The hidden history behind a landmark in modernism and one of the most acclaimed 20th century poems details a correspondence that was to prove inspirational to TS Eliot. For almost seventeen years, TS Eliot corresponded with Emily Hale, a teacher at a boarding school in Massachusetts, whom he met as a postgraduate at Harvard. She was his confidante, his beloved and his inspiration. The letters he wrote her were donated to Princeton University on the agreement, set by Eliot, that they would not be made publicly available until 50 years, after both their deaths. Now, on the centenary of the first publication of Eliot’s epic poem, these recently released letters show the important role Hale played in his creative process, as Susanna White’s fascinating documentary details.
