The eighty letters, cards and other messages in this correspondence-- produced mainly by Lowry and Gerald Noxon but also by Margerie(Bonner) Lowry -- offer a fresh introduction to Lowry, a certain'Canadian' Lowry. At the same time they give insight into twowriting careers (Bonner and Noxon) closely intertwined with his andvigorously championed by him in the 1940s.
The letters observe the mind of Lowry at play on questions ofliterary technique, on films, and on the beauties and rigors of life inhis Dollarton shack on an inlet near Vancouver. They reveal a warm,supportive, enormously sensitive and intelligent man, modifyingsomewhat the image of him now available. With their dramatization ofNoxon's role in Lowry's writing career, they illuminate for thefirst time something of Lowry's method of actually solving theproblems he encountered in re-writing Under the Volcano.
Noxon, CBC radio dramatist, novelist, and poet, emerges as atalented and perceptive writer who was able to encourage Lowry bothmorally and practically. Noxon's deftness in expertly combining theunofficial roles of devoted and spirited family member and literaryeditor gives the letters -- often brimming with high spirits and fondaffection -- a relaxed and buoyant tone missing from much other Lowrycorrespondence.
