D. H. Lawrence: Late Essays and Articles

Book excerpt: In his last years D. H. Lawrence often wrote for newspapers; he needed the money, and clearly enjoyed the work. He also wrote several substantial essays during the same period. This meticulously-edited collection brings together major essays such as Pornography and Obscenity and Lawrence's spirited Introduction to the volume of his Paintings; a group of autobiographical pieces, two of which are published here for the first time; and the articles Lawrence wrote at the invitation of newspaper and magazine editors. There are thirty-nine items in total, thirty-five of them deriving from original manuscripts; all were written between 1926 and Lawrence's death in March 1930. They are ordered chronologically according to the date of composition; each is preceded by an account of the circumstances in which it came to be published. The volume is introduced by a substantial survey of Lawrence's career as a writer responding directly to public interests and concerns.