A collection of literary missives

“Writers often do their best work when they are attacking other writers,” observes Gary Dexter. And so, an anthology is born.

Poisoned Pens: Literary Invective from Amis to Zola is a compilation of diary entries, letters, and essays by famous authors taking aim at other famous writers. It is edited by Gary Dexter who is also known for his book Why Not Catch-21? and his columns in leading British papers including the Guardian and The Times. No one is spared as the writings are arranged chronologically from classical works up to modern day.

Think of the book as “Love Letters of Great Men” without the sentimentality and romance or “Letters to a Young Poet” without the inspirational and encouraging words.

This, however, is not to say that the passages are any less passionate, thoughtful or well constructed. On the contrary, the appeal is in the details and the outlandish images the insults conjure up as they are read. For example, Virginia Woolf once referred to Katherine Mansfield as smelling like “a civet cat that had taken to street walking.” Mark Twain has said he wishes he could dig up Jane Austen and “hit her over the head with her own shin bone.”

The entertainment also comes from the irony of the insults. “If it were thought that anything I wrote was influenced by Robert Frost,” wrote James Dickey, “I would take that particular work of mine, shred it, and flush it down the toilet, hoping not to clog the pipes.” Unbelievable words for aspiring writers content to be half the wordsmith of Frost. The truth is we can’t really feel bad for Frost and his four Pulitzer prizes. So we laugh.

The book isn’t just a collection of men taking stabs at other men’s egos in backhanded self-praise. The women get some entertaining barbs in, and sometimes at each other. A letter by George Eliot about Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre reads, “The book is interesting; only I wish the characters would talk a little less like the heroes and heroines of police reports.”

One must ask why these authors who are so loved by so many, so angry. Is it simply envy? Are they threatened? Or maybe the majority is wrong. Maybe all those essential readings our high school English teachers forced upon us aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

Whatever the reason, the chance to see an alternate side of our favourite authors is hard to resist. Even when they verge on libel, there’s nothing false about their passion. As Dexter explains, “what is negative is, if nothing else, generally sincere.”

Poisoned Pens edited by Gary Dexter is published by Frances Lincoln and available to buy online here.