Home  / DL/A-Z//HARPER C/3 - [Correspondence with Harper Collins 1996-1999]

DL/A-Z//HARPER C/3 - [Correspondence with Harper Collins 1996-1999]

Reference code
DL/A-Z//HARPER C/3
Level of description
Sub-file
Title
[Correspondence with Harper Collins 1996-1999]
Date/s
22/01/1996-08/12/1999
Quantity & Format
18 Letters (typescript and MS)
18 Fax
2 Postcards
10 Press cuttings
1 Printed ephemera
2 Invitation
Personal name
Proffitt, Stuart
Murdoch, Rupert
Creator
Harper Collins
Scope and content
065 is a fax from Harper Collins to Doris Lessing, reproducing excerpts from favourable reviews of her Love, Again to be used as ad copy.

066 is a fax from Stuart Proffitt to Lessing, attempting to arrange dinner. 067 is a confirmation fax regarding the same dinner.

068 is a fax from Harper Collins to Lessing, listing Lessing's publicity events.

069 is a letter from Eddie Bell to Lessing, announcing a welcome dinner for incoming CEO of Harper Collins, Anthea Disney. Somebody [Lessing?] has ticked the letter.

070 is a letter from David Young to Lessing, announcing his resignation from Harper Collins.

071 is a letter from Mandy Kirkby to Lessing, enclosing proofs of her book Play With a Tiger and Other Plays, and inviting her to provide a preface.

072 is a letter from Lessing to Kirkby, informing her of the edits she has made to the proofs of Play With a Tiger and Other Plays. It includes a copy of her preface, titled "Author's Notes". It discusses post-war inter-generational differences in politics.

073 is a fax from Proffitt to Lessing, praising her latest draft of Walking in the Shade and updating her about sales of Under My Skin.

074 is a fax from Jane Beirn of Harper Collins to Lessing inviting her to talk about Idries Shah on the BBC World Service. Lessing hand writes "No".

075 is a photocopied article: "Disney Heights", by Michael Pye, from Harpers & Queen, August 1996. The article profiles new Harper Collins CEO Anthea Disney and mentions Rupert Murdoch. Lessing hand writes: "Brie – Solveig of all people sent me this."

076 is a letter from Anthea Disney to Lessing. She announces that she has taken over as CEO of Harper Collins and states her goal to "build on the strength and reputation" of the publisher. She hopes to suppress "unsettling (and misinformed) gossip". Lessing hand writes "She had left inside I think 18 months".

077 is a letter from Lessing to Proffitt. She states that she is impressed by the appearance of her re-issued books. "Please tell whoever is responsible how very pleased I am."

078 is a fax from Beirn to Lessing arranging promotional events for Walking in the Shade.

079 is a fax from Proffitt to Lessing, sent in reply to an unknown letter. He thanks her for soothing his "agitation" and apologises for distressing her. He discusses proofs of Walking in the Shade.

080 is a fax from Kirkby to Lessing suggesting an edit to Walking in the Shade to prevent the possibility of a libel suit.

081 is a photocopied advertisement from the New York Times Book Review, including Lessing's The Golden Notebook and Under My Skin. Attached is an introductory post-it note from Terry Karten.

082 is a letter from Karten to Brie Burkeman, explaining with regret that he cannot publish Lessing's story about her cat, The Old Age of EL Magnifico, or republish her other stories about her cats, Particularly Cats and Rufus the Survivor.

083 is a letter from Nigel Watts of Harper Collins Religious to Lessing, asking her to choose a favourite poem that expresses her spiritual experience, for an anthology. Lessing hand writes "Grandeur of God. Hopkins".

084 is a letter from Paul Davies of Harper Collins to Lessing, informing her that he has sold the second serial rights to Walking in the Shade to the Daily Telegraph. Mentions a recently published excerpt in Granta magazine.

085 is a fax from Kirkby to Lessing, responding to a [missing] letter from Lessing, apparently attempting to organise something [unclear].

086 is a letter from Proffitt to Lessing, informing her that Walking in the Shade has been included in the Christmas catalogues of Blackwell and Heffers. Mentions Lessing's progress on "Memories of Water" [perhaps Mara and Dann?].

087 is a fax from Beirn to Lessing, arranging an interview with National Public Radio.

088 is a fax from Helen [no surname] of Harper Collins to Lessing, arranging interviews and promotional events.

089 is a fax from Malcolm Edwards to Lessing informing her that he is leaving Harper Collins. Lessing hand writes "Rang to say I am sorry".

090 is an incompletely dated letter from Lessing to Kirkby. She states that there is a problem with the proofs for an unnamed book [Walking in the Shade]: Kirkby has been editing the penultimate version, not the final version. Lessing says she is worried that they will be publishing from a "pretty dicey set of proofs". She hand writes "MANDY KIRKBY URGENT".

091 is a letter from Philip Gwyn Jones of Harper Collins to Lessing, enclosing a catalogue of books published by Flamingo, which are intended to be circulated to the heads of English departments in schools. A page is dedicated to Lessing's works, including Memoirs of a Survivor, The Grass is Singing, London Observed, Martha Quest, The Fifth Child and The Good Terrorist.

092 is a letter from Eddie Bell to Lessing, inviting her to a buffet reception welcoming new Harper Collins CEO Jane Friedman. Lessing ticks the letter.

093-100 are press cuttings regarding a scandal that resulted when Harper Collins blocked publication of a book by former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten, allegedly as part of an effort by Rupert Murdoch to curry favour with the Chinese government. The scandal resulted in the firing of Stuart Proffitt. 093 is an article, "Authors line up to defend sacked editor" from the Independent (28/02/1998); Lessing hand writes "untrue" over the claim that Fay Weldon called for a meeting of Harper Collins authors to protest the departure. 094 is "Writs fly as Patten book ban throws literary world into turmoil" from the Independent (28/02/1998). 095 is "Patten buried by the Digger" from the Observer (01/03/1998). 096 is "Murdoch's Chinese puzzle" from The Guardian (28/02/1998). 097 is an article, "Caught up in Rupert" and a declaration issued by Stuart Proffitt, "They have tried to make me a scapegoat but they have chosen the wrong man" from The Guardian (28/02/1998). 098 is "Now he's gone too far" [referring to Murdoch] from the Independent on Sunday (01/03/1998). 099 is "The bully boy who's never really changed" from the Independent on Sunday [undated]. 100 is "Murdoch may be forced to face court in Patten book row" from the Evening Standard [undated].

101 is a letter from Kirkby to Lessing informing her that publication of the paperback version of Walking in the Shade is being brought forward.

102 is a fax from Therese Herbert of Harper Collins in South Africa to Lessing, announcing the South African release of Walking in the Shade in paperback. Herbert also requests an interview with Sally Burdett. Lessing ticks the fax. 103 is a fax from Herbert to Lessing confirming the interview.

104 is a letter from Kirkby to Lessing confirming some emendations to the text of Walking in the Shade.

105 is a letter from Lessing to Karten, turning down an invitation to attend an award ceremony in New York when there is no certainty that she will win the [unnamed] award. She includes a thank you note to read out in case she wins it. "Writing all that makes me feel as if in fact I have won it, and I am feeling quite a little glow of triumph!" The letter is copied to Beirn.

106 is a letter from Lessing to Karten responding to a [missing] fax from Karten, which concerned a draft of Mara and Dann. She expresses relief that Karten likes the novel, and states that she has "attended to all the small things". She specifically mentions issues of language, section breaks, Mara's name, Mara's circumstances, and the character Daima.

107 is a letter from Harper Collins to Lessing, arranging publicity events for the promotion of Lessing's Mara and Dann. Lessing ticks four events. One event she labels "Cancelled".

108 is a fax from Karten to Lessing, responding to a draft of Ben, in the World [then titled The Fifth Child in the World]. Karten states that she enjoyed the book, but offers criticisms regarding [the character] Ben, his family, his relationship with women, his apparent emotional docility and the development of certain minor characters.

109 is a postcard from Philip [Gwyn Jones] to Lessing, thanking her for a trip to the National Theatre.

110 is a letter from Karten to Lessing enclosing the design for the paperback edition of Mara and Dann. She states that Jonathan Clowes and Harper Collins have "come to terms" on Ben, in the World, the manuscript for which has been greeted enthusiastically. Discusses publication times.

111 is an invitation for Lessing to attend Harper Collins summer party at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

112 is a postcard from Philip [Gwyn Jones] to Lessing, describing his brief for the front cover for Ben, In the World and asking for Lessing's input.

113 is a letter from Lessing to Gwyn Jones. She reports back from the Copenhagen Book Fair, where she says she was wildly popular, signed books until they ran out (about which circumstance she complains), and was described as the "star" of the fair. She complains that despite her evident popularity, she later discovered that the bookshops in Terminal One [of an unnamed airport] were not carrying any of her books, and lays the responsibility on Harper Collins's sales staff.

114 is a letter from Gwyn Jones to Lessing, replying to 113 in sugary terms. He congratulates Lessing for her success in Copenhagen, despite its "complacent" booksellers, and explains the trading tactics of the booksellers in Heathrow's Terminal One [not knowing to which airport Lessing originally referred]. Mentions reissues of The Fifth Child and the cover image of Ben, in the World.

115 is an invitation for Lessing to attend the Harper Collins Authors of 1999 party.
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