[Frederic Vanson, Essex poet and journalist; his wife the painter Olive Bentley.] Eight Autograph Letters Signed and one Typed from Vanson to playwright Christopher Fry, collection of poetry typescripts, and ALS to Fry from Bentley.

See David Gaskin’s obituary of Vanson, Independent, 27 July 1993, and Fry’s entry in the Oxford DNB. The material is in good condition, lightly aged, with one leaf of poetry typescript creased. Vanson’s eight Autograph Letters Signed date from between 29 December 1983 and 12 January 1993. total 11pp, 8vo, and 2pp, 12mo. One of the letters is lacking all but the last (signed) page; the others are complete. Vanson’s Typed Letter Signed is 1p, 8vo. It is undated, but dated by Fry to 14 August (no year, but from the context written in 1992). The nine letters are all signed ‘Frederic’. Olive Bentley’s Autograph Letter Signed is 7pp, 8vo, dated 14 July 1992, and signed ‘Olive’. The correspondence reflects the frustration of Vanson and Bentley over the lack of recognition they are receiving in their ‘various arts’. Writing on 20 December 1988 Vanson appears to refer to Fry’s sadness over the death the previous year of his wife Phyllis: ‘At such times one is faced with only two alternatives (perhaps complementaries?) - the Stoic’s courage or the Christian’s hope. I fancy you will have both but of course there is no easy comfort & no words can be adequate as we both, as users of words, will know.’ He also congratulates Fry on receiving a ‘long overdue’ doctorate, and criticises Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie (‘but then I suppose I view the whole state of the church with no great enthusiasm’). In another letter Vanson reviews his year 1990, describing Walton on Naze as ‘a bit of [a] cultural desert’, and visits from ‘Derrick Gaskin, a poet of some promise in my personal judgment (we were born in adjacent parts of London) and my friend of many years Peter Hardiman Scott’. He describes himself as ‘a compulsive writer’ who is ‘still at it! Not perhaps quite so profusely but still, I believe, well at times. I don’t know why since no one wants to know about my sort of poem these days and though I still get into a no. of “little” reviews, I find the “recognised” outlets closed to me. I suppose it is a species of compulsion neurosis!’ He returns to this theme two years later, observing in 1992 that he has ‘a nice collection of respectful but regretful letters from publishers who seem to like my poems but in the present state of the market etc - - Yet from time to time I still break into verse - a form of insanity?’ In the same letter he reports that ‘Olive has yet again been refused by the R.A. - so would Manet have been I guess!’ At the beginning of 1993 he commends a radio production of Fry’s ‘Boy with a Cart’, and says of his own work: ‘There is a 50/50 chance of my recent collection of poems appearing in ’93 from Brentham Press but it partly depends on Eastern Arts so it is no time for counting chickens. I hope it does see the light of day as I feel it may prove to be my swansong. Of late I’ve written little and it may be that I’ve said all that I have to say. But perhaps - -’. Later in the same letter he writes: ‘Lacking inspiration of a literary kind, and having no real talent for painting/sculpture, I’ve become seriously interested in photography. Not entirely new as I studied the subject at Derby College of Art in the late 40s. Over the years I have contributed photographs to numerous countryside and other magazines but now that I feel less inclined to clamber over fields in search of subjects I’ve turned to what I can do indoors!’ In the typed letter of August 1992, he thanks Fry for accepting the dedication to a collection of poems, before again complaining: ‘It is hard at times to find the motivation to go on writing at all. One sees much inferior rubbish being lionised and so much good work being returned. Nor do I refer only to my own case - a friend who is a very good novelist and whose poetry was once published by C Day Lewis at Chattos is now finding it impossible to place his latest, and he believes, best book of all. Ironically his little book of purely local interest on a country “character” is selling like hot cakes. What is one to do?’ With a further reference to Bentley’s rejection he exclaims: ‘Why, I wonder, do we do it at all and not take the Voltairian advice to cultivate our gardens?’ Bentley’s letter describes the couple’s financial situation in explaining why they cannot visit Fry (‘The position is this: when poll tax water rates electricity bills food & telephone bills - also household repairs have been paid there is enough for one excursion - holiday earch year & that is that, apart from the expenses connected with our various arts.’ In a postscript she writes: ‘Frederic sent work to Murray’s and André Deutsch and got really nice letters back but no and he sent O.U.P. and got a snooty reply - who do they think they are! / It’s good you like his poetry. He really values your opinion.’ The first letter concerns plans for a visit by Fry to John Graham’s exhibition ‘Seven Essex Painters’ (including Olive Bentley), which resulted in the pamphlet ‘Essex Images’ (1984), featuring poems by Vanson: ‘When in Harlow you must of course come in & see us. We’d like you to see some of Olive’s paintings among other things. [...] I’m certain this will be a very successful event but more than that a chance to meet again after so long.’ Ends with reference to Michael Hewlett (‘If only all C of E vicars were like him the Church would be in a healthier state!’). On 25 March 1984 he thanks Fry for giving a ‘superb’ talk: ‘I wish I had a copy of it to read, mark & learn by. All the comment I heard was enthusiastic and your visit will not be soon forgotten.’ He is sending poems for Fry’s ‘amusement’: ‘you are one of the very few whose opinion I truly value!’ Also present are sixteen typed poems on a total of 7pp, 8vo. Three of the pages carry seven ‘Poems after Turgenev’ (‘These poems take as their starting point certain of the prose poems of Turgenev.’); one page carries ‘By Llyn Ogwen, Caernavonshire’; two other pages carry two poems apiece: ‘A Match to Paper’ / ‘The Adolescents’, and ‘Cats’ / ‘The Essential Problem’; one page has four poems: ‘On a Soviet Composer’ / ‘Disclaimer’ / ‘Estuary’ / ‘Cwm Ogwen’. From the Christopher Fry papers.