#letters of note

Gillian Anderson & Emma Corrin at Letters Live

Both Gillian and Emma appeared on stage at the Royal Albert Hall in London last night (30th Oct 2021) to help raise money for fantastic causes.

Gillian’s two letters included ‘Follow your dreams, not your boyfriends’ [pictured above], a letter from Gillian to her 16 year old self (prev published here.) She also read ‘She was more than a saint’ written about Eleanor Roosevelt in a letter by Martha Gellhorn to Adlai Stevenson. Gillian will soon play Eleanor Roosevelt in the Showtime series, ‘The First Lady.’

Emma’s two letters were ‘May your work be condemned to the pastry–cook’s shop’ by Jane Austen to her brothers, and ‘Does everyone really have something good in them?’ by Margaret Veglahn to Harper Lee.

Keep up to date with the Letters Live YouTube channel as it’s possible videos of these new stage performances may appear in the near future. Past performances by Gillian Anderson,Olivia Colman,Claire Foy and many others are already available to view.

If you enjoy inspiring and powerful letters, consider donating to the National Literacy Trust if you are able, or buying Letters of Note books and audios.

s e c r et

One of the Library’s Rare Books collection items includes photographs of the Library itself. Thisvolume commemorates the 1948 visit to the Library of the legendary actors Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. Recently made a Knight, Sir Laurence and his wife Lady Olivier were invited to the Library to see our first and second Shakespeare’s Folios. 

These photographs taken in the still existing Shakespeare Room, are rather blurry - no doubt taken by an excited staff member. Olivier and Leigh were invited by the Library’s principal Librarian John Metcalfe. The letter Metcalfe sent to Olivier is included in the volume along with Olivier’s letter in response. Also included are the resulting autographed title page of this created volume that binds together the letters, the photographs and the programmes of the productions the three plays they appeared in as part of the Old Vic Theatre’s touring companies Australian and New Zealand productions.  The Old Vic productions were arranged by the British Council in conjunction with the Australian Government in order to show that post-war Australia was no cultural backwater but a country that could appreciate this kind of quality theatrical production. Olivier performed Richard III, and with Leigh, Sheridan’s The School for Scandal as well as Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth during the six month tour.

It was during this visit that the Sir Laurence and Lady Olivier attended a lunchtime production of The Imaginary Invalid at a Sydney glass works factory produced by a a local theatre troupe, the Mercury Theatre. The Mercury Theatre was led by five actors actors including Sydney John KayandPeter Finch with the partial intent to bring theatre to non-traditional audiences. It was at this production that the Oliviers’ famously spotted a young Peter Finch and encouraged him to move to England to further his career. Peter Finch’s most famous film role was as Howard Bealein director Sidney Lumet’s Networkfor which he won a posthumous Oscar. A theatrical production of Network is currently on stage at The National Theatre, London staring Bryan Cranston as Beale. The Library also holds Sydney John Kay’s scrapbooks and programmes from his time with the Mercury Theatre. 

“I’m the nurse in your famous shot” 

Dear Mr, Eisenstaedt:

Now that I’m 60 - it’s fun to admit that I’m the nurse in your famous shot “of the amorous sailor celebrating V.E. Day by kissing a nurse on New York’s Broadway.” The article in the Los Angles Times, which described your talents, stimulated the recall of the scene on Broadway. 
I had left Doctors' Hospital and wanted to be part of the celebration but the amorous sailor and a subsequent soldier motivated a retreat into the next opening of the subway. I wish I could have stored that jubilation and amour for use P.R.N.
Mr Eisenstaedt, is it possible for me to obtain a print of that picture? I would be most appreciative. 
I regret not having met you on your last trip to Beverly Hills.
Perhaps next time. If not - I’ll understand because “it’s not only hard to catch him - its hard to keep up with him.”

Have fun. 

Fondly

Edith Shain

Letters of Note is my favorite blog. I read it religiously and you should too…