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Letter from Mal Diamond
SHAF/A/1/D/36 · Item · 9 Feb. [1949]
Part of Papers of Sir Peter Shaffer

Describes his difficulty in focusing on work, finds analysis painful, has distanced himself from his family except for Frances [Whyte]; is going to hear Solomon [Cutner] in his American debut, [Artur] Schnabel has cancelled concerts due to illness, is going to three performances of the New York Philharmonic conducted by [Bruno] Walter including one featuring [Clifford] Curzon, and two ballets featuring [Alexandra] Danilova and [Alicia] Markova; the best thing he has seen is Marcel Pagnol's film 'Marius', which has the texture of a novel; asks for details of his psychiatrist; asks about friends there, news of Dave Calhoun and Tony, glad to hear Mr Wisdom is looking good.

Letter from Mal Diamond
SHAF/A/1/D/37 · Item · 6 Mar. [1949]
Part of Papers of Sir Peter Shaffer

Describes a 'magnificent' concert featuring Clifford Curzon with Bruno Walter and the N.Y. Philharmonic, which brought back memories of the glorious weekend with PS before he left for Paris; it's been a great year for English pianists, describes a concert by Solomon and also mentions Myra Hess; is getting on well with Frances [Whyte], but no break on the matrimonial front; is pleased to read what PS had to say about analysis, that the work is all the patient's; says PS is a lot sicker than he is, and will have to do a lot more work; describes his religious problems, has been studying Will Herberg, appreciates that he writes meaningfully about Judaism.

Letter from Mal Diamond
SHAF/A/1/D/38 · Item · 23 Apr. [1949]
Part of Papers of Sir Peter Shaffer

Describes his sessions with his analyst: 5 days a week, is aware he has to do all the work, while the analyst merely restates what he has said; describes the work he needs to do for his PhD; describes the many concerts he has attended, the two highlights already described: concerts by Solomon and Curzon, followed by Beethoven conducted by Walter, Koussevitsky with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Toscanini in a non-broadcast benefit concert at Carnegie Hall, with the result that he heard the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th in 10 days. Read [Graham Greene's] 'The Heart of the Matter'; asks if PS has resumed psychiatric sessions on his return to Cambridge.