'James Hanley's workmates laughed when he taught himself French by reading the Mercure de France...Working the night shift at a railway station, Hanley withdrew into the work of Moliere, Hauptmann, Calderon, Sudermann, Ibsen, Lie and Strindberg until he grew quite cozy in his literary shell. His parents were appalled that he had no friends. But I've hundreds of friends he protested. "Bazarov and Rudin and Liza and Sancho Panza and Eugenie Grandet". His father countered with Squeers, Nickleby, Snodgrass and Little Nell: "And they're a healthy lot I might say, whereas all your friends have either got consumption, or are always in the dumps".'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: James Hanley Print: Book
‘Someone has lent me two of Tchekof’s [Chekhov]'s plays—"The Sea-gull"
and "The Cherry Orchard". The first I have read twice and am very struck
with it—for its truth and its well drawn characters. I must read the other
again before I decide, but it will probably not please me so much …
Hauptmann’s "Sunken Bell" is good, but not very good, I think … We are
expecting Zeps tonight as there is a rumour of four somewhere about. But
Chelmsford is a straggly place and probably not easy to spot.’
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Ivor Bertie Gurney Print: Book
