The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-13

re: :sAs S. . 4 ~ + N e my l.q Efs: n.v ssY Ssd t sss Sss
houses s" and TAKEN my meals in 10 and IS cent
restaurants ever since l can remember, ana
slSd e get even that; am nov exiss sdIsr " 10 en :
literary. man, and yet I don't think have
accomplished anything worth Dragging about
however, Why I haven't more recognition 70
my credit, The following letter written In
issd pencil IN a hesitsting hSnd; t tps1 ,S 3 ms sse
in the business, not for the money. but SIMPLY
for the purpose Of discovering" some genius.
aud willing TO extend. an opening to aspiring
authors" partly explains II: We hsd been
15lnki anIu Of ! sSSISs ~ Why RyoS ySS. H d1d Goe 01 We
avoid the morbid. pessimlstic and coarse.
in which class, in a general way. your oner-
field for a bookseller one story or q col
lection-on the oDipm topic.'
Mark the tales in question have neen pr01
reader for one Of the largest book publishers
n the country And as for being coarse
my tales treats of morality. However, l can
discern the jealousy in every. word OF TINS
letter. and suppose the magazine responsloie
Tor IL world like to see me bring the stories on
in book form before having them appear in
a, magazines; or they would be- stu better
pleased IL touched a match to my bundle
of manuscript and then Jumped in the rlVeri
Comparisons are odious.
In making the rounds" ! must say that I
ACNhN oOAhV % lhNtt- BCORAC NNtha
zines. Talk TO any Of them about Poe or
Stevenson and they look at you as il you
about distinctive theme, treatment. sus-
tained interest. characterization, scholarship.
development of character. humor. pathos,
imagination, reflection. ingenuity, or oil, the
ability OF a writer to create by a few bold
strokes a character which will make an in
delible impression on the reader, and the art
also of permitting said character to develop"
himself after you have done this. and they'll
contrive to change the conversation 70, the
circulation If aAnna rival nnnnnUtna IhInE
of an editor who asserted that II Dickens and
Thackeray were writing to-day they wouldn't
9th reS Writer ro of al Wri R ! h uaE t sST man sen% hss
the imnac ilate gall TO att IN Dt to. s1ape
the d%estlnies Of a great reading publici IL
writer who has created the perfect short story.
he didn't even know who wrote The SUICIDE
Club. And ! may say he is no more qualified
to be President Of the United statesf
According TO my belief there are only a few
of their work shows how immeasursbly
superior SI dt they are to the present day writer's;
q story like -Jekyll and Hyde" or The Suicide
Club no other person ever lived who could
House Of Usher. No one ever attained to
De Maupassant's perfection. Literary genius
G 4 fITeh y to x s6sse r three a 1 SssSIisri tRe 4 K, sySlgsd
mind. Noone in any literature has ever written
tales like mine, .dy Man in, the Crowd"
lhvhFil Oh rue > tlIlldI HlOTy " Il rupFIlOE
to his In every way. shape. manner and form.
And yet ! cannot sell it, or II | do I'll be COM
PEELED to take s. or so for IL. My work is not
only highly original, but. unlike many a
Poe's best tales. there is not one repetition to
be found in any of il. Profiting by Poe's
crude work in this particular, ] haye refused
10 permit a re- etition of any kind to creep
into any of my writings. Furthermore, only
one of Poe's tales, The Man in the Crowd"
grips the heart and many Of his collection
are of no interest or value whatever.
Now for a last word. ] have always been
sorry that ] didn't live In France, where the
Society for the Encouragement of Authorship
would have seen that my val lable work oh
Migrants received recognition. However,
hogarth says Vanity, as | understand II,
consists in affirming. YOU have done that
which yol have not done. not in frankly as
sorting what you know to be truth" ! possess
a store oil val lable knowledge: am one. writer
la the United States capable of writing an
individual story; my tales are in the first class.
they arc literal ire in fact, ] have created ny
own realm. Al present ] possess a verita 10
stack of material, finished and unfinished.
and vet, IL I know was destined 10 die to-
m0rrOw. II | was living on my deathbed to-
night, ] would simply reach over and apply
. light to my bundle Of manuscript and glee-
fully watch the flames eat the words-drag
the secrets right down into the grave. So
much for the r!ludits Of posterity. E.
NEW YORK. November II.