “Where Presidents Have No Friends” first appeared in The Century Magazine (July 1922) and was revised for inclusion in Collected Essays (1970). The text from Collected Essays is used here.
The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter Page 118
