DL/A-Z//JONES M - [Correspondence with Mervyn Jones]
Reference code
DL/A-Z//JONES M
Level of description
File
Title
[Correspondence with Mervyn Jones]
Date/s
25/03/1987-15/03/1997
Quantity & Format
8 Letters (typescript and MS)
1 Invitation
1 Invitation
Personal name
Lindsay, Jack
Meredith, George
Meredith, George
Creator
Jones, Mervyn
Scope and content
[1987]
001 is a letter from Mervyn Jones to Doris Lessing, critiquing her recently published non-fiction book The Wind That Blows Away Our Words. He attacks her factual errors, including regarding the motivations for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the state of Afghan politics and society before the invasion. He accuses her of romanticising the Mujahidin, and points out the subjugation of women under strict Islamic law. He accuses her of generalising about the attitudes of the Afghan people. He states that her attacks on the western media for sympathising with the Soviets is based on mistaken beliefs. He accuses her of hypocrisy regarding her moral judgement of the behaviour of oppressive regimes.
002 is a letter from Lessing to Jones, written in reply to 001. She refutes his version of the various invasions of Afghanistan and states that her gloss of history in The Wind That Blows Away Our Words is "quite adequate". She refers to the attitude of the Mujahidin to the Afghan communists as "reasonable". She states that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was motivated by the desire to "grab Afghanistan". She speaks positively about the progress of women's rights before the Soviet invasion. She calls into question the idea that the Mujahidin are fundamentalists. She states that the western press have 'spiked' journalists' stories about Afghanistan. She cites statistics about the number of Afghan refugees.
003 is a letter from Jones to Lessing, drawing their argument to a conclusion.
[1990]
004 is a letter from Jones to Lessing, informing her that his wife has died.
005 is a partially dated letter from Jones to Lessing, written after he had read a Rutgers University talk by Lessing printed in the Partisan Review. He refers to Lessing's statement that the Soviet Union was "simply a failure, by every measurement". He describes recognising that the Soviet Union would fail in 1961, but witnessing left-leaning intellectuals declare that the Soviet Union would overtake the capitalist west for years until it collapsed. Describes the condition of being an ex-communist.
[1994]
006 is a letter from Jones to Lessing, written after reading Lessing's Under My Skin. He states that he had thought Lessing's Martha Quest books already served as her autobiography, but was proved wrong by the "extra perspective" and "extra reflection" in Under My Skin.
007 is a a letter from Jones to Lessing, praising her Love, Again. Mentions that he is writing a biography of George Meredith, following Jack Lindsay.
008 is an undated letter from Jones to Lessing, sent in New York, regretting that they did not walk in Central Park together.
[1997]
009 is an invitation for Lessing to Jones's 75th birthday party.
001 is a letter from Mervyn Jones to Doris Lessing, critiquing her recently published non-fiction book The Wind That Blows Away Our Words. He attacks her factual errors, including regarding the motivations for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the state of Afghan politics and society before the invasion. He accuses her of romanticising the Mujahidin, and points out the subjugation of women under strict Islamic law. He accuses her of generalising about the attitudes of the Afghan people. He states that her attacks on the western media for sympathising with the Soviets is based on mistaken beliefs. He accuses her of hypocrisy regarding her moral judgement of the behaviour of oppressive regimes.
002 is a letter from Lessing to Jones, written in reply to 001. She refutes his version of the various invasions of Afghanistan and states that her gloss of history in The Wind That Blows Away Our Words is "quite adequate". She refers to the attitude of the Mujahidin to the Afghan communists as "reasonable". She states that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was motivated by the desire to "grab Afghanistan". She speaks positively about the progress of women's rights before the Soviet invasion. She calls into question the idea that the Mujahidin are fundamentalists. She states that the western press have 'spiked' journalists' stories about Afghanistan. She cites statistics about the number of Afghan refugees.
003 is a letter from Jones to Lessing, drawing their argument to a conclusion.
[1990]
004 is a letter from Jones to Lessing, informing her that his wife has died.
005 is a partially dated letter from Jones to Lessing, written after he had read a Rutgers University talk by Lessing printed in the Partisan Review. He refers to Lessing's statement that the Soviet Union was "simply a failure, by every measurement". He describes recognising that the Soviet Union would fail in 1961, but witnessing left-leaning intellectuals declare that the Soviet Union would overtake the capitalist west for years until it collapsed. Describes the condition of being an ex-communist.
[1994]
006 is a letter from Jones to Lessing, written after reading Lessing's Under My Skin. He states that he had thought Lessing's Martha Quest books already served as her autobiography, but was proved wrong by the "extra perspective" and "extra reflection" in Under My Skin.
007 is a a letter from Jones to Lessing, praising her Love, Again. Mentions that he is writing a biography of George Meredith, following Jack Lindsay.
008 is an undated letter from Jones to Lessing, sent in New York, regretting that they did not walk in Central Park together.
[1997]
009 is an invitation for Lessing to Jones's 75th birthday party.
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DL - Doris Lessing Archive
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DL/2008 - Doris Lessing Archive 2008 deposit
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DL/A-Z - [A-Z Correspondence of Doris Lessing]
- DL/A-Z//JONES M - [Correspondence with Mervyn Jones]
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DL/A-Z - [A-Z Correspondence of Doris Lessing]
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DL/2008 - Doris Lessing Archive 2008 deposit