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Ezra Pound and Lawrence of Arabia

Ezra Pound, 1913
T. E. Lawrence, 1917

Who would have thought that poet Ezra Pound and adventurer T. E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia would have anything in common? Or that they would write letters to each other?

Lawrence asked Pound for advice when he was wanting to write about his experiences fighting against the Ottoman empire during the Arab Revolt in the early 1900’s. Pound obliged and they continued to exchange letters for many years.

Discovering these connections is one of the most fun thing about doing the research for Arts in Letters. We never know what (or who) we’ll find!

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Oscar Wilde’s Aphorisms

The Preface to Oscar Wilde’s only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is simply a list of aphorisms, pithy little sayings that he coined himself about the nature of art. You’ve probably heard of at least some of them, whether you’ve read the book or not. The staff at Arts in Letters thought they’d share some of them with you, and see which ones resonate with you all . Here we go!

The artist is the creator of beautiful things.

To reveal art and conceal the artist is art’s aim.

The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things.

The highest, as the lowest, form of criticism is a mode of autobiography.

oscar wilde
Oscar Wilde, thinking deep thoughts about the nature of art?