So I Have Thought of You

by Penelope Fitzgerald

  I’m going to ask you about 2 things that worry me a little – one is that Ria sent various people from her labs. to buy the Gate of A. but they said they hadn’t got it and didn’t know when they would as Collins was very slow answering, but I’m sure they must have some really, and the other, which I don’t want you to laugh at me about, is that I’m supposed to be giving a talk, or something of the sort, at the Cheltenham festival, on the 18th Oct, and some of these talks are sponsored and some aren’t, but mine is down as being sponsored by Nuclear Electrics, who are surely responsible for the pressurised water reactor at Hinkley Point, which I most strongly don’t approve of, and I can’t believe you do either, they never said anything earlier on about these sponsorships, what do you think about it?

  best wishes

  Penelope

  Karen* is endlessly polite and patient – she must be very tired of hearing the same ‘few words’ time and time again, but she never says so –

  [postcard]

  15 September [1990]

  Thankyou so much for your note – this is the 5th short list our poor book** has been on, and I don’t see how it can do much against J. Updike, but luckily I’ve got too old and worn-out to expect anything.

  Who is ‘Nibby’? I’ll ask you when I next see you, meanwhile best wishes – P

  27a Bishop’s Road

  London, N6

  24 October [1990]

  Dear Stuart,

  Thankyou so much for your letter, (also for the beautiful p.c. of a pink-and-blue Prague, under a pink-and-blue sky). In spite of everything – in spite of poor Simon King’s foot, and poor Richard’s stomach-upset (the pike mousse, I’m sure) and in spite of feeling so sorry for agonised-looking Michael Holroyd, who I suppose had to pick up the pieces – I enjoyed the Booker dinner really, and so did Ria, and it was worth going even if it was only to hear the round of applause when Shakespeare was mentioned – that must have been the Loseley ice-cream and Norwegian fish-oil contingents, the first writer’s name they recognised, I daresay. – Beryl rather under the weather, perhaps, but she’s the only one who really gives the idea of a proper old-fashioned Bohemian, which I suppose is what is needed at an alleged writers’ dinner.

  I don’t think I ought to be either on the short or the long or any other Whitbread list as technically I’m a judge, but as Michael Ratcliffe is one of the fiction judges I know that he’s loyally put me forward – the other 2 judges in my category are Sybille and the dread Malcolm Bradbury, who won’t let me go further in any case. But I don’t mind that a bit – this is what we all feel – by ‘we all’ I mean the enfeebled old scribblers themselves, who I was talking to last Thursday at the R.S.L., where Pat Barker was giving a wonderful lecture on ghost stories. – However most of them were also complaining (William Cooper in particular) that their publishers did nothing for them, and there I certainly didn’t join in. I think you’ve done marvels for the sales of The Gate of Angels. I’ve just had a letter from someone going back to the U.S. on the Q. Eliz 2, who tells me ‘of course, your book was in the ship’s library’ but – of course – there’s no ‘of course’ about it. To revert to the Whitbread – it is all run by one of those superior competition firms, which means going down to Notting Hill Gate and being locked in to a white-painted drinks-and-lunch room until you come to a decision. – the faintly sinister organiser told us he’d been responsible for the Young Guitarists’ Competition and that when he’d asked how long each competitor was to play – and they’d come at their own expense from every quarter of the globe – Segovia replied ‘For one minute only, that is sufficient.’ – Anyway, you couldn’t want nicer fellow-judges than Lynne Truss and Rob Carr-Archer, although (of course) I didn’t agree with them, so we were left with a majority decision, which I suppose I’ll have to announce at some future lunch or other.

  I’m lying flat on my back, looking at a book on painting in East Anglia since 1880 – (this is an entry for the Llewellyn Rhys prize by the way) and there’s a nice Stanley Spencer of Southwold beach, which doesn’t, as it happens, give me the idea of Southwold, but does give me the idea of Stanley Spencer –

  so many thanks, and best wishes –

  Penelope –

  27a Bishop’s Road

  London, N6

  6 November [1990]

  Dear Stuart,

  Thankyou very much for The Haunted Study. I thought it was very good – all Peter Keating’s books are good, and since you say I can keep it, I’m glad to have it. The cover picture I shd. have thought was very difficult, because it isn’t about The Haunted Study at all, or even about the phantasmagoric town, it’s really, as he says, about ‘the business of letters’, (and the attendant alarming business of university studies) – I suppose you really want a dark study with a window looking out at the bright light of popularity, sales returns, chief reps., and so on. – I expect you’ve solved the problem by now, but am just sending a p.c. of Andreyev in his study – certainly no-one would be likely to identify him!

  I’ve just crawled back from the first Whitbread judges’ lunch. Malcolm Bradbury said a few kind words to me about The G. of A., and I felt like throwing the pale green mayonnaise over him. I’m not sure that all these tests of character aren’t too much, as one gets older.

  I’m sorry that The B. of Spring has to go, but that’s something I am used to, there’s no room really here for my books (I mean books I’ve written), but still I would like 2 copies if convenient.

  My American book-dealer has arrived in England and wants the manuscript of the G of A, but I simply can’t remember where I’ve put it –

  best wishes

  Penelope

  [postcard]

  22 January [1991]

  I do wish the pbk. of The Gate of Angels didn’t have to wait such a terribly long time to come out. Couldn’t you put it in a bit earlier, as it’s only a little one, then perhaps they could sell a few at some of these so-called festivals and alleged conferences –

  best wishes Penelope

  27a Bishop’s Road

  London, N6

  2 February [1991]

  Dear Stuart,

  Thankyou very much for lunch yesterday and I was so glad to see you and should like to say again how much I appreciate your finding yet another American publisher for me. I’m sure it can’t have been easy, still, you did it.

  I still feel bemused by the palace of glass.* It’s perhaps designed to bemuse the authors, the elderly ones at any rate, but Mary** was wrong in thinking there were no books to be seen, there are a dozen or so floating like disembodied presences in the atrium. Meanwhile, I was reading the Ruskin you kindly gave me in the underground going back to Highgate. It’s not really a biography, is it, but the story of his ideas. I was disappointed at first because I always make my first estimate of a book on Ruskin by what the writer says about Proserpina, and he evidently hadn’t read it, as he says it’s about geology, but having got over that, and the quite unwarranted appearance of Goethe, (but then it’s a German book so he has to come in somewhere) I did think it was very good in the way he stuck to his main thesis and indeed to the title all the way through.

  Well, you didn’t ask for my opinion: By the way, it was Aubrey de Vere, not perhaps a great authority, who thought listening to FD Maurice’s sermons was like eating pea-soup with a fork, but Jowett said ‘Well, all I could make out was that today was yesterday and this world was the same as the next’ – but I hadn’t got room for that.

  If I get an idea worth asking you about, then I will.

  best wishes

  Penelope

  27a Bishop’s Road

  London, N6

  4 March [1991]

  Dear Stuart,

  Thankyou for the Flamingo catalogue – I quite see that the cover is contemporary, having had over 100 new novels in this room (all cleared away now thank heavens) and all their jackets were like that. You don’t tell me, though, what a ‘generic dump-bin’ is, but I expect the booksellers know.


  If there is a spare copy of G. M. Hopkins do you think I could have one? I can’t give any good reason for asking because I’ve told Isabel* she must get one of her formidable Jesuits to review it – she says they always write far too much, and don’t like being cut – but I should so much like to see it.

  I realise now that you can’t get hold of Malcolm Bradbury, he seems to be made of some plastic or semi-fluid substance which gives way or changes in your hands. That’s what I felt at King’s Lynn.

  And now dreaded Writers Day is coming round – terrible to see so many writers in one place, and they’ve transferred it to Olympia, surely not very sympathetic –

  best wishes

  Penelope

  27a Bishop’s Road

  Highgate, N6

  19 March [1991]

  Dear Stuart,

  I’m now half way through Professor Martin’s Hopkins – by my calculations, it must have taken him about five years, and he is kindly and protective, and so unsensational (doesn’t put in the story about finding a pair of eyes in the nettle-patch at the seminary), so painstaking and level-headed that you can’t help feeling the deepest confidence in him. I don’t think there’s really any evidence at all that GMH was in love with Dolben, but I wish for the Professor’s sake that there were. Well, I’m enjoying it very much, though I don’t think that he (the Professor) probably as a result of having to live for years in Hawaii – has any ear for GMH’s poems at all. Here he is plodding through Felix Randall and he doesn’t seem to notice the nicest thing in it, ‘being anointed and all’, (which is just what they say in Liverpool and Southport, and I shouldn’t think GMH ever heard ‘and all’ until he got to Liverpool) – right in the middle of the sonnet. But the description of St Francis Xavier’s is very good.

  2 of my grandsons were educated by the Jesuits for 2 years in Nicaragua – they had no equipment and had to do long division (I suppose you never had to do that) and sums from a blackboard, and then go out coffee-picking, I think, however, that the pope excommunicated them all on his pastoral visit.

  I’ve never had a word of a novel on paper when I signed the contract – I suppose some people do. My trouble is that now the Booker books will be arriving, and I don’t know how soon I could undertake to do anything –

  best wishes

  Penelope

  [postcard]

  [summer 1991]

  It was very nice to see you at the South Bank last night, I felt it was quite like old times. And thankyou for the pbk jacket of the Gate of Angels. Many people have told me how much they liked it, and one customer said the jacket was the best thing about it. Good wishes from N.York –

  [postcard of Tasmania]

  19 January [1992]

  Thankyou so much for your card – I was very pleased about Human Voices (perhaps David arranged it, I don’t know) and very pleased (incidentally) that Kendall is now a director.

  Must now pull myself together and go and queue for the Mantegna as I see they have sent over one of my favourite pictures of all pictures The Death of the Virgin from the Prado. I only really went over to Spain last Feb: to see it, and now I’ll be able to see it twice in just over a year.

  Martin Gilbert is coming to speak at the Highgate Inst. on Tues. so must see that there are some respectable sandwiches. I couldn’t go, alas, when Richard came.

  very best wishes for everything – Penelope

  [postcard of Brugge]

  [1991]

  Dear Stuart – The American jacket,* well, after the jacket on my poor Knox Brothers I feel I oughtn’t to be upset by anything – the German jacket, showing Moscow in the height of summer I thought feeble, and I don’t really like the American one but I’ve written to Nan A.T.** to say that I do (which shows how much I’ve gone downhill as I never used to tell lies on business matters) and that it’s striking, wh: I suppose it is. What’s the use of arguing with her, I thought.

  I hope it was lovely in Italy, I’m sure it was.

  I’m dreading Bath† as they’ve put me in the Royal Crescent, but I expect I’ll be in the attics – best wishes Penelope

  27a Bishop’s Road

  London, N6

  16 August 1992

  Dear Stuart,

  Thankyou for your letter – I haven’t been ill really, but it was kind of Richard to think I might be. And I hope you’re well, and not on a diet any longer.

  I don’t know about The Golden Child (the title I wanted was The Golden Opinion). I can’t forget the embarrassment of sitting through a long post-Bakhtian analysis of it at Alcalá, the book was only a joke, such as I used to make then. Of course, the Russian part is terribly out of date, and things have got a bit better now even at the British Museum.

  I must have had a contract at some point in the Piano Factory days. I had a long talk with Colin the other day on the Northern Line and he showed me a case full of affidavits, part of his courageous fight with Rowntrees. He says he’s bought back 71% of the firm, but, unfortunately, can’t pay for it, while Anna is writing a book about Ireland. ‘All this religion’ Colin cried. I told him he might look to it for help. All this makes me wonder if he has much interest in his long-ago titles.

  I’m surprised, by the way, that you consider ‘tricky’ and ‘charming’ as opposites, it would be much easier surely if they were.

  I really was glad to hear from you, it was a voice from the past –

  best wishes for everything

  Penelope

  27a Bishop’s Road

  London, N6

  10 January [1993]

  Dear Stuart,

  Thankyou so much for letting me know about At Hiruharama – the British Council made us all write stories (needless to say for practically nothing) which went into an anthology to be imposed on the unfortunate natives of other countries, that must be how the Norwegians got hold of it. However, it’s gone out on Radio 4, 2 or 3 times.

  I heard the story from a New Zealander when we were being rebaptized in the Jordan (or one of its sources, the one the Methodists favour anyway) marvellous wild cyclamen on the banks. It’s most vexatious that you were stopped and I shouldn’t feel as calm about it as you are.

  I should be very grateful if you would write to Mette Fjeldstad for me. The story is totally unsuitable as an example of modern English, but no matter –

  best wishes

  Penelope

  27a Bishop’s Road

  N6

  10 November 1993

  Dear Stuart,

  Thankyou for your letter – I’m in bed with flu, like 1 in 4 of the population, so no-one wants to hear my symptoms, but it makes me feel better to hear from you.

  I was glad that Stock* took The Bookshop. I don’t think they’ve been able to do much with the other two, but no matter. I don’t understand the rights issue either. I did ring up Jim Holden as he is so kind and does so much and I’m still no clearer. He says, ‘Can’t we get hold of this Gerald Duckworth?’ not realising that he is asking for the spectre of a shit. I’m getting on with my ms. but think it more than possible that you won’t much like it, then I have to rewrite it all and find someone who can read my handwriting, or indeed any handwriting.

  Well, you survived, and it all went marvellously –

  The Fulham Palace Road Years –

  best wishes

  Penelope

  [postcard]

  6 May 1996

  Thankyou for the PW* and the telesales brochure, we shouldn’t have known what to do with such a splendid publication in the poor old Sole Bay bookshop. – I feel I’ve been given every chance and hope for the best. – Howard (N York bookseller) coming tomorrow to acquire mss. although I feebly tell him that I haven’t got any – best wishes Penelope

  [postcard]

  10 September [1996]

  Thankyou for the pbk. sales figures, and such a kind letter from the Hubert in the RSC King John about At Freddie’s – admittedly as they’re playing it uncut he must have plenty of time for readi
ng behind the scenes –

  best wishes

  Penelope

  [postcard]

  Dear Stuart – This is just to thank you very much for sparing the time, wh: I very well know is precious, to come to the dreaded ICA – Christopher Hope** is very nice and a very brilliant writer and reader-aloud, but, like all serious S. Africans, a little off his rocker, so I had to do the best I could, and felt very encouraged to see you.

  Best wishes, Penelope

  [Postcard]

  16 January [1997]

  Dear Stuart, Thankyou for your letter – you notice I’m sure that the Declaration of Editorial Independence (this sounds like my History notes at school – we had to have 3 causes for everything and 3 results) is in fact not quite that, but what you say is very kind and encouraging.

  Addison-Wesley now say they’re bringing out C. Mew in paperback, not of course because they’ve sold so many hardbacks, but because they’ve sold so few. (This isn’t exactly how they put it.)

  Hope to see you next Tuesday – it was very nice to meet Suzanne – love Penelope

  [postcard]

  14 February [1997]

  Thankyou for the proof of the jacket for At Freddie’s, I think Watteau’s pathetically knowing little boy comes out very well on the dark background. I’m also returning the proofs of The Bookshop corrected intelligibly I hope although I’ve now got three quite different lists of signs, but perhaps the printers have given up noticing.

  best wishes

  Penelope

  All my papers have now arrived in Tokyo, misread by the air freight company for Texas. It wd. have been quicker to send them by sea.

  27a Bishop’s Road

  London, N6

  24 February [1997]

  Dear Stuart,

  Thankyou for the proof of the Bookshop jacket – you mustn’t think I’m complaining but I did think the young Cicero had come out rather high in colour, (although of course the original has faded a lot), his socks are really pale rose and everything else is keyed to that, but anyway I think you’re much to be congratulated on the whole set. – By the way I thought it was kind of Tom Aitken to send a little letter to the Independent about Human Voices.