Letters from The Raven
BEING THE CORRESPONDENCE OF
Lafcadio Hearn with
Henry Watkin
WITH INTRODUCTION AND
CRITICAL COMMENT BY THE EDITOR
MILTON BRONNER
NEW YORK
Brentano's
1907
To
My Sweethearts Three
Marian, May
and
Motherkin
Contents
Introduction
Letters from The Raven
Letters to a Lady
Letters of Ozias Midwinter
Introduction
It is felt that no apology is necessary for offering to the interestedpublic, even though it be a limited one, the letters and extracts fromletters which appear in this little volume. In a day when the lettersof Aubrey Beardsley—who was a draughtsman rather than a writer—aregravely offered to possible readers by a great publishing house, it issurely allowable to present for the first time epistles of a reallygreat author. No excuse was offered for printing such things as:"Thank you so much. It was very good of you to call." If this tells usanything concerning the unfortunate young master of white and black,I am unable to discern it. I feel quite sure that no one can make thesame objection to the correspondence herewith given. It tells us manythings concerning Hearn's life and moods and aspirations that otherwisewould have been unknown to us. He wrote to Mr. Henry Watkin as to hisdearest friend. In his letters, we get what we do not find elsewhere.We have here facts without which his future biographer would be at aloss.
If there be any repetitions in the sections which follow, theindulgence of the reader is craved. Such as they are, they werewritten at widely separated intervals in the hope that material mightbe finally gathered for a "Life and Letters of Hearn." This hope has sofar been frustrated, but it is felt that much is here offered that willlead to a better understanding and appreciation of this famous writer.The endeavor of the editor has been so far as possible to let Hearntell his own story, giving only enough comment to make clear what Hearnhimself had to say.
In writing of their beloved R. L. S., enthusiasts tell us Stevenson isendeared to mankind not only because of his writings, but also becauseof his dauntless cheerfulness in the face of incurable disease. Hearn,in another field, was equally charming in his work and, in the face ofanother danger, equally dauntless. From the first he was confrontedby the possible fate of the sightless. At best he had but a pearlyvision of the world. The mere labor of writing was a physical taskwith him, demanding hours for the composition of a single letter. Yethe accomplished almost two score volumes, none of which is carelesslywritten. Seeing as through a ghostly vapor, in his books he revelledin color as few writers of our day have been able to do. How hemanaged to see, or rather to comprehend, all the things he so vividlydescribed, was one of his secrets.
The best work of his life was commenced at the age of forty, when hearrived in Japan. He had many qualifications for his chosen field.During the long, lazy two years in Martinique he had literally soakedhis mind, as it were, with Oriental philosophy. When he came to Japanhe was weary of wandering, and the courtesy, gentleness and kindlinessof the natives soon convinced him that they were the best people in thew