Showing 121 results

12A Tite St., Chelsea, SW(3). - Is in London, staying with his old Oxford friend [Philip] Heseltine [the composer Peter Warlock]; had hoped he might be able to earn some money through the Round Table Conference, but everyone involved already has secretaries and so on. Asks if Trevelyan might be in town as he would love to see them; much as he would like to come to the country his only chance of work is to stay in London 'and be a bore to people'. They [he and the Germanova/Kalitinsky family?] have moved to the new flat.

Hears Julian is going to Paris, so may see [Maria] Germanova; if he does, wonders if he could, through 'tactful leading questions', find out how her finances and ability to pay for the flat stand; he has been paying the whole rent for about the last year, but she has said that after the marriage of Andreyusha [Kalitinsky, her son], he would not need to do so, as the new bride's father would give the young people enough money to be independent. [Hasan Shahid] Suhrawardy need therefore no longer send a large part of his salary to support Andreyusha, but instead could pay for the flat. She may not need any help from Bob, but he feels uneasy; Suhrawardy's last letter said that he had 'never been so poor as now' so perhaps he is sending more than he can really afford to Germanova. Does not want them to be in any monetary distress, but it is difficult to write about all this directly to her. Went to see Udai Shankar yesterday, and 'delight[s] in him, and the Indian music as much as ever'. Hopes to see Julian and Ursula before too long.

Empire Nursing Home, Vincent Square, London, S.W.1. - Is getting on very well now [after his operation] with little discomfort. Bessie reads Trollope to him most afternoons, and he usually has visitors each day: T[homas] S[turge] Moore is coming to tea today. Hopes Bessie will go to Paris next week, then on to Holland: no reason for her not to now Bob is 'so well' and go to the C.A.s [Clifford Allens] for the first couple of weeks after he leaves the nursing home. He works through chess games in the papers, and has just been looking at the tournament between Cambridge and Oxford, in which the marks were equal; Bronowski, whom he supposes is Julian's friend [Jacob] 'lost his game rather disastrously'. Terence Gray wants to do Bob's [translation of Euripides'] "Medea"in May, which he has agreed to but now regrets; Gray is trying to get [Maria] Germanova for Medea, but 'wants her to do it for nothing'; Bob has telegraphed to her saying she should 'on no account... accept the engagement. It is too monstrous'; Gray probably wants him to step in and pay Germanova himself, which he will not, as he will not be able to get to rehearsals and go through the part with her; Gray is also intending to put Medea in a mask, which is 'the height of folly' regarding Germanova. Unlikely Germanova would have been able to take the part with her husband [Aleksandr Kalitinsky] so ill. Wonders if [Hasan Shahid] Suhrawardy has gone to India yet and whether he has finished his book. Hopes Julian is getting on well with his work; frescos must be 'fun to try', though expects Julian is 'likely to make rather a mess at first'. [Étienne Adolphe?] Piot was 'technically quite competent' but artistically bad. Asks to be remembered to [George] Reavey, and to [Jean] Marchand if Julian sees him. Hopes Bessie will come to Paris next week, and see the Luce family. He and Bessie had hoped to see the Sykes family this month, but had to put it off; supposes [Hugh]'s exams are coming up anyway.

Asks if he may call Trevelyan 'Bob'; thanks him for all his kindnesses. Has received [Alberto] Moravia's book and the letters of introduction; asks him to thank [Bernard] Berenson for obtaining these; is particularly grateful for the one for the director of the Institute de Osma. Will probably leave for Spain around 3 Sept; Madame Germanova will be here when Trevelyan comes. So grateful for his offer to lend the money; seems unlikely that there will be more from India, and Suhrawardy has recently been disappointed in his hope of being appointed guardian of the Hyderabad state scholars. It was thought the India Office would not like the appointment of an Indian, and an Englishman has been sent out. Must find something in England. The sporadic money he has been receiving from his father will probably stop when he retires at the end of the year. Perhaps he might work at the High Commissioner's office or the India Offie. Will try in India, for which he leaves on 14 November; hopes to return on the Italian boat and will then see Berenson. Madame Germanova will go with Trevelyan to a French notaire to fix the mortgage; gives some details of the proposed arrangements for repayment.

28, Rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne sur Seine. - Looking forward to seeing Trevelyan next week; Madame G[ermanova] has a longstanding commitment to go with her son to see a friend; will try her best to come back. Is busy working as his book is due in October. Will be very glad to see Clifford Allen and his wife again. May not be in Paris in September, as he feels he must go to Spain to see the events he reads of himself.

Just returned from a visit to Madame G[ermanova]'s son Andrew in Switzerland; a wire has come from [Georges] Pitoëff saying that [Tolstoy's] "Cadavre Vivant" is not to be performed so Germanova is not going to England. She greatly regrets that she will not be able to visit the Shiffolds and make Mrs Trevelyan's acquaintance. They drove 1660 kilometres in Suhrawardy's new car; Dr Kidwall came with them to Bâle, from where he went to Lausanne, and joined them on the way back. Would love to come over to England for a few days, but it does not seem possible at the moment. Asks when Trevelyan will be going to Italy.

28, Rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne-sur-Seine. - Thanks Trevelyan for offering to help: Madame Germanova will thank him in person. She will have little time in England; asks if she can come to lunch on Sunday 22. Trevelyan can talk this over when he goes to se her play on the 20, or write to her at the Globe. They have seen Kindall several times. Has got a car on 'the instalment system'; this is the latest craze. Asks if Trevelyan could come over soon for a few days, and to be remembered to the Allens and Mrs Trevelyan. Is sorry he cannot come to England soon.

28, Rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne sur Seine. - The money that Trevelyan has so kindly sent will enable Suhrawardy to come over to England. Has received some news from India which may develop into something good; will tell Trevelyan about it when they see each other. Is delaying his departure in order to travel with an uncle who is a member of the Indian branch of the Simon Commission [Abdullah al-Mamun al-Suhrawardy]. Cannot accept the Trevelyan's kind offer of hospitality, as he will need to be at the British Library every day, but would be happy to visit whenever is convenient; hopes to spend two months in England. Wonders whether he could get a job with the Simon Commission, and will ask Sir Sankaran Nair: this would give him enough money to stay in England. Will stay with the same friends as last year. Madame Germanova sends her regards. Met [Cyril] Connolly by chance; found him 'nice but very volatile'.

28, Rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne s/S[eine]. - Madame Germanova's theatre has failed because of the crash on Wall Street, so she is coming home to France. He and her son Andrew are going to meet her at Cherbourg tomorrow. Is very glad that they will spend Easter together, but this is bad for her career, though he thinks she might not be 'quite the person for the States'. Rexie [his dog] has come home, so he does not see Ellen Vinaver so much; will pass on Trevelyan's compliments when he does. Has only just heard from the agent at Hyderabad that he will receive his January allowance, at the end of this week.

28, Rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne sur Seine. - Thanks Trevelyan for his kind letters; does not know what he would do at this uncertain time if he did not have Trevelyan's 'affection and kindness enveloping... and guarding' him. Very grateful for the days he spent at the Shiffolds; asks Trevelyan to thank Mrs Trevelyan for him, as he cannot express himself adequately in a letter. Had a good crossing and found Rex [his dog] well. Has been looking after the old Indian he met in London, who has had 'three successive strokes of paralysis' and is in a bad state; he has a wife, just emerged from purdah, two illiterate servants, and two small children; he is now a little better and will be leaving for India at the beginning of next month. Suhrawardy is also helping another family of Indians, 'very fine, khaddar-clad, orthodox, gentle & fat', and Ellen [Vinaver?] jokes that he is the 'unpaid consul in Paris of Nationalist India'. Has had no time to look for flats, and cannot make any decisions, since Madame Germanova wishes to spend the three months she will be in France outside Paris, then he will go to India in October for at least three months. Is waiting for her husband [Kalitinsky] to return from Prague before he make a decision; meanwhile Rex is with Ellen and the flat is cold and empty without him. Does not know what will come of Gandhi's action [the Salt March to Dandi] but is moved to tears by it. Asks Trevelyan to write to say he has recovered from his accident, and tells him to take care when crossing roads and getting on buses. He failed, but Ellen passed, the test.

Boulogne s/ Seine. - Does not know whether he can come to Italy yet as his quarterly allowance from Hyderabad is late - '[p]eople in the Nation States are so slack and unmindful' - and he has debts to pay off; in addition, Professor Kalitinsky is trying to defer a recall to Prague so that he can look after the dog. If Trevelyan has to leave at the beginning of February, as he wrote from Berlin, Suhrawardy had better wait for him in Paris. Julian has been for lunch and met Kalitinsky, his son Andrei, and Reksusha [the dog]; Suhrawardy then saw him again with two Cambridge friends in a café in town. Has had great news from Madame Germanova whose performance at her theatre as Masha, in [Chekhov's] "Three Sisters" in English, went very well. Was looking forward to hearing the new version of [Trevelyan's] Sulla. Trevelyan is the kindest of his friends; very much hopes to get to Italy to see him. A postscript on a separate sheet describes a meeting with a friend of Cheng Sheng, Lung Wo; he looks very young but is apparently an admiral of the Chinese fleet and is travelling with his wife and children on behalf of the Nankin government. He is anxious to meet people sympathetic to the Chinese nationalists, and Suhrawardy wonders if Trevelyan could see him and introduce him to meet Waley and Lowes Dickinson, or perhaps a Labour Party member who likes China. He talks English better than Cheng Sheng, though he has a very soft voice; seems a nice, kind man, though who knows what he might have done during the revolution.

28, Rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne sur Seine. - Has been at Nice with an attack of bronchitis after his father's departure for India. Thanks Trevelyan very much for inviting him to be his guest in Italy: would like this very much, but he has too much work to do, and he could not leave Reksusha [the dog] again so soon as the old Russian princess who took him last time, and her one servant who is 85, are terrified of him. He could come in the third week of January for about ten days if Trevelyan were still there then, as Professor Kalitinsky will be there. Very happy to hear of the success of "Meleager": performances are usually better than dress rehearsals. [Robert] Bridges has not sent his book, as he promised; asks Trevelyan to write with his impressions of it. Likes the title ["The Testament of Beauty"]: there 'is something sad & wise in it'.

Is going to Italy on 6 January; if Julian is in Paris that week he might stay there for a couple of nights before travelling on. Betty Muntz is arriving from [Le] Havre on the morning of the 6th; she will spend the day in Paris then travel on to Florence, Cortona and Assisi with Bob; she will have two or three weeks in Italy, he will stay on until the end of February. Bessie has just had two teeth out, but otherwise is well; she is reading [Robin] Fedden's book, which Bob has not done yet. The [Oliver] Lodges and their baby [Rosalie Belinda] are well, as is C.A. [Clifford Allen] who is starting a debate in the House of Lords today 'more or less attacking the Government about aeroplanes'. Bob thinks he rather agrees with Mussolini that the League of Nations should be detached from the Versailles Treaty. Hopes Julian will be able to sell his film; supposes his engravings will soon be at the Leicester G[alleries]. Hopes to see [Maria] Germanova in Paris; saw Nijinsky's daughter [Kyra?] at Lady Ottoline [Morrell]'s, who pronounced Germanova's name with an accent on the second syllable instead of the third. Must write to [Hasan Shahid] Suhrawardy. Asks if Julian would like him to bring any books, such as Virginia [Woolf]'s "Flush", which is 'quite good'.

28, Rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne sur Seine. - Thanks Trevelyan for all the trouble he has taken over his own translation; agrees with nearly all the corrections, as they give 'a more living note' to the text. He has lived so long away from the 'atmosphere' of English that it has become 'dead and slow' for him. Curtis Brown Ltd are his agents in England, and will circulate the MS; has heard that it has already gone to Allen Unwin. Has missed out on the American rights for a translation of Cheng's work, and it would be very helpful, 'at this difficult period of [his] life' if it were accepted by an English publisher. Has heard from Geneva that the post he was trying for has gone to another Indian candidate; hopes that things will improve for him soon. Is not sure when he will be able to come to England. Madame Germanova has just returned from Italy, where she has been playing with the Pitoëffs, and send regards.

28, Rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne-sur-Seine. - Apologises for not writing sooner. Madame G[ermanova] has gone with the Pitoëffs to Holland and Italy so he is alone in the flat with the dog. She, her husband, and their son return for Easter; she has had great success with [Chekhov's] "Three Sisters", Figaro and so on. Asks how Trevelyan's play [his translation of Aeschylus' "Prometheus Bound"] was received at Cambridge; Trevelyan had described his impressions of the dress-rehearsal, but this is often very different to the real performance. Has asked the girl who is typing up his own translation of Sheng Cheng to send Trevelyan the first carbon copy for corrections; does not think it needs to be very literal, but wants to know how it reads in English; it has not yet been accepted by a publisher. He suggested that [Julien?] Luchaire should write to Trevelyan, because of his work as a translator and favourable attitude towards international collaboration; thinks he should reply with names of books which should be translated and others that have not been well translated. It would also be useful to mention why translations were not well done in England, and criticism of the system by which publishers give books to people; he could quote from his 'excellent preface to "Aeschylus". The man in charge of the project is Giuseppe Prezzolini, whom he admires and likes very much. Hopes Trevelyan's play for Masefield is now ready.

28, Rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne-sur-Seine. - Apologises that his reply is late: has had a 'very busy and anxious time'. Another candidate has got the Geneva post, and he is leaving the Institute [International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation] tomorrow as he cannot stay on indefinitely 'on starvation wages without any prospects'. Will try to do some literary work, and is pleased at the idea of not 'serving anyone'. Looking forward to seeing Trevelyan and Julian; hopes they have good news of Mrs Trevelyan. Madame Germanova thanks Trevelyan for her book and wishes to be remembered to him.

28, Rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne-sur-Seine. - Was going to write the Trevelyans to thank them for their hospitality: delightful to meet Trevelyan again after so many years. Finds it hard to make new friends now so values old ties all the more. Will keep the Sunday when Trevelyan comes to Paris free, and hopes he will come to dine with them when he arrives on Saturday. Has heard nothing yet about the Geneva job; is very anxious about it as it is his 'only chance to get a background of comparative security' and his struggles since leaving Russia have affected his health and spirit. Not easy for someone like him, who has preferred adventure, to be 'taken back into the folds of respectability'. Lord Lytton, who led the Indian Delegation this year, promised to secure the post, but Suhrawardy fears his Indian advisors favour other candidates. Has spoken much about Trevelyan to Marie Germanova, who will be pleased to meet him and regrets that her husband [Aleksandr Kalitinsky ] 'a Byzantinist & a very fine man' will be out of Paris. Asks to be remembered to Mrs Trevelyan and Julian, whom he hopes is ready for Cambridge.

National Liberal Club, Whitehall Place, S.W.1. - Has been to the bank this morning; they will do their best to avoid Julian having to pay extra tax and are going to the French consulate this afternoon, but are not sure they will succeed; one problem is that Robert has covenanted to pay the four hundred pounds rather than it being an allowance, so it is legally Julian's money. Cannot expect the bank to 'conceal the facts if the French insist on knowing them'. Julian may have to consider whether it is worth living in a country with the pound at a bad rate: if he were 'domiciled in England' he could get the 'full value' of his income there, and live abroad almost half the year. This is not the right time to discuss this, however. Will be prepared to help Julian pay the tax this year if necessary, but could not do so every year. Will write tomorrow when he has heard from the bank. Glad Julian will see [Hasan] Suhrawardy before he goes to India.

League of Nations International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation, Paris (1er), 2 Rue de Montpensier (Palais-Royal). - Will not be able to come to Trevelyan's hotel, as he wishes to visit a Swedish friend of his [Amelie Posse-Brázdová ?] and invite her to dinner with Trevelyan; she is married to a Czech, has a chateau near Marienbad, and has lived for twenty years in Rome in an old Papal observatory near the Vatican. Thinks she will be accompanied by a Polish friend, a female artist, very 'modern' [possibly Tamara Łempicka?]. Directions to the house.

Coburg Court Hotel, Bayswater Road, London, W.2. - Wonders if Trevelyan remembers him; was in Russia for five years and then has lived on the Continent; has come over from Paris for a few days and would be very glad to come and see Trevelyan.

If Julian is back in Paris, he should try to see [Bernard] Berenson at once, as he will be leaving soon. Also hopes he will soon see [Hasan] Suhrawardy, who has been back in Paris for a while. Wishes that Suhrawardy could come to England, as he is not sure when he himself will go abroad but it might not be until almost Christmas or later. Fears Suhrawardy might not have enough money to visit, and would be glad to send him some but does not like to ask, especially as he sent some for Andrusha [Kalitinsky]'s expenses at university in Zurich. Might be best to wait until he can see Suhrawardy in Paris, but would be glad to hear how he is. Would be delighted to put up Julian at any time. Donald [Tovey] has just come with [his wife] Clara and a nurse, and will stay for at least two weeks; he is much better, but not well enough to return to Edinburgh this winter. Bessie is well, and C.A. [Clifford Allen] has recovered. Is trying to write a 'prose story, having renounced the Muses for the time at least', but expects they will come back to 'torment' him again; writing prose is 'much more fun than writing verse'', but dialogue is 'the devil'.

2 Blackhall Road, Oxford. - Only received Trevelyan's invitation to visit on 3 June yesterday evening, as the letter has followed him around the many places he has been since they last met. Has been ill for the last month, under a doctor in Oxford, and is not yet completely cured. Has been awarded a scholarship by 'the new Mussulman university' to study modern languages at Petrograd [St Petersburg]; will probably have to start his journey around the beginning of September, and hopes to see Trevelyan again before he leaves. Met [William?] Rothenstein today in Oxford; he says that Tagore, who is now in Japan, may soon be coming to England.

24, Coram street, Russell Square, W.C. - Thanks Trevelyan for the invitation; he has been unwell and unhappy recently, in part because of the strain of the 'wholly uninteresting subject of law' and has not seen many friends; asks if it is all right to defer his visit until the spring when the weather will be warmer. Has had inflamed eyes so was unable to write earlier.

Sends the address of the hotel where B.B. [Bernard Berenson] and Nicky [Mariano] are staying in Paris, though Julian may not return soon enough to see them. [Hasan] Suhrawardy is in Paris so Julian will see him; gives his new telephone number. Originally enclosing a cutting from the "Man[chester] Guardian", though Julian has probably heard more about it. Expects he will go abroad early in December. [Donald] Tovey is better; may come to the Shiffolds for a while with his nurse next month. C.A. [Clifford Allen] is 'also fairly well', though he has 'become very critical of the P.M. [Ramsay MacDonald] and will soon probably criticise him openly'; all this though is too complicated for a letter. Hopes Julian's film is going well and that the weather will allow him to finish it this year. He and Bessie are both 'quite well'. Has not been able to get an answer from [Hugh] Sykes Davies, so will have to go to Cambridge soon to see him.

Thanks Julian for his letter; asks him to let them know next time whether [Maria] Germanova, [Aleksandr] K[alitinski] and Rex [their dog] are living in [Hasan] Suhrawardy's rooms or elsewhere, whether they are very uncomfortable, and whether they have heard when Suhrawardy is returning, as he was 'very vague' in his last letter, though he seemed to like Bob's "Epistle" to him. Terence [Gray] and [Frank] Birch seem to want to produce his translation of Euripides' "Medea" at the end of May; thinks this means Birch rather than Terence, and perhaps he will like his production more than he usually does Terence's. Does not know whom they have chosen to play Medea, and fears it will be 'no one adequate'; Germanova is 'out of the question... after the fiasco of Terence trying to get her for nothing last year'; in addition she would need weeks of study and coaching to do it in English, even if she could leave Kalitinski, which she clearly cannot; asks Julian to say how Kalitinski is now. Bessie is distributing the notices for [George] Reavey's book ["Faust’s Metamorphoses: Poems"]; Bob thinks it would be better if they had a sample of the poetry as well as the drawings. Sends his love to [Jean] Marchand, if Julian sees him again. Will not go to Paris at Easter, nor to Wallington for Kitty's wedding, but stay at the Shiffolds. C.A. [Clifford Allen] is 'fairly well', but has 'ups and downs'; Bob is going with the Allens to see René Clair's ["À nous la] Liberté" on Thursday, but otherwise he 'plug[s] away at [his translation of] Lucretius"; will soon have to get in touch with [Hugh] Sykes Davies again. Julian's Mount Athos picture 'looks very well on the floor still'; must put it up over the fireplace. Quotes a poem by Po Chu-I [Bai Juyi] about his study. Things are going more smoothly at Edinburgh now; thinks [his and Tovey's opera "The Bride of Dionysus"] will be better sung and produced than last time.

Trinity College, Cambridge. - Came to Cambridge about four days ago to visit a sick friend, intending to visit Trevelyan on Saturday, but the cold weather and snow gave him a bad cold; hopes Trevelyan received the message that he would be unable to come which he sent via a friend in London; apologises for the inconvenience and says how disappointed he is. Has been to see Bertrand Russell speak to the Indians in Cambridge; it was a fine speech and 'the Indians here simply adore him'.