Valerie Eliot (1926-2012), née Esmé Valerie Fletcher, was the second wife of T. S. Eliot. As his widow she co-edited three previous volumes of his letters and sponsored the annual T. S. Eliot Prize. John Haffenden is emeritus professor of English literature at the University of Sheffield, senior research fellow of the Institute of English Studies, University of London, and a fellow of the British Academy.