[22 Paradise Rd., Northampton, Mass.]
Another short letter to catch the Queen Mary, and acknowledge your letter of the 31st, which arrived this morning. I had been amused by your thinking the cable was from me – at a shorter distance I should have wired to let you know, but of course by the time I got the letter you had made the discovery. It occurred to me that it might be from the Perkins’s. You seem to be very busy indeed at present, and I only hope that you will not be overdoing yourself. INiebuhr, ReinholdTSE on;a2 was interested to hear of Niebuhr – it sounded just like him. His voice is rather rasping, and his platform manner fatiguing – too fast and too vehement: I only hope that he will mellow with time, for his intellect is quite first-rate, but he has a long way to go. He seems like a man who had been exasperated for years by small people, but had not yet developed to the point of serenity in it. But his passion for social justice is, I believe, quite sincere; and he has matured a good deal since he began. I think Edinburgh will be good for him. And I liked him.
YesHale, Emilyphotographs of;w7in unfamiliar jacket;d3, the snapshot is quite good, and is cheerful. But I don’t seem to remember the jacket you are wearing.
Rather a lot of evening engagements this week – tonightLewis, Wyndham;a9 to dine with Wyndham Lewis (ILewis, WyndhamBlasting and Bombadiering;c5 must send you a copy of his amusing book of reminiscences), tomorrowHayward, Johnand TSE give another party;h5 JohnFaber, Geoffreyat TSE and JDH's dinner;f9 andMacCarthy, Desmondat TSE and JDH's dinner;a2 I give a small dinner party: just Geoffrey Faber and Desmond Mac Carthy [sic]1 and a bottle of good Burgundy; ThursdayShakespeare, WilliamRichard III;c7 toOld Vic, TheEmlyn Williams's Richard III;b2 RichardWilliams, Emlynas Angelo, as Richard III;a1 III, which will be interesting to see, with Emlyn Williams, after Measure for Measure.2 AndDuncan-Jones, Revd Arthur Stuart, Dean of Chichesterleads discussion on church music;a5 lastAll Souls Club, Thediscusses church music;a9 night a dinner of the All Souls Club, where D.-J.3 expanded on the subject of church music.
TheAiken, Conradhis depressing bohemian existence;a2 week-end with the Aikens somewhat depressing, and myself not too much at ease. Mrs. A.4 does all the work of that house and the cooking. She seems very young, paints better pictures than I expected, and has a kind of coarse prettiness. Not a thoroughbred by any means; but was quiet, at least while I was there! I am sorry for anyone who marries Conrad – and has to live in Rye – a rather stuffy and depressing little town, I think; a very limited circle of acquaintances; and Conrad’s interests are limited; and he has very little money and is writing another novel, I suppose as unhealthy as the previous one. It is depressing to be with an old contemporary of a good mind, who has arrived at forty-eight or so without yet having formed any philosophy of life or settled view of things, still living in a rather bohemian way, with elementary cooking. Last winter they were living in Charlestown, Mass. Fortunately his children seem to be rather able – his son doing rather well as a physicist, and a daughter doing well at Oxford. They all seem to want to stay in England, and Conrad said sensibly that he meant to stay in England until their lives were settled, and then go back to Boston to live (where I think he would be happier).
This weekend I have in London, and am glad of that,
1.DesmondMacCarthy, Desmond MacCarthy (1877–1952), literary and dramatic critic, was intimately associated with the Bloomsbury Group. Literary editor of the New Statesman, 1920–7; editor of Life and Letters, 1928–33; he moved in 1928 to the Sunday Times, where he was the chief reviewer for many years. See Desmond MacCarthy: The Man and His Writings (1984); Hugh and Mirabel Cecil, Clever Hearts: Desmond and Molly MacCarthy: A Biography (1990).
2.Tyrone Guthrie’s production of Richard III at the Old Vic starred Emlyn Williams.
3.Revd A. S. Duncan-Jones, Dean of Chichester.
4.Mary Hoover Aiken (1905–73), American artist, came to the UK with Conrad Aiken soon after their marriage in July 1937: they lived at Jeake’s House, Mermaid Street, Rye, Sussex.
1.ConradAiken, Conrad Aiken (1889–1973), American poet and critic: see Biographical Register.
7.RevdDuncan-Jones, Revd Arthur Stuart, Dean of Chichester Arthur Stuart Duncan-Jones (1879–1955) held various incumbencies, including St Paul’s, Knightsbridge, London, before becoming Dean of Chichester, 1929–55.
11.GeoffreyFaber, Geoffrey Faber (1889–1961), publisher and poet: see Biographical Register.
11.JohnHayward, John Davy Hayward (1905–65), editor and critic: see Biographical Register.
7.WyndhamLewis, Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957), painter, novelist, philosopher, critic: see Biographical Register.
1.DesmondMacCarthy, Desmond MacCarthy (1877–1952), literary and dramatic critic, was intimately associated with the Bloomsbury Group. Literary editor of the New Statesman, 1920–7; editor of Life and Letters, 1928–33; he moved in 1928 to the Sunday Times, where he was the chief reviewer for many years. See Desmond MacCarthy: The Man and His Writings (1984); Hugh and Mirabel Cecil, Clever Hearts: Desmond and Molly MacCarthy: A Biography (1990).
3.ReinholdNiebuhr, Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971), influential theologian, ethicist, philosopher, and polemical commentator on politics and public affairs: see Biographical Register.