Warner

1958 · Best.-Nr. 24230 — Boston: Boston University Graduate School 1958. 2 pages. 1 vols. 4to. To Wesley Hartley a long-time educator and teacher formerly of the American Council on Education. Folded else in fine condition with original envelope. 2 pages. 1 vols. 4to. ¶Responding to a question about the importance of his high school education and asking whether the college experience was necessary in creative writing. He replies "The desire to write was probably born and bred in me. I read avidly from childhood on. I was romantic and sentimental and lived much in my imagination. My schools helped me very much by improving my taste by making me read better stuff by encouraging critical and intellectual activity.College taught me to read better books have better taste and judgment engage in more intellectual activity. I don't think it is possible for anyone to be a writer in this age without such training. The competition is too great. Rarely a writer can acquire the background and the literary and philosophical knowledge on his own book but this is not a day of self-made men. The Lincolns and Twains of today are all in college.Robert Frost said half jokingly that "all there is to writing is having ideas" and 'ideas' are what colleges deal in. Being an expert in ideas takes a lot of training. It is possible to do it alone but usually the youth who thinks he can do it alone is simply hoping to get off easy." He comments on the effect and importance of his creative writing courses. Boston University Graduate School unknown