Selected Letters

"Aldous Huxley's letters offer an engaging encounter with one of the twentieth century's liveliest minds. Of the ten thousand letters Huxley wrote, only a fraction have previously been published. James Sexton's thoughtful selections, coming almost forty years after the first appearance of a volume of Huxley's letters, consists largely of letters the have never before been published, including many intimate items that were once considered too sensitive for publication. This new collection opens fresh perspectives in the personal and intellectual life of one of the giants of modern English prose and of social commentary of our time." "Some of the earliest Huxley letters movingly depict his courageous battle with almost total blindness and his resulting unfitness for service in the Great War. Later letters to his patroness, Lady Ottoline Morrell, demonstrate much of the brilliance that would soon gain Huxley an international reputation as one of his generations's major satirists." "Perhaps the most fascinating group of letters in this edition is the sparkling correspondence from Huxley to the Bloomsbury hostess Mary Hutchinson, reveling Aldous as a witty yet ardent lover. Other distinguished correspondents include H.L. Mencken, T.S. Eliot, Bertrand Russell, Clive Bell, and D.H. Lawrence. Numerous letters with exotic postmarks form a supplement to Huxley's great travel books such as Jesting Pilate and Beyond the Mexique Bay." "Gradually the letters reveal a shift from a young and cynical satirist in the 1920s to a more committed critic of fascism. By the mid-1930s Huxley emerges as a dedicated seeker of strategies to ensure peace, on both global and personal levels. The letters also provide plentiful insights into the London and New York theater scenes and vivid discussions of Hollywood's film industry, in which Huxley enjoyed success as a scriptwriter. In his later years his letters reflect his captivation with Eastern religions."--BOOK JACKET.Sexton, James is the author of 'Selected Letters', published 2007 under ISBN 9781566636292 and ISBN 1566636299.