My Dear Ruskin, Your Book Is Scrappy...

Thank you for your letter. I am glad that our rejection of The Room on the Roof discouraged you so little.

Yes, send it again, or bring it, when you have finished working on it. The only sense in which I am now regretting my interest is that I cannot help feeling, Supposing we still turn it down, for one reason or another, when he has put so much more work in on it, how much worse that will be for all concerned. That naturally makes me feel a little apprehensive. But you realise, no doubt, that it might happen? And as we do really feel that a reconsideration would be worthwhile it would be a pity not to disregard the risk of disappointment.

 

May I say that I admire your determination to re-shape this book? It will be a difficult thing to do, and I imagine that it must be rather painful to undertake such a major operation on ones first-born.

Yours sincerely,

Diana Athill

March 1953

My dear Ruskin,

I have just posted off the Room to Laurie Lee the poet, who has agreed to read certain books for us. It is best, I feel, to get a brand new opinion on the new version, given without any bias one way or another and Laurie is a nice perceptive man.

Ive been through it myself and am charmed by the new bits. They are a huge improvement in my view and so smoothly done that they dont stick out in the least as additions.

Yours,

Diana

My dear R,

L Ls verdict was it would be a gamble to publish this but I wouldnt blame you if you took it. His criticisms were that you lacked dramatic sense and that there was something scrappy and incomplete about the book. But he was much impressed by its poetic qualities, the sensitiveness of your writing, the sanity of your outlook. This has put Andre [publisher Andre Deutsch) into a state of great split-mindedness. I dont mind telling you that I am going to fight tooth and nail for it, and after Whitsun I will back A against a wall and force a decision out of him before the week is up. This I promise, and may I drop dead if I fail.

Yours,

Diana

14 Glenmore Road,

Belsize Park,

London N W 3

August 5th, 1953

Andre Deutsch Ltd,

12 Thayer Street,

Manchester Square, WI

Dear Miss Athill and Mr Deutsch,

On Saturday the 30th of May you were kind enough to offer to buy an option on my next book, and I was told I would receive the contract within a week. In your letter of the 17th June you regretted that the contract had not been despatched earlier because of business pressure, and mentioned that it would soon be on its way. I was not over-anxious when June turned to July, and July to August, and still no contract and still no news.

However, August 1953 is a long way off from December 1952, when I first came to you, and though I am aware and appreciative of the many ways in which I have benefited from my perseverance with your firm, I now feel that I have been on the rack long enough and that I deserve a final decision.

I would like to stress my appreciation of the fact that you are busy people, and that whilst I have only one book to worry about, you have scores; and I also appreciate the fact that I am very young and can therefore be made to wait. Indeed, I am only too glad to wait, provided I know there is something to wait for.

I want to know where I stand, that is all. After I have worked and waited for almost a year, I want to know what is really happening if anything is happening and why it is happening, and why there is no contract and no news of an MS which might well be employed better elsewhere. Everything is too vague and indefinite, and this continual uncertainty does not encourage further constructive work.

I have not wanted to write this letter, because I have not wanted to hurry you, because to hurry you might have been to spoil my chances. But I must risk offending you, by asking that you please give me your final decision by the end of the month.

If this letter has already convinced you of my utter unsuitability for the role of one of your authors, I would appreciate the return of my MS of The Room on the Roof. I do not ask any favours. I want no friendship. I only want business.

If you have incurred any expenses on my behalf, such as the payment of fees to readers, please send me a bill for the same.

Yours sincerely,

Ruskin Bond

This was followed promptly by a letter from Diana Athill enclosing our contract with the most sincere apologies, and extending an invitation to supper next Saturday. The saga of The Room on the Roof didnt end there, however.

May 26th, 1956

My dear Ruskin,

I think youll agree that the enclosed (a copy of a favourable book review by The New Statesmans Mary Scrutton) adds up to a very gratifying 22nd birthday present, even though rather belated! Ive written to Miss Scrutton, whom I dont know, telling her how happy she has made us all by her warm and sympathetic attitude and I wish you were here so that we could celebrate your first really smashing review (and one, let me point out, such as many novelists live all their lives without getting!). It remains to be seen what effect it has on sales but even if it makes no material difference, what a feather in your cap!

Good that you liked the jacket. And good about Newby (P H Newby, who commissioned the young Bond to write stories for the BBC) doing a story of yours. Thank you for saying youll let us have the details.

Im in a hurry as usual. I must obviously give up any claim to be a letter writer that I ever had.

Minor reviews Ill wait to send you until we can make a more or less complete collection.

Love from,

Diana

P S: How long will it take you to live down Dew-drenched celandine among your tougher friends?

Extracted from Ruskin Bond: Scenes from a Writers Life: A Memoir, Penguin Books India (P) Ltd, Rs 200, 178 pages

How Ruskin Bonds determined letters rescued The Room on the Roof from oblivion.