Muriel Spark Quote

The letters of famous people can be placed into two categories: there is the type of letter which becomes itself a valuable contribution to literature through its wit, style or wisdom; another kind is that whose main importance lies in the provision of a background to their author's life. Especially in the correspondence of great writers and poets, these two factors are very often combined...

The Essence of the Brontës: a compilation with essays (ed. Peter Owen Publishers, 1993)