DL/A-Z//KNA - [Correspondence with Mona Knapp]
Reference code
DL/A-Z//KNA
Level of description
File
Title
[Correspondence with Mona Knapp]
Date/s
1982-1983
Quantity & Format
6 Letters (typescript)
1 Documents
1 Documents
Creator
Knapp, MonaCreator
Lessing, Doris May, 1919-2013
Scope and content
7 items, some highlighted. Correspondence between literary critic Mona Knapp and Doris Lessing, regarding a monograph that Knapp is crafting on Lessing's work. Includes a copy of the biographical draft on Lessing (item 007).
DL/A-Z//KNA/001 [from Mona Knapp to Doris Lessing, 18/05/1982]
Letter, 1 leaf, typed.
Writes that she has been commissioned to do a monograph on Lessing's work. Asks whether Lessing would answer a few questions for the biographical sketch, and whether Lessing would be willing to look through the manuscript. Lessing handwrites on the letter "yes".
DL/A-Z//KAN/002 [from Mona Knapp to Doris Lessing, 31/05/1982]
Letter, 2 leaves, typed.
Thanks Lessing for agreeing to answer her questions. Page 2 is a list of these questions, asking to confirm dates, publication history, and whether she is the author of a list of plays and TV plays. Includes a draft of the manuscript for Lessing to read through and make suggestions (item 007).
DL/A-Z//KNA/003 [from Doris Lessing to Mona Knapp, 12/06/1982]
Letter, 9 leaves, typed.
Highly detailed response to Knapp's biographical questions and notes on the drafted manuscript.
Page 1:
Mentions Southern Rhodesia, and that her parents emigrated there in 1924. Discusses her early novels, poems and short stories, which she writes were "all very bad". Writes that she was the author of 'Before the Deluge', also known as 'Mr. Dollinger', as well as 'The Storm' and 'The Singing Door'. Mentions Curtis Brown.
Page 2:
Writes that she was the author of 'Please Do Not Disturb', 'Care and Protection', 'Between Men', 'Play with a Tiger', 'The Truth About Billy Newton', and 'Each his Own Wilderness'. Writes that she was one of three authors for a television series of plays based on Guy de Maupassant. Writes that "Granada wiped them", and this "shows the contempt T.V. has for itself". Discusses that her mother was called Maude, not Emily, and her father was called Michael, not Alfred. Writes "you really must not call them Emily and Alfred". Mentions that she worked for two families in Salisbury (now Harare) as an au pair.
Page 3:
Confirms that during the war she first published "short stories and (bad) poems" in local magazines, but she can't remember the names. Writes that she never studied to certify for court reporting and "secretarian" work, but did learn shorthand for a few weeks, but "parties and sundowners were more attractive". Writes that "in no way" was the Marxist Group affiliated with the Rhodesia Labour Party. Writes that the Marxist Group was an "amateur, fluxing, invented group". Discusses the definition of "humanism". Corrects the manuscript where it was implied that Lessing needed an emigration permit, "I had a Rhodesian passport". Writes that she "did not live on the money from The Grass is Singing", as Knapp had implied. Writes that she made very little money for "ten or twelve years".
Page 4:
Writes that she doesn't like Retreat to Innocence, and doesn't allow it to be reprinted. Says it was "a wonderful theme", but feels like she didn't do it justice. Discusses housing and why it was implied that she moved around a lot. Writes that she "has not always supported demonstrations, petitions and political causes". Mentions colonial freedom and marching for the C.N.D (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament). References the communist party and how she was "formally" a member but did not attend meetings. Writes that she was "supposed" to be active in the New Left in the sixties but was not.
Page 5:
Writes that she had to "get away to England" from a society (Rhodesia?) that was "suffocating" her. Discusses the delegation to the Soviet Union. Writes that she "bitterly regret[s] ever having had anything to do with it". Discusses whether it is a good idea to write in the biography that Lessing received money from Soviet sources, as it is "hard to say" what sources they were. Writes that she'll be accused of taking "red gold". Mentions that she was a theatre critic for six weeks at The Observer, when Kenneth Tynan was on leave. Writes that she was "not necessarily" declared a prohibited immigrant because of her communist status, and suggests that it may have been her "critical attitudes" in her stories and in articles. Discusses The Golden Notebook and that the "important point" is the structure, that "we separate things off from other, make boxes and divisions in our minds".
Page 6:
Discusses Sufi influences. Writes that her most "Sufi" book was The Golden Notebook, before she "had heard of mysticism". Writes that she doesn't agree that A Ripple from the Storm is considered the weakest of her work. Writes that she never did psychoanalysis, but two years of "rather vague, amateur" psychotherapy. References The Inner World of Mental Illness and the work of Laing et al. Corrects the manuscript that writes that Lessing gave lectures in 1969 in the U.S., but instead gave seminars. Mentions Bob Gottlieb.
Page 7:
Writes that she believes Briefing for a Descent Into Hell is "one of the best books" she has written, that she is "not as pleased" with Summer Before the Dark, and she likes Memoirs of a Survivor. References D.H. Lawrence. Discusses editing and rewriting, "knots" and the "flow" of writing. Writes how much she dislikes The Doris Lessing Newsletter "and all that it stands for".
Page 8:
Discusses The Small Personal Voice and how she disagrees with "much" she said then, that she was "suffering from liberal delusions". Discusses the "unique fate" of writers being not allowed to change their minds, and that their "most ill-considered thought" and "most immature remark" will be quoted forever. Discusses rewriting and reworking again, referring to "knots". Discusses her divorce with Frank Wisdom and marriage to Gottfried Lessing. Mentions her previous work as a typist. Discusses the "vitality" of The Golden Notebook, and the different readership interests in her work.
DL/A-Z//KNA/004 [from Mona Knapp to Doris Lessing, 20/06/1982]
Letter, 2 leaves, typed.
Thanks Lessing for the detail and effort put into her reply. Asks whether Lessing would allow her to quote directly from the letter in the monograph. Discusses some of the points that she had incorrectly reported in her draft, such as the Soviet support. Mentions the Doris Lessing Society.
DL/A-Z//KNA/001 [from Mona Knapp to Doris Lessing, 18/05/1982]
Letter, 1 leaf, typed.
Writes that she has been commissioned to do a monograph on Lessing's work. Asks whether Lessing would answer a few questions for the biographical sketch, and whether Lessing would be willing to look through the manuscript. Lessing handwrites on the letter "yes".
DL/A-Z//KAN/002 [from Mona Knapp to Doris Lessing, 31/05/1982]
Letter, 2 leaves, typed.
Thanks Lessing for agreeing to answer her questions. Page 2 is a list of these questions, asking to confirm dates, publication history, and whether she is the author of a list of plays and TV plays. Includes a draft of the manuscript for Lessing to read through and make suggestions (item 007).
DL/A-Z//KNA/003 [from Doris Lessing to Mona Knapp, 12/06/1982]
Letter, 9 leaves, typed.
Highly detailed response to Knapp's biographical questions and notes on the drafted manuscript.
Page 1:
Mentions Southern Rhodesia, and that her parents emigrated there in 1924. Discusses her early novels, poems and short stories, which she writes were "all very bad". Writes that she was the author of 'Before the Deluge', also known as 'Mr. Dollinger', as well as 'The Storm' and 'The Singing Door'. Mentions Curtis Brown.
Page 2:
Writes that she was the author of 'Please Do Not Disturb', 'Care and Protection', 'Between Men', 'Play with a Tiger', 'The Truth About Billy Newton', and 'Each his Own Wilderness'. Writes that she was one of three authors for a television series of plays based on Guy de Maupassant. Writes that "Granada wiped them", and this "shows the contempt T.V. has for itself". Discusses that her mother was called Maude, not Emily, and her father was called Michael, not Alfred. Writes "you really must not call them Emily and Alfred". Mentions that she worked for two families in Salisbury (now Harare) as an au pair.
Page 3:
Confirms that during the war she first published "short stories and (bad) poems" in local magazines, but she can't remember the names. Writes that she never studied to certify for court reporting and "secretarian" work, but did learn shorthand for a few weeks, but "parties and sundowners were more attractive". Writes that "in no way" was the Marxist Group affiliated with the Rhodesia Labour Party. Writes that the Marxist Group was an "amateur, fluxing, invented group". Discusses the definition of "humanism". Corrects the manuscript where it was implied that Lessing needed an emigration permit, "I had a Rhodesian passport". Writes that she "did not live on the money from The Grass is Singing", as Knapp had implied. Writes that she made very little money for "ten or twelve years".
Page 4:
Writes that she doesn't like Retreat to Innocence, and doesn't allow it to be reprinted. Says it was "a wonderful theme", but feels like she didn't do it justice. Discusses housing and why it was implied that she moved around a lot. Writes that she "has not always supported demonstrations, petitions and political causes". Mentions colonial freedom and marching for the C.N.D (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament). References the communist party and how she was "formally" a member but did not attend meetings. Writes that she was "supposed" to be active in the New Left in the sixties but was not.
Page 5:
Writes that she had to "get away to England" from a society (Rhodesia?) that was "suffocating" her. Discusses the delegation to the Soviet Union. Writes that she "bitterly regret[s] ever having had anything to do with it". Discusses whether it is a good idea to write in the biography that Lessing received money from Soviet sources, as it is "hard to say" what sources they were. Writes that she'll be accused of taking "red gold". Mentions that she was a theatre critic for six weeks at The Observer, when Kenneth Tynan was on leave. Writes that she was "not necessarily" declared a prohibited immigrant because of her communist status, and suggests that it may have been her "critical attitudes" in her stories and in articles. Discusses The Golden Notebook and that the "important point" is the structure, that "we separate things off from other, make boxes and divisions in our minds".
Page 6:
Discusses Sufi influences. Writes that her most "Sufi" book was The Golden Notebook, before she "had heard of mysticism". Writes that she doesn't agree that A Ripple from the Storm is considered the weakest of her work. Writes that she never did psychoanalysis, but two years of "rather vague, amateur" psychotherapy. References The Inner World of Mental Illness and the work of Laing et al. Corrects the manuscript that writes that Lessing gave lectures in 1969 in the U.S., but instead gave seminars. Mentions Bob Gottlieb.
Page 7:
Writes that she believes Briefing for a Descent Into Hell is "one of the best books" she has written, that she is "not as pleased" with Summer Before the Dark, and she likes Memoirs of a Survivor. References D.H. Lawrence. Discusses editing and rewriting, "knots" and the "flow" of writing. Writes how much she dislikes The Doris Lessing Newsletter "and all that it stands for".
Page 8:
Discusses The Small Personal Voice and how she disagrees with "much" she said then, that she was "suffering from liberal delusions". Discusses the "unique fate" of writers being not allowed to change their minds, and that their "most ill-considered thought" and "most immature remark" will be quoted forever. Discusses rewriting and reworking again, referring to "knots". Discusses her divorce with Frank Wisdom and marriage to Gottfried Lessing. Mentions her previous work as a typist. Discusses the "vitality" of The Golden Notebook, and the different readership interests in her work.
DL/A-Z//KNA/004 [from Mona Knapp to Doris Lessing, 20/06/1982]
Letter, 2 leaves, typed.
Thanks Lessing for the detail and effort put into her reply. Asks whether Lessing would allow her to quote directly from the letter in the monograph. Discusses some of the points that she had incorrectly reported in her draft, such as the Soviet support. Mentions the Doris Lessing Society.
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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//KNA - [Correspondence with Mona Knapp]
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DL/A-Z - [A-Z Correspondence of Doris Lessing]
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DL/2008 - Doris Lessing Archive 2008 deposit