Autograph letter signed from Brian Penton to Melva Vincent, 18 July, 1935, with her annotations, ca. 1980

MLMSS 3637 ADD-ON 1277

fonds

18 July 1935, ca. 1980

873585

0.01 metres of textual material (1 folder)

Melva Vincent (1912-2004), author and journalist, worked as a reporter on the Don Dorrigo Gazette and published a number of short stories in Australian magazines and newspapers. She married Scott Thomas in 1940.

Brian Penton (1904-1951), author and journalist, joined the Sydney Daily Telegraph in 1933, and wrote the daily column, 'Sydney Spy'. His first novel, Landtakers, was published in 1934.

Reference:
AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource. http://www.austlit.edu.au/ (accessed September 14, 2009)
Libraries Australia (Australian Library Collections). http://librariesaustralia.nla.gov.au/apps/kss?action=Display&queryid=5&target=nbd (accessed September 14, 2009)

A twelve-page letter written by Brian Penton of 4 Barncleuth Square, Kings Cross, NSW, 18 July 1935, acknowledging receipt of a short story by Melva Vincent. He congratulates and encourages her unaffected style claiming it to be an example of good writing. He comments on his own writing experiences, the dangers of hack journalism on style, and the mediocre ambition of Australian writers. He admits to being a poor correspondent and the atypical length of the letter reflects his interest in Vincent's potential. He closes by offering to show to a publisher any novel she has written. The letter was written a week before Penton sailed for England.

The above story appears to be one titled 'The Room' that won Melva Vincent equal first prize, awarded by Brian Penton, in a competition organised by the Sydney Literary Society (S.L.S.) in early 1935. The story was first published in the S.L.S. Magazine, no. 2, July 1935. Melva Thomas' further papers at MLMSS 3637 ADD-ON 2114/Box 1 contain Penton's assessment of the story for the competition, with an annotation by her that the story was published as 'Jenny Improves a Room' in The Australian Woman's Mirror, 4 Feb. 1936.