Overview James Purdy (1914-2009) was an American novelist, playwright, and poet known for his grim and surreal depictions of socially marginalized characters. This collection includes a series of letters written by Purdy between 1976 and 1981 to Scottish writer Geoffrey Elborn. The letters discuss Elborn's in-process book about British critic and poet Dame Edith Sitwell, with whom Purdy was acquainted, as well as Purdy's difficulty with publishers. An annotated typescript of Purdy's 1976 play, ...