Earlier this month, something strangely magical came to life. In the vast setting of the Freemason’s Hall in London’s Covent Garden, a wave of long-forgotten words swept through the curious audience, words that may have even only just made their debut in the public eye, or ear. And while the space was large, a sardine tin of tightly packed pricked up ears, there was that clear, almost tangible sense of intimacy, every one of us joined in this mutual moment of reliving history.

Letters Live, an event inspired by Shaun Usher’s bestselling anthology of letters from all across the world, and time (Letters of Note), celebrates the “enduring power of literary correspondence.” Following its successes in the last two years, the weeklong affair boasted a host of Britain’s finest acting talent (and singing, provided by the ever-wonderful Tom Odell), bringing together young and old to share in the timeless art of letter writing.

Hearing these letters brought to life, many of whose authors are now long dead and the penned words often written by people far-removed from my own life; you get consumed in moments of history. And not just grand, renowned events, not just events that changed the fabric of entire nations – we know about them already – but smaller, more intimate moments between two human beings, perhaps simply recounting the happenings of their day to each other. Whether they were considered so at the time, they certainly have a romantic element now, the idea of maybe even clandestine correspondence, the sharing of secrets, or just a message to say hello, each equally compelling.

Now, our words are recorded online, the ever-present Facebook and Twitter collecting our rushed updates and brief interactions with people we probably haven’t even seen for two years. To think that our ancestors will have nothing but brevity to look back on is quite frightening. Of course, changes in the way we talk are inevitable with the lightning changes in our society, but letter writing has been around for years. And I mean years. The second volume of Usher’s anthology proudly contains a customer complaint letter from 1450 BC.

Schools should be encouraged to engage students in the seemingly lost art of hand written correspondence, not just the odd Spanish pen pal at primary school, but a continual emphasis on the use of language. Of course, the restrictions of writing on social media are normalising slang, and it feels as if people, particularly young people, are beginning to forget the importance of the skill of writing. Our language is something we don’t seem to be exploring enough, the fading passion of seeking out the perfect words and sewing them up in sentences.

 

Imogen Bristow

Wallington High School for Girls