Letters of Edward FitzGerald, in Two Volumes. Vol. 1

Letters of Edward FitzGerald, in Two Volumes. Vol. 1

After Mr. FitzGeralds death in June 1883 a small tin box addressed to me was found by his executors, containing among other things corrected copies of his printed works, and the following letter, which must have been written shortly after my last visit to him at Easter that year: In endeavouring to carry out these last wishes of my friend I thought that of the many who know him only as a translator some would be glad to have a picture of him as he appeared to the small circle of his intimate acquaintances. The mere narrative of the life of a man of leisure and literary tastes would have contained too few incidents to be of general interest, and it appeared to me best to let him be his own biographer, telling his own story and revealing his own character in his letters. Fortunately there are many of these, and I have endeavoured to give p. ixsuch a selection from them as would serve this purpose, adding a few words here and there to connect them and explain what was not sufficiently evident. As the letters begin from the time that he left College and continue with shorter or longer intervals till the day before his death, it was only necessary to introduce them by a short sketch of his early life in order to make the narrative complete. FitzGeralds letters, like his conversation, were perfectly unaffected and full of quiet humour. In his lonely life they were the chief means he had of talking with his friends, and they were always welcome. In reply to one of them Carlyle wrote: Thanks for your friendly human letter; which gave us much entertainment in the reading (at breakfast time the other day), and is still pleasant to think of. One gets so many inhuman letters, ovine, bovine, porcine, etc., etc.: I wish you would write a little oftener; when the beneficent Daimon suggests, fail not to lend ear to him. Another, who has since followed him from sunshine to the sunless land, and to whom he wrote of domestic affairs, said, The striking feature in his correspondence with me is the exquisite tenderness of feeling which it exhibits in regard to all family matters; the letters might have been written by a mother or a sister. He said of himself that his friendships were more like loves, and p. xas he was constant in affectionate loyalty to others, he might also say with Brutus, ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 20452
Author: FitzGerald, Edward
Release Date: Jan 27, 2007
Format: eBook
Language: English

Contributors

Editor: Wright, William Aldis, 1831-1914