Collection of Letters from William Empson, England, Beijing and Singapore, to John Davenport, 1940-1966

Book excerpt: Being a collection of twenty-nine letters from Empson to Davenport, written between 1940 and 1966 concerning his work and lectures, the Chinese political situation, Dylan Thomas, a possible film of H. G. Wells's short story "The Country of the Blind", discussing in depth the political situation in Peking [Beijing], mentioning his "Buddha book" and expressing his despair at the death of Dylan Thomas. The collection includes a letter from Empson to Clement and five additional letters to Davenport from various correspondents. Letters in the collection have been described individually in thirty-five separate catalog records; see related records for more information.