Buzz
Numerous renowned writers have authored pieces that are no longer accessible to contemporary audiences. Some of these works were intentionally obliterated, occasionally by the authors personally. In other instances, the manuscripts vanished following the authors' demise, and extensive searches have yet to uncover their whereabouts.
Regardless of the circumstances, the unavailability of these works ensures that their contents remain shrouded in mystery. Below is a timeline exploring the enigmas of 10 such lost manuscripts penned by illustrious writers.
10. The Isle of Dogs by Ben Jonson and Thomas Nashe
Certain literary pieces have been lost due to falling prey to the censorship of their era, leaving the precise content of these suppressed works a mystery. This was the case for the 1597 play The Isle of Dogs, a joint effort by playwrights Ben Jonson and Thomas Nashe.
The Privy Council deemed the play so scandalous that Jonson was imprisoned, and Nashe had to flee London to escape legal action. The play was ordered to be obliterated, which explains its absence today.
The specifics of The Isle of Dogs remain unclear, but the extreme measures taken by the authorities to prosecute its creators and eradicate the play imply it contained content deemed highly provocative for its time.
9. Autobiographical Works by Samuel Johnson
It may come as a surprise that Samuel Johnson, a renowned biographer, did not leave behind a personal memoir for future generations. In reality, Johnson did compose detailed accounts of his life, but he decided to destroy these manuscripts shortly before his death.
As a biographer, Johnson advocated for truthful portrayals, asserting that “if we owe regard to the memory of the dead, there is yet more respect to be paid to knowledge, to virtue, and to truth.” This makes it puzzling that he later opted to burn his autobiographical writings, ensuring they would never be read posthumously. The reasons behind his decision to withhold the truth about his life from the world remain a subject of speculation.
8. Miscellaneous Works by William Blake
Occasionally, the most ardent admirers of an author may not be the most reliable custodians of their legacy. This is exemplified by Frederick Tatham, a contemporary of William Blake, who assumed control of Blake’s manuscripts with regrettable outcomes.
Initially a fervent supporter of Blake’s creations, Tatham became part of a group called the Ancients, dedicated to celebrating Blake’s literary and artistic contributions. He also formed a close bond with Blake and his wife, Catherine, who later appointed Tatham as Blake’s literary executor after his passing.
However, after Catherine’s death, Tatham intentionally destroyed several of Blake’s works, convinced that Blake had been influenced by the Devil during their creation. Tatham’s actions consequently robbed future generations of the chance to experience these manuscripts firsthand.
7. ‘La Chasse Spirituelle’ by Arthur Rimbaud
Arthur Rimbaud, the poet, left behind a modest collection of works, fueling intense interest in uncovering any potential lost pieces. Among these, the most sought-after is “La Chasse spirituelle” (“The Spiritual Hunt”), which his friend and fellow poet Paul Verlaine hailed as Rimbaud’s masterpiece.
The mystery surrounding this work’s fate persists. Was it destroyed by Verlaine’s wife, Mathilde, as some claim? Or could it still exist, considering other manuscripts she was said to have burned later reappeared? Without the manuscript, it remains uncertain whether the poem would have truly matched Verlaine’s glowing acclaim.
6. Early Poetry by Gerard Manley Hopkins
At times, an author may discard their own creations for reasons beyond dissatisfaction with their artistic merit. This was true for poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, who reconsidered his early writings after embracing religion post-university.
Upon joining the Jesuits, Hopkins incinerated his initial works, believing poetry would divert him from his perceived divine mission. However, he later reconciled his faith with his literary pursuits, realizing they could coexist.
Hopkins eventually resumed his poetic endeavors, and his later works gained widespread recognition after Robert Bridges compiled them in 1918. However, his early poems remain an enigma, lost forever due to his choice to burn them.
5. A Brilliant Career by James Joyce
Many of James Joyce’s initial writings are either lost or fragmented. Among these, the disappearance of his 1900 play A Brilliant Career stands out, especially given Joyce’s passionate remarks about it. He referred to it on the title page as his “first genuine creation” and dedicated it to his own essence.
Today, only the title page and dedication of the work remain, as Joyce destroyed the play two years later. A point of potential contention was that many characters were reportedly based on individuals Joyce knew during his student years.
Since Joyce discarded the play, it remains unknown whether his university peers would have identified themselves in the characters and what social repercussions this might have had for Joyce.
4. The Messiah by Bruno Schulz
Bruno Schulz, a Jewish writer killed by the Nazis in 1942, was in the process of writing a novel titled The Messiah in the final years of his life. Before his death, Schulz had given portions of his manuscripts to trusted friends, but their identities remain a mystery, and the documents have yet to be found.
Jerzy Ficowski, Schulz’s biographer, spent years searching for The Messiah, but the novel remains undiscovered. Ficowski was approached twice by individuals claiming to know its location, but both passed away before revealing its whereabouts. Despite this, Schulz’s act of distributing his works has fueled hope that The Messiah might one day emerge.
3. The Diaries of Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin, the poet, maintained diaries throughout his lifetime but insisted they be destroyed after his death. His longtime secretary, Betty Mackereth, fulfilled this wish by shredding his extensive journals at Hull University’s library, where he had been employed.
While destroying the diaries, Mackereth briefly glimpsed Larkin’s writings, which she described as “profoundly unhappy. Truly desperate.” Speculation about the diaries’ contents intensified after Andrew Motion’s 1993 biography of Larkin, which unveiled controversial aspects of his life and beliefs.
The destruction of the diaries ensures that their exact contents—and the reasons behind Larkin’s insistence on their disposal—will forever remain a mystery.
2. Sylvia Plath’s Final Journal
In the last months of her life, Sylvia Plath was known to have kept a journal, but its contents remain an unresolved enigma. After her suicide in 1963, her estranged husband, Ted Hughes, took control of her remaining writings.
He curated the poems for the posthumous collection Ariel but denied any involvement in the disappearance of a novel Plath had been working on before her death. Hughes admitted to destroying her final journal, found among her papers, claiming he wanted to shield her children from its contents—“especially her last days.”
1. Walter Benjamin’s Final Manuscript
In 1940, Walter Benjamin fled Paris after the Nazi invasion, heading toward the France-Spain border. A fellow traveler observed that he carried a briefcase containing what he described as a crucial manuscript.
After his suicide at the border, the manuscript was never recovered, leaving both its contents and fate shrouded in mystery. Some believe it may have been a finalized version of Passagenwerk (“The Arcades Project”), Benjamin’s comprehensive study of 19th-century Paris.
However, this is improbable since Benjamin had already entrusted the project’s notes to his friend Georges Bataille, who concealed them in the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris during the war. The manuscript’s fate and the speculation about its contents remain unresolved to this day.
