[Lady Hosie [Dorothea Hosie], amateur film maker and writer on China.] Autograph Letter Signed (‘Dorothy [sic] Hosie’) to ‘Mr. Burdett’, describing reviews she is writing and the critical response to her ‘Portrait of a Chinese Lady’.

For information about the Lady Hosie and her husband see his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice for postage, and with a minor closed tear to edge of fold at head of leaf. Addressed to ‘Dear Mr. Burdett’ and signed ‘Dorothy [sic] Hosie’. Forty-one lines of closely-written text. The letter concerns a review she has written for a periodical whose title is difficult to decipher (‘The L[?]’). She was ‘going to type out a fair copy’, but thinks Burdett ‘may like it at once’. If he feels ‘portions of it unsuitable’, he ‘can then delete’. ‘Mr. Hume said 2-3000 words: so I have done about 2750, I think.’ She discusses three articles she has had to do ‘at the same time’. The first is ‘Beauty from China for The Contemporary, a sort of review of Mr. Ayscough’s [?], & my Father’s Lotus Sutra translation (in the press), & my own ideas on Our Common Heritage with the East in (a) poetry of life, & (b) poetry of mysticism. (2) was an article in The Methodist Times (!) on Christmas in China. (3) was yours. And I’m wondering whether each wouldn’t have done for the other. For au fond I’ve said the same essential thing!’ She turns to her book ‘Portrait of a Chinese Lady’ (1929): ‘I do hope you are liking the Lady. It really is infuriating to be always classed amongst the sinologues because she happens to be Chinese! Does one think only of Turgeniev as a Russian & a savant?? I seem to fight a mountain blocking the way to healthful com-passion. [sic] My whole object is to show Chinese are first humans like the rest of us, & Chinese second: but every newspaper ed. once again pushes a China book into Sinological circles. I do wish I had asked U. G. G. to get you to review the Lady for The Observer. But even she wanted a Sinologue, so I weakly suggested one.’ She expresses relief that she is ‘not asked to do any more writing at the moment - only speaking, which one can do from quite a different & a surface portion of the brain. I think I have written out all my [?] thought for some time to come.' She mentions something that is ‘a tremendous help, physically & spiritually’, concluding, ‘Don’t you think Joy is a tremendous help we neglect shockingly?’