THE WALTER DE LA MARE SOCIETY MAGAZINE

NUMBER 11 (2008)

This entire issue is devoted to a study of de la Mare's library by Giles de la Mare.  It is indispensable to the student of de la Mare because it is a catalog of his intellectual life and those things that influenced his writing.

NUMBER 10 (2007)

Beckett, Rachel A.H. "Shades of Silver:  Reflections on Illustrating Walter de la Mare's Children's Poetry (in black and white print media: linocut, etching and wood engraving)."  pp. 30-37.

A very interesting essay by a professional artist and engraver who illustrated some of de la Mare's children's stories. Detailed discussion of the engravings with reproductions of the artwork in the text.

Bentinck, Anne. Rev. of Short Stories for Children: Walter de la Mare.  pp. 51-55.

Notes that de la Mare's children's stories are akin to Tolkien.  They can be enjoyed by more sophisticated children and contain layer of meaning that could be understood by adults.

de la Mare, Ben.  "The Church Builder and the Poet."  pp. 10-17.

An edited version of a talk given at St. Thomas's Church, Clarlton, on 11th June 2006.

de la Mare, Giles.  "Celebration at Christie's of Fiftieth Anniversay of Walter de la Mare's Death on 6th June 2006." pp.4-9.

A long description of the event with quotations from de la Mare's works.

de la Mare, Giles, and Joe Griffiths.  "Leighton House Concert with Readings, 22nd June 2006."  pp. 18-19.

A commentary on the musical settings of some of de la Mare's poems with readings from some of the lesser known ones.  The performance "linked words and music into an organic unity."

de la Mare, Giles.  "Rye Festival of Literature, 7th September 2006."  pp. 20-23.

Prints the text of a talk that de la Mare's grandson, Giles, gave in 2006.  Interesting personal reminiscences of his grandfather with two letters from de la Mare--one describing the origin and meaning of "The Listeners."

de la Mare, Rawlyn.  "Walter de la Mare's Bookplate."  p. 58.

Speculates on a number of engravers who may have designed de la Mare's personal book plate. Invites suggestions and commentary.

Griffiths, Joe.  "The Changing World of Walter de la Mare's Poetry."  pp. 38-48.

Counters the typical comments by most critics that de la Mare's poetry never changed technically during his life.  Shows how variations in metrical patterns change over the years.  He was thus not a one-sided poet.

Griffiths, Joe.  Rev. of Selected Poems: Walter de la Mare. pp. 55-57.

Points out that this edition of selected de la Mare's poems is better than earlier ones because it includes poems not widely available and offers a very balanced book selecting examples of all of the major facets of his poetry.

Jennings, Peter.  "The Old Begum." pp. 49-50.

A personal appreciation of de la Mare's ghost story "Seaton's Aunt."

Kendall, Judy.  "A Tale of Two Poets: Walter de la Mare and Edward Thomas: The Bodleian Correspondence." pp. 24-29.

A printed version of a talk given at a de la Mare Society meeting.  Shows the strong faithfulness of de la Mare's friendship with Thomas up until Thomas' death in World War I.  An interesting glimpse into the poetic community of the era.

NUMBER 9 (2006)

Bentinck, Anne.  "Tolkien and de la Mare: The Fantastic Secondary World of The Hobbit and The Three Mulla-Mulgars." 25-33.

A close reading of both authors that points out their similarities and differences.  Bentinck says that both works have seeds in the authors' childhoods in that fairy stories were read to them at a very early age.

de la Mare, Ben.  "From Woolwich to Wandsworth via Anerley." pp. 39-42.

A printed version of a talk on the early poetry of de la Mare.  Concludes with "The Listeners."

de la Mare, Giles.  "Letters from Walter de la Mare to Thomas Hardy." pp. 8-14.

Transcribes the letters and comments on the Hardy poems that de la Mare published later.

de la Mare, Rawlyn. "Ancient Buildings." p. 45.

A brief piece on de la Mare's love and use of old buildings in his work.  Notes that he was a member of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.

Lowndes, Richard.  "Full House in Buffalo." pp. 15-24.

A discussion of the letters and manuscripts at the University of Buffalo, New York.

Pearce, Brian Louis.  "The Great Church: 'All Hallows' and Parallels." pp. 34-38.

A study of parallels between de la Mare's "All Hallows" and John Meade Falkner's The Nebuly Coat and essay author Brian Louis Pearce's St. Zacchs.

Scott-Sutherland, Colin.  "Come Hither and Childhood." 43-44.

A personal appreciation of the 1948 radio broadcast of de la Mare's Come Hither.  Attempts have been made to rebroadcast it, and encourages others to write to the BBC.

Walker-Kinnear, Malcolm.  "Family Connections and Information." pp.46-47.

Commentary and photographs of relatives of de la Mare, the Mitchell family.  Notes that Augusta Mitchell may be the inspiration for de la Mare's character in "Seaton's Aunt."

NUMBER 8 (2004)

Adams, Richard.  "The Three Mulla-Mulgars." pp. 3-7.

A good overview of this early work which de la Mare reportedly disliked.  Still the major themes of his work appear in this book:  "the transience, insecurity and essential ignorance during our brief human lives.  To this is conjoined his conscoisness of another world--a world we glimpse fitfully when awake, and to which we are sometimes translated into sleep and possibly after death."

de la Mare, Ben.  "Walter de la Mare: A Traveller to the Edge of Things." pp. 15-31.

The revised and printed version of a talk Ben de la Mare gave.  It is a wide-ranging study of how de la Mare traveled not far in real life, but traveled widely in his imagination.  Studies the works for children and the ghost stories for adults--all of which show that he frequently traveled "to the edge of things."

de la Mare, Giles.  "A Selection from Letters Between Walter de la Mare and Mildred Bozman 1937-1948." pp. 40-44.

A selection of four letters to editor Mildred Bozeman of the publisher J. M. Dent.  Chosen because they provide good ideas about literature and women's thoughts about men.

Griffiths, Joe.  "A Review of Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester." 83.2 (Summer 2001). Ed. Ian Rogerson." pp. 9-14.

Detailed commentary on the articles in this issue, which is devoted to de la Mare.

Watson, Rowland.  "Walter de la Mare: A Record of Friendship." pp. 32-39.

A personal record of a friend of de la Mare's.

NUMBER 7 (2003)

Bentinck, Anne.  "Walter de la Mare and His Cat Poems." pp. 14-23.

Remarks that these "cat poems" for children can appeal to adults as well.

Briggs, Julia.  "Ending." pp. 3-13.

A reading of de la Mare's short stories.  "De la Mare's short stories occupy a world where a shared system of beliefs and structures--perhaps those of Christian and communal values--have broken down and have been replaced with subjective, fragmented and often private visions."

de la Mare, Rawlyn.  "The Poet as School Governor." pp. 37-39.

Provides details about the little known fact that de la Mare read poetry aloud to young schoolchildren.

Ford, Boris.  "The Rest was Silence: Walter de la Mare's Last Interview." pp. 24-33.

A reprint of the last interview de la Mare gave.  It originally appeared in Encounter No. 36 (Sept. 1956): 38-46.

Griffiths, Joe.  "Walter de la Mare: Poet and Storyteller." pp. 46-47.

A commentary about the de la Mare exhibition at the John Rylands University Library of Manchester.

Kanga, Jimmy.  "Odyssey of Walter de la Mare and George Woodbury: Wanderer Fantasy," pp. 40-44.

Commentary about de la Mare's visit ti the United States and his meeting the American Russell Loines.

Smith, Michael.  "St. Paul's Cathedral Choir and Walter de la Mare." p. 45.

Notes de la Mare's interest in music in his life and poetry.

NUMBER 6 (2003)

Bentinck, Anne.  "The Parallel Worlds of Walter de la Mare and Thomas Hardy: 'Who Cares? Who Cares?"  pp. 24-32.

A close study of Hardy's influence on de la Mare, and provides information about their friendship.  There poetry has much in common, and Hardy's notion of God is similar to that of de la Mare.

Griffiths, Joe.  "The Marginal Quotations in Winged Chariot." pp. 33-47.

A detailed study of the marginal notes to de la Mare's longest poem, and the one which deals with themes found in his poems over the years.  Griffiths regards it as de la Mare's finest poem.

Lowndes, Richard.  "Story and Image in On the Edge." pp. 9-23.

A detailed study of Elizabeth Rivers's illustrations to de la Mare's stories collected as On the Edge.  Reproduces the illustrations.

Rogerson, Ian. "Walter de la Mare and His Illustrators." pp.4-8.

A brief synopsis and selective list from a talk on the illustrators of de la Mare's work.

NUMBER 5 (2002)

Bayley, John.  "The Unexpectedness of Walter de la Mare." pp. 4-6.

Notes how surprising and deft de la Mare is as a poet and fiction writer.  In particular, the story "A Recluse" is like all of de la Mare's ghosts "certainly the most ambiguous of all his creations."  This "unexpectedness" is part of his world view.

de la Mare, Giles.  "Walter de la Mare and Twickenham." pp.45-46.

Brief description of de la Mare's last residence.

Eliot, T.S.  "Unpublished Poem."  pp. 7-13.

A previously undiscovered and unpublished poem by T.S. Eliot inspired by de la Mare.  The editor provides commentary and remarks that while the two poets were not close friends, they admired each other's work.

Harvey, Anne.  "Walter de la Mare and Influences." pp. 35-44.

The written version of a talk given by Anne Harvey.  Traces writers who influenced de la Mare and some of those influenced by him.  Notes that Arthur Machen, M.P. Shiel, Algernon Blackwood, Keats, Blake, and Christina Rosetti influenced de la Mare.

Pyper, Hugh S.  "Listeners on the Stair:  The Child as Other in Walter de la Mare."  pp. 14-23.

Reprinted from Self/Same/Other: Revisioning the Subject in Literature ans Thelogy.  Ed. Heather Walton and Andrew W. Hass.  Sheffield Academic Press, 2000.

Brings to bear Freud's essay "The Uncanny" on de la Mare's children's works and adult works to pose and answer the question of the nature of Christianity in them.  Shows that, in de la Mare, "To move from childish babble to speech is in one sense a restriction but in a much deeper sense a way to liberation if the childlike sense of the 'insecure felicity' of engagement with other human beings and the ultimate otherness of God is not lost in hidebound convention."

NUMBER 4 (2001)

Bayley, John.  "The Mystery and the Craft." Review of Walter de la Mare, Short Stories 1927-1956, Vol. 2. and Romantic Imagery in the Works of Walter de la Mare, by Anne Bentinck. (Edwin Mellen, 2001). pp.6-11.

A very favorable review of Bentinck's study of the poetry that says her book is perhaps the first real grasp of de la Mare's work.  Emphases the name "Romance" to de la Mare's entire body of work.

Bentinck, Anne.  "Personal Interview with Mr. Richard de la Mare at Much Hadham Hall on 25th Juky 1978.

An abridged interview from Bentinck's dissertation.  Provides much useful commentary.

Lowndes, Richard.  "Images and Songs of Childhood." pp. 25-32.

Studies with reproductions Estella Canziani's illustrations to de la Mare's Songs of Childhood.  Notes that de la Mare himself didn't think illustrations were necessary to any literary work.

Manwaring, Randle.  "Walter de la Mare and the London Library."  pp. 17-21.

Transcribes letters the father of Randle Manwaring received from de la Mare, which shows their close professional relationship.

Scott-Sutherland, Colin.  "Song of Water Midden: The Musical Settings of de la Mare's Poems." pp. 33-46.

A revealing study about the setting of de la Mare's poems to music.  Regards his lyric poems as meant to be sung.

NUMBER 3 (2000)

Adams, Richard.  "De la Mare's Two Worlds: The Lyric Poetry of Walter de la Mare." pp. 31-49.

Brief commentary and the printing of a number of de la Mare's poems, which span two worlds of fantasy and reality.

Griffiths, Joe. "Where in the World is the Poetry of Walter de la Mare?" pp.4-13.

Surveys the prevailing and sometimes harsh criticism of de la Mare as a poet who was not interested in the realities of twentieth-century life.  Shows that this is not true, and calls for a reassessment of de la Mare's poetry.  Cites in particular the early poem "John Mouldy."

Harvey, Anne.  "Forrest Reid and Walter de la Mare: a Literary Friendship." pp. 17-30.

An interesting narrative of de la Mare's lifelong friendship with the author Forrest Reid, who wrote his own critical study of de la Mare's work.  Harvey provides excerpts from letters and essays by the two men that show how important the two men were for each other as creative people.

Kanga, Jimmy.  "Walter de la Mare and His Circle." pp. 56-59.

Provides brief information about some of de la Mare's friends and acquaintances.

Moynihan, Michael.  "Meeting Walter de la Mare." pp. 50-55.

Moynihan relates his brief meetings with de la Mare in the 1940's.