For Your Eye Alone
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
A collection of letters by one of the nation's greatest writers and poets includes Davies's correspondence with John Gielgud, Margaret Atwood, and Salvador Dali, among many others.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0142000299
ISBN13:9780142000298
Release Date:November 2002
Publisher:Penguin Group
Length:402 Pages
Weight:0.80 lbs.
Dimensions:0.9" x 5.3" x 8.0"
Related Subjects
Antiques & Collectibles Arts & Literature Authors Biographical Biographies Biographies & History Biography & History Encyclopedias Essays Essays & Correspondence Letters & Correspondence Literary Literary Criticism Literary Criticism & Collections Literature Literature & Fiction Memoirs World LiteratureCustomer Reviews
3 ratings
For Your Eyes Alone by Robertson Davies
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Robertson Davies was 82 years old when he died on 12-2-1995 from a leaky heart and terminal pneumonia. He is one of Canada's most famous writers of belles lettres literature having multiple nominations for the Nobel Prize. Some of his best works are Dr. Canon's Cure, What's Bred in the Bone, Jezebel and The Merry Heart. He had 26 honorary degrees. Memorable quotations from his letters are as follows: - " Writers are an extremely contentious group and old age does not make them any more peaceful." - "Sampson should have stayed away from the Barber Shop. " - "The great leap for writers is in their 40s. They either gain new energy or go to pot. " - "Ye have the poor always with you. " Jesus Christ A strength of this work is that it shows the deeply personal side of Robertson Davies. He wrote many letters and discussed small talk and consequential issues in most of them. The book is well worth the price for the huge value of the letters contained . The letters are written with considerable wit and satire. The humor is not unlike British journalistic satire. When you've finished reading this book, it will become apparent why the author is so sorely missed.
Gems galore
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
It's startling how thoughtful, evocative and just plain funny a man can be in writing his regular correspondance. Makes you want to be a prolific letter-writer yourself. Makes you wish he were still alive so that you could respond to some of the more inflammatory things he says.I don't think I'd realized quite how much Davies was concerned about the "place" of Canadian Literature in the world literature canon; it comes out so plainly here.Judith Skelton Grant, who edited the letters, is mentioned repeatedly in them -- Davies apparently was amused, worried and sometimes just ticked off about the biography she was writing of him.
An Opportunity For More Insight
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
I enjoyed this book's organization, which was established by the various books Davies had written over the last part of his career. While not Canadian, and thereby somewhat in the dark regarding some of the letters' recipients, I found the editor's annotations brief but helpful. The main draw here is the author's distinctive voice, which emerges within the various letters. I am not usually interested in reading compilations of letters. Here, however, I find a volume that constitutes a diversion from my other reading, a book which I can pick up from time to time and garner ideas for those brighter days when I re-read a Davies' novel. For this end, I found the collection worthwhile!
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
