West, R. mss., 1907-1984
Summary Information
Repository
Lilly Library (Indiana University, Bloomington)
Lilly Library
Indiana University
1200 E. Seventh St.
Bloomington, IN 47405-5500
Phone: 812-855-2452
Fax: 812-855-3143
Email: liblilly@indiana.edu
Creator
West, Rebecca, 1892-1983
TitleWest, R. mss., 1907-1984
Collection No.
LMC 2070
Extent
530 items
Language
Materials are in English.
Abstract
The West, R. mss., 1907-1984, consist
primarily of letters from Rebecca West, 1892-1983, to members of her family,
particularly her two sisters, Dr. Letitia Denny Fairfield and Winifred Alice
Fairfield Macleod.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Biographical Note
Born December 21, 1892 in Westbourne Park, London, Dame Rebecca was the youngest of
three children, all girls. Christened Cicely [subsequently spelled Cicily] Isabel
Fairfield, she demonstrated an early aptitude for writing but was determined to be
an actress. After studying at the Royal Academy of Art she worked on stage for about
a year, and in 1911 began writing for the feminist magazine
Freewoman. In order to save her family embarrassment regarding this
latter employment she adopted as a pseudonym the name of one of the roles she
portrayed on stage, that of the rebellious heroine in Ibsen's Rosmersholm: Rebecca
West. West met H.G. Wells in 1912 and bore his son, Anthony Panther West in August
1914. She remained one of Wells's mistresses for ten years. She continued to write
both fiction and non-fiction: short stories, novels, feminist and socialist essays,
biography and literary criticism. West married a banker, Henry Maxwell Andrews in
1930, was made Commander of the British Empire in 1949, and Dame Commander in 1959.
She died in London on the morning of March 15, 1983.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by recipient.
Scope and Content Note
This collection of letters spans about eight decades of West's life. The very
earliest few to her sister Letitia, although undated, almost certainly were written
before 1900. The major recipients are her mother, Isabella Campbell (Mackenzie)
Fairfield (1854-1921); her oldest sister, Dr. Letitia Denny Fairfield (1885-1978);
her other sister, Winifred Alice (Fairfield) Macleod, (1887-1960); and her niece,
Alison Flora (Macleod) Selford (b. 1920). There is also a folder of letters from
West to other members of the family--brother-in-law, nephews, grand nieces, etc.,
and one of copies of letters from niece Alison to her aunt Rebecca. West mainly
discusses family matters, but sometimes includes commentary on politics, history,
social issues, aspects of her work, and notable personalities. A file of
miscellaneous correspondence involves non-family members and family members writing
to each other exclusive of West. A file of miscellaneous items that includes a poem
by Cicily Isabel Fairfield and an undated, torn photograph of two young women, and
another one of newspaper clippings complete the collection.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Acquired: 1997
Usage RestrictionsPrior arrangements are not necessary before coming to the Library, however,
patrons from out of town are encouraged to communicate with the Library in
advance of their visits to ascertain availability of materials.
Photocopying permitted only with permission of the Curator of Manuscripts, Lilly
Library.
Preferred Citation
[Item], West, R. mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington,
Indiana.
Processing InformationProcessed by Staff.
Completed in 2013
West, R. mss., 1907-1984
All of this material was previously in the possession of Dame Rebecca's
niece, Alison Selford. Many of the letters have dates or date periods
written across the top of the first page, sometimes in pencil, often in red,
green or blue ink. Unless content or some conflicting biographical
information determined otherwise, the letters have been placed as of the
supplied dates. If a variant date or period has been determined in the
course of cataloging the collection, then the letter was placed in that
location and the date indicated in pencil within square brackets at the top
of each page. Many of the date annotations include the word "postmark" or "postmarked." There were, however, no envelopes with the
collection when acquired by the Lilly Library, hence there is no present
documentation for those statements.
Box 1
Folder 1
Letters, 1920-1921, from Rebecca West to her mother, Isabella
Campbell (Mackenzie) Fairfield.
Folders 2-10
Letters and postcards, 1907-1977, from Rebecca West to her
sister, Dr. Letitia Denny Fairfield.
Box 2
Folders 1-5
Letters, 1915-1959, from Rebecca West to her sister, Winifred
Alice (Fairfield) Macleod
Folders 6-9
Letters, 1936-1983, from Rebecca West to her niece, Alison Flora
(Macleod) Selford
Folder 10
Letters, 1930s-1969, from Rebecca West to other
members of her family (brother-in-law, nephews, grand nieces,
etc.)
Folder 11
Selford, Alison Flora (Macleod) to her aunt, "Cissie,"
1961-1981
(carbon copies)
Folder 12
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1923-1984
(includes a few from West to other people)
Folder 13
Miscellaneous items:
a poem:
"The Call by Pan"
by
Cicily Isabel Fairfield [Rebecca West] (T.D.S.); a Fairfield family tree
and "The Mackenzie tree," both in West's
hand; "EXTRACT from The Third Volume of the
HISTORY OF THE TIMES, pp.237-38"; and an undated, torn
photograph of two unidentified young women
Folder 14
Newspaper clippings:
letter to the editor by Cicily Isabel Fairfield [R. West], Oct. 16, 1907; two letters to the editor
by Anthony West, undated and Apr. 30, 1984;
"extracted from the History of Mr. Wells
by Michael Foot, ... and Rebecca West, A Saga of the Century, by
Carl Rollyson,"
Oct. 28, 1995
