DREISER THEODORE: (1871-1945)

DREISER THEODORE: (1871-1945) American novelist. A.L.S., Theodore Dreiser, three pages, 8vo, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 26th January 1918, to Mrs. Ludwig Lewisohn, on the printed stationery of the Hotel Traymore. Dreiser commences his letter by stating ´In regard to "The Last Straw" I said in the letter that appears to have been lost that it appealed to me as a natural and forceful piece of realism´, and continues with his critique, ´The only fault I found with it was that the certainty of a tragic end was a little too obvious shortly after the start. But I couldn´t see how it was to be avoided either´, before concluding by remarking ´A cold, no coal and other ills finally drove me down here for a change. Atlantic City is the best and cheapest doctor in the long run - that I know´. Accompanied by the original envelope hand addressed by Dreiser. Two neat, but lengthy splits to the central horizontal folds in the bifolium, and with a couple of small holes, G

Mary Arnold (1862-1946) English-born American playwright, poet and critic, known professionally as Bosworth Crocker. Arnold was the first wife (from 1906) of Ludwig Lewisohn (1882-1955) German-born American novelist and literary critic.

The Last Straw, a one-act play by Mary Arnold, was first published in 1914 and subsequently produced by the influential Washington Square Players, appearing on Broadway in 1916. Crocker was closely associated with the experimental theatrical circles of Greenwich Village, and the play formed part of the repertoire through which the Washington Square Players helped foster the development of modern American theatre.