WILLIAM H. HUDSON - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 11/08/1917 - HFSID 273106

WILLIAM H. HUDSON. ALS: "William H. Hudson", 2¾p, 4½x7, conjoined leaves. 10 Springfield Road, St. John's Wood, 1917 November 8. On embossed stationery to "Dear Mr. Thrush". In full: "I have read your poem - not so carefully as I could have wished, but as carefully as this pressure on my time will allow - and I have done so with much interest. I speak quite honestly when I say that it seems to me in many ways a remarkable production for a writer of your age, and it is certainly very promising. In particular, I am struck by its imaginative boldness and by its frequent felicity in expression. Now for a few points of criticism which occur to me. You must, I think, be on your guard against the danger of being twisted by your evident love of intense & picturesque expression. Over-intensity I should [illegible] as one of your faults. In this respect Francis Thompson is not a good model for you, & you would do well to emancipate yourself from his influence. Scrutinize your language critically, & make sure that the words you use are not only rich & full of color but also convey your meaning. A study of William Watson's poetry would, I believe, help to steady you here. Speaking for myself - though I admit that this is at bottom a matter of personal taste - I must also say frankly that I do not think your attempt to combine extreme romanticism with extreme realism is successful. Is this the revival of a desire to blend Thompson & Masefield? After the very visionary opening stanzas the lapse into a rather sordid narrative with its accompanying colloquialism - its 'old chippie' & 'campy' - comes to me with what I consider an unpleasant jar. The poem, in other words, seems to be to be in two tones, & the two tones are not harmonious. I may, of course, be old-fashioned in feeling this, but I give you my opinion for what it may be worth. My congratulations & best wishes. Very faithfully yours". Author, naturalist and ornithologist William Henry Hudson (1841-1922) is best known for his novel, Green Mansions (1904), and for his non-fiction work, Far Away and Long Ago (1931). Hudson, who settled in England in 1869, also wrote a series of ornithological studies, including Argentine Ornithology (1888-1889) and British Birds (1895). These and his books on the English countryside (including Hampshire Days, 1903, and Afoot in England, 1909) helped to foster a back-to-nature movement in the 1920s and 1930s. He was also a founding member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Born to U.S. parents living in Argentina, Hudson is also considered a part of Argentina's national literature as Guillermo Enrique Hudson (the Spanish translation of his name), and an Argentine town and several other public buildings and institutions are named after him. Lightly creased with folds, mid-horizontal fold at signature. Minor transference of print from letterhead between two lower lines. Slightly soiled. Pencil notes (unknown hand) at upper margin of first page and on verso of integral leaf. Overall, fine condition.