Correspondence: 1927–1987

Joseph Campbell’s letters are beautiful and well written, as one might expect. There is a lot to wade through, and this reader was impatient that, in many cases, we see the answers to his letters or the initial correspondence but not a Campbell response. The most astonishing letter for this reader, as an admirer of Campbell’s work in mythology, was his 1970 rave letter to Richard Nixon, decrying the horrible youths who were upsetting life on campus. He wrote it in defiance of the president of Sarah Lawrence, where Campbell taught, who had written in protest of the bombing of Cambodia. It is baffling that he thought that the war protest was “a trumped up cry.”

With the collaborative works with his wife, I would have hoped for love letters or more letters between them.

Joseph Campbell was a towering figure in bringing an understanding of other cultures and their traditions and mythologies to the general public. It is often said that his work made possible the popular Star Wars movies. If that is the case, through his writing, television appearances, and interviews, he will always be a towering figure in popular culture.