Thomas Burke on literary figures' responses to his requests, as a teenager, for advice on starting a career as a writer: '... they spoke of the stress and anxiety of the literary life, and its dolours, and advised me to read Gissing's "New Grub Street" (which I did) ...'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Thomas Burke Print: Book
'[Ethel] Mannin was firmly rooted in the autodidact tradition. In her father's library she enjoyed Gissing and Wells, "Adam Bede" and "The Cloister and the Hearth". A Clapham letter-sorter, he collected Nelson's Sevenpenny Classics, which she applauded as "a great boon to poor people"... By age fifteen she was quoting Wilde, Dr Johnson, Francis Bacon, Shakespeare, Milton, Elizabeth Browning, Omar Khayyam, Anatole France, Emily Bronte, Shaw, Hazlitt, Stevenson, W.E. Henley, and Schopenhauer in her commonplace book...Except "Orlando", she read nothing of Virginia Woolf, whom she found "too intellectual, too subtle and complicated and remote from reality"...Mannin made sure to read "Ulysses" (or at least the final chapter) and she admired Gertrude Stein'.
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Ethel Mannin Print: Book
'The meeting then entered the gloomy portals of New Grub St & attempted to follow the fortunes of George Gissing. The Book Club members were evidently in no mood to apreciate the side of life painted by Gissing. However the Secretary protests that there is need for all sides of 'Life' to be depicted & that we cannot obtain the all round knowledge so essential to a right understanding of the problems of living without our Gissings, Hardys. Kiplings & Masefields. The details of the programme included an introductory paper by E.E. Unwin
New Grub Street by H.R. Smith
The Odd Women by H.M. Wallis
Private Papers of Henry Rycroft by C.S. Stansfield'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Charles Stansfield Print: Book
'The meeting then entered the gloomy portals of New Grub St & attempted to follow the fortunes of George Gissing. The Book Club members were evidently in no mood to apreciate the side of life painted by Gissing. However the Secretary protests that there is need for all sides of 'Life' to be depicted & that we cannot obtain the all round knowledge so essential to a right understanding of the problems of living without our Gissings, Hardys. Kiplings & Masefields. The details of the programme included an introductory paper by E.E. Unwin
New Grub Street by H.R. Smith
The Odd Women by H.M. Wallis
Private Papers of Henry Rycroft by C.S. Stansfield'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Howard R. Smith Print: Book
'The meeting then entered the gloomy portals of New Grub St & attempted to follow the fortunes of George Gissing. The Book Club members were evidently in no mood to apreciate the side of life painted by Gissing. However the Secretary protests that there is need for all sides of 'Life' to be depicted & that we cannot obtain the all round knowledge so essential to a right understanding of the problems of living without our Gissings, Hardys. Kiplings & Masefields. The details of the programme included an introductory paper by E.E. Unwin
New Grub Street by H.R. Smith
The Odd Women by H.M. Wallis
Private Papers of Henry Rycroft by C.S. Stansfield'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Henry Marriage Wallis Print: Book
'The meeting then entered the gloomy portals of New Grub St & attempted to follow the fortunes of George Gissing. The Book Club members were evidently in no mood to apreciate the side of life painted by Gissing. However the Secretary protests that there is need for all sides of 'Life' to be depicted & that we cannot obtain the all round knowledge so essential to a right understanding of the problems of living without our Gissings, Hardys. Kiplings & Masefields. The details of the programme included an introductory paper by E.E. Unwin
New Grub Street by H.R. Smith
The Odd Women by H.M. Wallis
Private Papers of Henry Rycroft by C.S. Stansfield'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Ernest E. Unwin Print: Book
'About "The Crown of Life", It is almost the only
one of G. G. [George Gissing]'s books I haven’t read.
It didn’t appeal to me—it was not a good Gissing
book. Just now I have been reading "Will
Warburton", recently published Constable, and
though it can’t compare with the strong bitter
work of earlier years it is very readable.
"Veranilda" I did not like so it remained unread
here on my table until a friend carried it off to
read a few days ago. I do not read many books—
many books sent to me by good friends are left
unread and I blame them for wasting books on me—
unless it is poetry. Your poetry I always read
with rare pleasure and for the good verse you have
given the world. I for one am deeply grateful to
you.'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: William Henry Hudson Print: Book
'I am disgusted with myself for letting so long a
time pass before thanking you for the Gissing
book ["The House of Cobwebs and other stories"],
as I suppose it was you who sent me a copy. I have
been away a good deal of the time, neglecting
everything and that must be my excuse. I was glad
to have the book and was deeply interested in your
study of Gissing’s life work. Certainly it is the
best one which has yet appeared, and I entirely
agree with your judgement on all the books except
one—"The Ryecroft Papers". That may be because
for a special reason I may be unable to see the
charm which others find in that book. [Hence
follow 11 lines of reflection about Gissing's
unhappiness as reflected in that work.]
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: William Henry Hudson Print: Book
'I am disgusted with myself for letting so long a
time pass before thanking you for the Gissing
book ["The House of Cobwebs and other stories"],
as I suppose it was you who sent me a copy. I have
been away a good deal of the time, neglecting
everything and that must be my excuse. I was glad
to have the book and was deeply interested in your
study of Gissing’s life work. Certainly it is the
best one which has yet appeared, and I entirely
agree with your judgement on all the books except
one—"The Ryecroft Papers". That may be because
for a special reason I may be unable to see the
charm which others find in that book. [Hence
follow 11 lines of reflection about Gissing's
unhappiness as reflected in that work.]
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: William Henry Hudson Print: Book
