H04013 "HARDY AND ROBINSON JEFFERS" 2/5/04 HARDY FORUM ARCHIVES

From: joanna.mink@mnsu.edu

Subject: TH and Robinson Jeffers

Date: February 5, 2004 12:34:59 PM PST

Cc: joanna.mink@mnsu.edu, richard.robbins@mnsu.edu

Does anyone know of a connection between the American poet Robinson

Jeffers and Hardy? One of my department colleagues was recently in

Carmel, California, and toured Jeffers' Tor House, which he was in the

process of building in 1928. Here is what the guidebook says, "By the

west doorway he [Jeffers] inscribed a massive stone as he worked it into

place on the day of Thomas Hardy's death." The inscription (photo

appears in guidebook) reads "Hardy 1.11.28."

In a biography of Jeffers is a quote from his wife's letter indicating

"'For the last three months, we have been reading Hardy's novels.'

Jeffers started with _The Mayor_ and continued through them all."

I looked in "the usual places"--_The Life_, Millgate's biography,

Gibson's _Interviews and Recollections_, Page's _Oxford Reader's

Companion_--but don't find a reference to Jeffers. Obviously, he

regarded TH highly. Both my colleague and I are intrigued by any

connection, and I'm sure that someone on this wonderful Forum will be

able to fill in these blanks.

Thanks, JoAnna S. Mink

Professor of English

Minnesota State University, Mankato

Mankato, MN 56001

joanna.mink@mnsu.edu

?From: ? rosemarie.morgan@yale.edu

Subject: Re: TH and Robinson Jeffers

Date: February 5, 2004 7:13:11 PM PST

Nothing in the Letters, JoAnna,

RM

FROM: PATRICK ROPER

?Subject: ?RE: TH and Robinson Jeffers

Date: February 6, 2004 5:31:41 AM PST

You may have found it already Joanna, but there is a conference on February

13 - 15 on "Jeffers, Science, & the Natural & Cultural History of the Big

Sur Region". Ian Roberts of Missouri Western State College is reading a

paper called "Robinson Jeffers and Thomas Hardy: Poet-Priests of Science".

Details of the conference are here.

http://www.jeffers.org/conference.html

Good excuse for a trip to California. (I think that's what CA stands for -

we English get very confused by US state abbreviations).

Patrick Roper