Alice Munro - Writing Her Lives

the
Montrealer
published between 1961 and 1965 are a reflection of Taaffe’s enthusiasm. He paid Munro as much as he could and ran the stories as she sent them, without editing. Taaffe left the magazine at the end of 1965 and the
Montrealer
faded until it ceased publication in 1970. 9

    During the late summer and into the fall of 1961 the possibility of a book of Munro’s stories was suggested for the first time. Three publishers – Appleton-Century-Crofts, McClelland & Stewart, and Ryerson Press – saw a proposed manuscript of five or six stories and Weaver, who of course helped to orchestrate the possibility, was prepared to do “a book through Tamarack Review if all else fails,” as he wrote to Munro in August. While it is impossible to be certain, the manuscript likely comprised “The Time of Death,” “Sunday Afternoon,” “A Trip to the Coast,” “The Peace of Utrecht,” and “Dance of the Happy Shades.” “An Ounce of Cure” was probably the sixth story. In his August letter to Munro, Weaver reported that “the stories have just gone to Jack McClelland” since “he says that he is at least interested in the idea of publishing perhaps half a dozen of the stories and I think he should be given a chance now to make a firm decision.” Weaver then details the interest expressed by Appleton-Century-Crofts in New York. David Watmough, an English writer who had immigrated to Canada and settled in Vancouver in 1960, appears to have been an intermediary between Munro and the American publisher. A long paragraph by Weaver demonstrates his thoroughgoing attention to Munro’s situation:
    Where does this leave you with Mr. Watmough and his firm in the United States? This sounds to me a little like a fishing expedition on his part since they would have a very tough timeintroducing a completely unknown short story writer to an American audience and in any case the firm isn’t really all that active in fiction. I think I also agree with you that a smaller book might be a better idea for a beginning. I think perhaps you should write to Watmough and tell him that six of the stories have actually been submitted to McClelland and Stewart who have shown at least some interest. You might offer to get in touch with him as soon as you have heard from Jack or me, or you might offer to send him a few of your stories just as long as he keeps in mind that there is a formal investigation going on somewhere else. If he really wants the book, who knows but that he might then get in touch with McClelland and Stewart and of course that would do you no harm. In any case, try to be a little evasive right now and keep him on the string.
    Following Weaver’s suggestion, Munro apparently sent some stories to Appleton-Century-Crofts since little more than a month later its editor-in-chief, Theodore M. Purdy, wrote to express interest in Munro’s stories but to encourage her toward a novel as her first book.
    Striking the same chord about two weeks later, Jack McClelland wrote about her five stories: “We have read them here with interest and appreciation but have some real doubt as to whether it makes sense to issue them in book form at the present time.” He then explains at some length, providing examples from his own list including
Ten for Wednesday Night
, just why he thinks story collections do not sell, and so “don’t make a very good start for a writer.… Thus our view would be if there is any hope of your completing the novel in the next year or so, let’s leave the short stories and publish the novel first in book form. By all means, publish the short stories in periodicals. Sell as many as you can and as widely as you can. But what about the novel? How is it progressing? Can we be of any help? Do bring me up to date on the situation.” Deft publisher that he was, McClelland tempered this by leaving the door open a bit: “If the novel is too far in the future and you are very anxious to have the stories published in book form, justsay so and we will reconsider the matter.” A month later Munro talked by phone to Hugh Kane, McClelland’s second in command, who later wrote: “I was very glad to have the opportunity to talk to you this morning and happy to learn that you agree with us that publication of your short stories should follow rather than precede the novel on which you have been working.” 10
    These publishers’ letters – the assumptions they contain, the questions they ask – are worth