Papers relating to Lindop's literary friendship with Kathleen Raine

This material is held atUniversity of Manchester Library

  • Reference
    • GB 133 GCL/2
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1983-2003
  • Physical Description
    • 3 series; 20 items

Scope and Content

Of the material included here, most significant for those interested in the life, work and thought of Raine is the series of letters she sent to Lindop over a twenty-year period, which documents the whole of their literary friendship; the letters include discussions of their own work, the work of other writers, religion, spirituality, and much about the work of the Temenos Academy. During the latter part of this period, Lindop also retained copies of his outgoing letters to Raine, so both sides of the correspondence are represented. Significant among the other Raine-related papers here are those relating to the preparation of her Collected poems, and those relating to Lindop's preparation of a tribute to Raine which was published in PN Review in 2000 - including letters and contributions from writers such as John Heath-Stubbs, Peter Redgrove and Anne Ridler. There are also some further papers relating to Raine's translations of poetry by Jean Mambrino and to her memorial service.

Administrative / Biographical History

This group of material relates to Lindop's twenty-year friendship with the poet and literary scholar, Kathleen Jessie Raine (1908-2003). Lindop admired Raine's poetry and her autobiographical writings, and in 1983 he submitted some of his own poems to her in her role as editor of Temenos. This journal devoted to "the arts of the Imagination" was co-founded by Raine in 1981, and became the forerunner of the Temenos Academy, established in 1990 as an educational charity dedicated to providing "teaching in philosophy and the arts in the light of the spiritual traditions of east and west". As Lindop's friendship with Raine developed over the years, he also became increasingly involved in the work of Temenos. When the Temenos journal was revived in 1998 as the Temenos Academy Review, Lindop acted as deputy editor, becoming editor in 2000. In the same year, Raine elected him as her successor to the Directorship of the Academy, and they continued to work closely together on the Academy's programme until Raine's death in 2003. As well as valuing Lindop as a trusted advisor in her Temenos work, Raine appreciated his response to her poetry, and he worked closely with her on selecting the content of her Collected poems, published in 2000.

Arrangement

The papers relating to Raine have been arranged in three series:

  • GCL/2/1 Letters from Kathleen Raine to Grevel Lindop
  • GCL/2/2 Copy letters from Grevel Lindop to Kathleen Raine
  • GCL/2/3 Other papers relating to Kathleen Raine

Related Material

Lindop's archive contains a further substantial grouping of files relating to the work of the Temenos Academy, the Temenos Academy Review, and Lindop's role in relation to both of these (see GCL/7). His correspondence with Raine is closely linked to this other Temenos material, and reflects the high-level decisions and thought-processes which influenced the direction of the Academy as well as the editorial decisions which shaped the Temenos Academy Review.