Graham Martin

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 133 CPA/2/3/101
  • Former Reference
      GB 133 Sequence 2, Box 32 [84]
  • Dates of Creation
      30 Jan 1976-27 May 1980
  • Physical Description
      21 pieces; 35 sheets

Scope and Content

Correspondence with Graham Martin of the Open University English Department relating to: an interview between Martin and Schmidt about the Open University Modern Poetry course, intended for publication (a typescript draft of this is included at /14); Martin's thoughts on PN Review 9; the direction of PN Review more generally, and Martin's suggestion of various writers or topics which might be covered in the magazine, including French Marxist critics and ideologists, and pieces on music or the visual arts; his suggestions for books to be reviewed by others, including a Schools Council report on the teaching of English at 16-19, and the possibility of L.C. Knights reviewing two books on Leavis; Martin's own reviewing work for the magazine; Edward Neill, and a piece on the Open University he has written for PN Review; a letter from Martin about the editorship of PN Review, published in issue 12, and Schmidt's response to this (including references to his political views in /15); the tension between Schmidt and Donald Davie as editors; Martin's thoughts on the writing of both C.H. Sisson and Davie; Martin's response to Davie's piece on F.W. Bateson in PN Review [15]; and the possibility of Schmidt - at Martin's suggestion - undertaking a big book on twentieth-century poetry for Batsford, which he might be able to make into a PhD. While most of the correspondence dates from 1979-1980, /21 is a copy letter from Schmidt to Martin dated 20 January 1976 and has apparently been removed from an earlier 'Miscellaneous' correspondence file; it relates to the new format of PN Review and the possibility of Martin becoming a contributor.

Dated at: Milton Keynes [Buckinghamshire].

Holograph and typescript.