Willa Cather to Roscoe Cather, [January 1939] electronic edition Willa Cather Andrew Jewell Janis Stout Melissa Homestead Editorial Assistant Gabi Kirilloff Editorial Assistant Caterina Bernardini Editorial Assistant Samantha Greenfield Editorial Assistant Emily Rau The Willa Cather Archive cat.let2141
https://cather.unl.edu
University of Nebraska–Lincoln Center for Digital Research in the Humanities
319 Love Library University of Nebraska–Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588-4100 http://cdrh.unl.edu
2018

The Willa Cather Archive is freely distributed by the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 United States License

 The Complete Letters of Willa Cather Willa Cather Roscoe Cather [January 1939] Internal evidence suggests that this letter was likely written in January of 1939. Cather references another letter that she wrote to Roscoe towards the end of December of 1938 in which she asks where he will be in January. This letter is addressing Roscoe's response to that previous letter. University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, Archives & Special Collections, Lincoln, NE Roscoe and Meta Cather Collection MS316

Document is one leaf, handwritten on recto and verso.

 1 leaf

Willa Cather handwritten

 [January 1939] New York, NY, USA

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No, my dear Roscoe, it was not business troubles that I meant to write you about when I asked where you would be in January. Sometimes I wish to speak to you "personally", as you do to me in your letter which just came.

Since I have lost Isabelle there is now no one to whom I can show things to—no one who will take pleasures in pleasant recognition that comes my w way. Of course Alfred Knopf is 2always interested, but he takes the lofty stand that whatever I do is pretty good, and it's no matter what people say. While to me it does matter what some people say. People like Tweedsmuir—because his book on Augustus Caesar seems to me the best piece of historical writing that has come along in years, and because he is a finished scholar.

The Swedish review is a fine piece of critical work because it tells exa exactly 3why the book was written as it was; the low tone, the respectful distance which I tried to keep between the characters and myself. And he is equally good on Lawrence, whom I knew very well.

So if you are not too busy, I would like to send you such things from time to time. The Menuhins are like Alfred—they think high praise comes naturally to me, as to them. A few years ago Yehudi told a reporter that his favorite authors were Victor Hugo and Willa Cather!

4

But you know it's a long road from Red Cloud to any sort of finish.

Look the enclosures over when you have liesure leisure and a good cigar, and when you and Meta have read them, mail them back to me, registered post.

Lovingly Willie

I am