Letters of John Middleton Murry to Katherine Mansfield

by John Middleton Murry, C.A. Hankin (editor)

Gathers Murry's letters to his wife, in which he talks about their relationship, their friends, and her work

394 pages, Library Binding

First published June 1, 1983

About the author

See also his son, John Middleton Murry Jr.

John Middleton Murry was an English writer. He was a prolific author, producing more than 60 books and thousands of essays and reviews on literature, social issues, politics, and religion during his lifetime. A prominent critic, Murry is best remembered for his association with Katherine Mansfield, whom he married in 1918 as her second husband, for his friendship with D. H. Lawrence and T. S. Eliot, and for his friendship (and brief affair) with Frieda Lawrence. Following Mansfield's death, Murry edited her work.

Murry was married four times: first to Katherine Mansfield in 1918; after her death in 1923 he arranged the publishing or republishing of her works. In 1924 he married Violet Le Maistre, in 1932 Ada Elizabeth Cockbaine, and in 1954 Mary Gamble. With his second wife, Violet Le Maistre, he had two children: a daughter, Katherine Middleton Murry who became a writer and published "Beloved Quixote: The Unknown Life of John Middleton Murry" in 1986, and a son, John Middleton Murry, Jr., who became a writer under the names of Colin Murry and Richard Cowper. There were also two children of the third marriage.

Reviews

[Violet wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhere along my travels I’ve mislaid my copy of the letters between Katherine Mansfield and John Middleton Murry. This is a very poor substitute because obviously Katherine’s letters were by far the most fascinating and here they are nothing more than ghosts. In their correspondence Katherine was always the proactive one, the creative one, the daring one. Murry was always trying, often in vain, to keep up. I suppose these letters of his do provide evidence of why he failed in all his literary ambitions. They don’t have much quickness or life. For someone at the forefront of the British literary world in the 1920s Murry’s letters aren’t intellectually or creatively very impressive. Also, they gradually show how big a part petty concerns played in the life of his mind. He’s forever adding things up, reducing aspiration to hostile sums. His good pal DH Lawrence didn’t allow such material hardship to hold him back. Three stars for the insights they give into Katherine Mansfield.