Epistolary Library | Letter #2
November 20, 2023
Dear reader,
We’re back to discuss a well-known nonfiction epistolary classic titled 84, Charing Cross Road. It’s a collection of letters that cover a 20 year correspondence between American writer Helene Hanff and a British bookseller Frank Doel. While this isn’t strictly dialogic (a few other letters get sent from other people working at the bookshop), I, as the writer of this letter, decided that it counts because the heart of the letters lies with a writer and bookseller that starts out formal and inquisitive and goes on to change their lives. Hanff reaches out to Marks & Co. in search of some out-of-print books, to which Doel responds having found some of the books she requested, and thus begins an exchange of letters, each increasingly touching. What starts as simply purchasing books becomes a budding friendship between booklovers and later into an extended family that is no less strong being separated by an ocean. Hanff comes to find out more about Doel, the other booksellers, and their families and sends them packages of food for the holidays as this occurs during the post-WWII era of food rations. The purchasing and exchange of books continues and grows more informal and warm as the years go by. Hanff’s humor shines through her letters, and the tone, once strictly professional, becomes rather playful as she recounts how her writing is going and discusses her career development. You can even tell by the sign offs that it is no longer a business exchange but a letter for and from a dear friend.
The dialogic epistolary is simply an exchange of letters between two people; in this case it's Helene and Frank. While I found the other letters just as heartwarming, I think there's something incredibly special about the relationship formed between the writer and bookseller. Any booklover can appreciate the search for a rare printing or a specific edition, and the experience of finding other people who care and understand the value of books in the same way is always incredibly special. It wasn’t enough for Hanff to find a bookshop in New York where she was located; she reached out all the way to London for what she needed to find. The dedication and its outcome was a pleasant surprise for all involved. Not only did she find a bookstore that became her sole source of books, but a wonderful group of friends she grew to appreciate. The appreciation for her was also immeasurable as she was selfless in her sending of food during trying times. I found this correspondence incredibly human as it shows not just how books bring people together but also letters. The kindness and humanity that lives in each letter makes this collection timeless. One of the most painful parts of the story is that, although discussed at length, Helene never made it to London to visit the bookshop and meet Frank (or Frankie as she called him in several letters), so their connection was strictly through the words on the pages being sent back and forth. To think of just how powerful their words were to carry a friendship for 20 plus years is incredible. Having read through these letters for a second time brings about the same feeling of bittersweetness since these individuals lived and died, but their connection gets to live on in their words. Isn’t that just the beauty of the written word, that it gets to live on past us?
P.S. If you do get to read this book, which I hope you all do, just take a moment to look at the prices! Can you imagine a book costing only $4.50!
“Cheers,”
JD