[Hardy-l] Hardy's quote on personal nature of poetry vs. novels

[Keith Wilson]

I think you must mean the extract from the Life and Work (p. 425, Millgate edition), which quotes a letter of 30th October 1919 to a "Mr ---- , Exeter College, Oxford," written on TH's behalf, presumably by Florence:
 
"Dear Sir:
 
In reply to your letter I write for Mr Hardy who is in bed with a chill to say that he cannot furnish you with any biographical details. . . . To your inquiry if 'Jude the Obscure' is autobiographical I have to answer that there is not a scrap of personal detail in it, it having the least to do with his own life of all his books.  The rumour, if it still persists, was started by idle pressmen some years ago.  Speaking generally, there is more autobiography in a hundred lines of Mr Hardy's poetry than in all the novels." 
 
Keith Wilson, who also wrote and forgot to sign the e-mail sent a few minutes ago about the non-existence of a Hardy/Tryphena son.
 
Lauren wrote:

>I'm desperately looking for the passage in which Hardy states that there's more about him in a few lines of his verse than in his novels, or something of the sort. If anyone has the exact quote, and its >location in Hardy's bibliography (notebooks, letters?), I would be truly grateful for their help!


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