Showing 13 results

K[ing's] C[ollege] C[ambridge]. - Wishes the war could be resolved as easily as their latest postal chess game: still seems to 'hang on a razor's edge'. Has not seen Roger [Fry] lately; Trevelyan will have heard of his father's death. Hugh Meredith is visiting for the weekend. The 'league of nations row' appears to be adjusting itself satisfactorily. Wilson seems 'to be emerging as a really great man'. Trevelyan, having had the luck to be appointed librarian, must be enjoying the purchase of books. Not worth while beginning another [chess] game.

West Hackhurst, Abinger Hammer, Dorking. - 'Awful business' about the Allens [Clifford and Margery?]. Encloses a cheque for £100, but doesn't want them to know. Saw him from a bus in Dorking; he looked very ill. Hopes they have managed to sell their house. '[Go]od news about the blue particles in the sky'. Hugh Meredith visited on Monday but was not fit enough to see Trevelyan. Evert [Barger] has also been to visit, after a school Mediterranean tour

52 Elmwood Avenue. - Masood has left; he has written on Urdu poetry for the "Athenaeum"; Forster gives his address. Received Trevelyan's letter at Edinburgh; he and Mrs [Florence] Barger, when on a walk in the Pentlands, found an arrangement of stones forming the initials 'G.M.T' which they altered to 'R.C.T'. Hopes Trevelyan had a good time in Spain; will be at West Hackhurst at some point so may see him. Caught the Glasgow boat to Belfast to stay with [Hugh Owen] Meredith, though fears 'the birth of god will be disarranging the traffic' on his return.

260 Mary Street, Balsall Heath, Birmingham. - Thanks Trevelyan for his letter; would like to send his one act play, "The God of Quiet" [for inclusion in the proposed "Annual of New Poetry"], which should be finished by the end of the month, and two sonnets; can add other pieces nearer the time if this is not sufficient. Agrees about [H. O.] Meredith, but thinks they should keep to the original plan that he should be a 'contributor by invitation' to this number, and not be counted as a founder so the project does not 'grow out of all shape in time'. Has been 'informally invited to produce Mrs Lear [Gordon Bottomley's play "King Lear's Wife"] in London'; has heard nothing definite about dates yet but hopes to see Trevelyan there if it goes ahead. Adds a postscript to say that he has about twelve other short poems, but if more is needed from him he would rather send something longer, as he can 'get necessary income from these others more readily'.

Harnham, Monument Green, Weybridge. - Asks if Trevelyan could lend him some books as the L[ondon] L[ibrary] has failed him; would like some of: Jean Christophe [by Romain Rolland]; Butler's "Life or Habit" [sic: "Life and Habit", Samuel Butler], "Luck or Cunning" and "Evolution Old and New"; Dostoieffsky, "Les Possédés" [Dostoevsky, "Demons"] but not "L'Idiote" as he jokingly says he has 'déjà stucké dans le'. Asks if Trevelyan has read Gertrude Bone's "Women of the Country"; thinks Miss Mayor's book [F.M. Mayor, "The Third Miss Symons"?] is also good. Asks what Trevelyan thinks of Mrs Cornford's "Morality" [Frances Cornford, "Death and the Princess: A Morality"]: he found the middle dull but the end beautiful. Masood is marrying the niece of Sultan Ahmed Khan. Is going to visit Mrs [Hope] Wedgwood at Idlerocks in Staffordshire, then to Meredith in Ireland.

Harnham, Monument Green, Weybridge. - Is returning Leonardo. Will not go to Munich for now, perhaps in the new year. Draws attended to his amended address: the old house name, Glendore, was 'a bit much'; the are settling in, and he hopes to join the new Literary Society if invited. Is going to see 'The Knight of the Burning Pestle' at Cambridge tomorrow: asks if he is right in remembering that Trevelyan doesn't like it. Wishes that Trevelyan would move into his new house quickly, as he wants it for some 'people' of his [a reference to "A Room With A View"?]; also would like him to provide one 'with something to do and something to die of' . Saw George [Trevelyan?] the other day. Sends regards to Trevelyan's wife; he and [Hugh Owen?] Meredith called on her cousin but he was not there. Will be at West Hackhurst for the new year.

H. O. Meredith on '19th Centry History'; D. H. MacGregor on 'Economic and Financial History of Britain and the U. S. A.'; 'E. A. Benians on 'History of the Colonies and India'.

[First page missing]. Wilfrid [Gibson] has been 'ordered to bed for 6 weeks' and has to follow a 'starvation diet': the Abercrombies have been worried about him for a while, and it is not certain what the problem is. Believes Gerald [Wilfrid Gibson's wife Geraldine] is fairly well, but fears Wilfrid will 'worry himself into a far worse state' about Gerald waiting on him. Sorry to hear that [Thomas Sturge] Moore's "Judith" was 'mauled' [in performance at the Queen's Theatre, 23-24 Jan 1916]: was very impressed when he read it, and thought it would act well, but if actors can 'savage Shakespeare, obviously they can garrotte Moore'; the first thing they should do after the war is 'kill all the actors & lawyers' [a paraphrase of a line in "Henry VI", Part 2]. If it is true that Abercrombie is keeping the annual back ["Annual of New Poetry"], then he ought to be in the 'jaws of Lucifer along with Judas Iscariot, Brutus & Cassius"; discusses this passage of Dante; cannot see any reason why the "Annual" should wait for him, as he would be 'uncomfortable' if left out but would try to get ready for the next issue. Is writing a little at the moment, but only plays which he feels may work as drama but will below the poetic standard the Annual should keep to. He and Gordon [Bottomley] think that Bob is 'quite wrongly diffident about "The Last Man" [ie. "The Death of Man"?]: neither of them would 'stand up to B[ertrand] Russell on philosophical grounds', but they would both defend the work on poetic grounds; he may be a 'very good connoisseur', but they are 'Professionals when it comes to poetry'. May have a 'Burst [of poetic composition]' when they return to Ryton, and in that case the "Annual" would have first claim on anything he writes, but currently feels as 'likely to write poetry as a bag-pudding'. They should not wait for him before publishing: the "Annual" need not start with a 'full team', as this is not football. H. O. Meredith would like to join, and Abercrombie has said he would 'put it to the other members' but that Meredith must not mind if he is rejected. Abercrombie, Gordon, [John] Drinkwater and Wilfrid are all willing to have him if nobody else objects, but it must be unanimous; Meredith is 'prepared for the jealousy of professional poets'. Bessie must be troubled about the 'disasters [floods] in Holland'; there is enough to worry about [with the war]; hope she has not been 'familiarly affected' and that it is not as 'shocking' as the newspapers make out. The Abercrombies are all well, and Catherine has definitely benefited from the change of scene; the 'dread' they feel [about the recurrence of her cancer?] has 'so far kept aloof'; the children are 'flourishing', and Bob should tell Julian that David is now a schoolboy

Yewbarrow, Grange over Sands. - Very glad to hear the "Annual [of New Poetry]" seems likely 'to be a going concern'; the suggested date makes it possible that Abercrombie may be able to write something, but he is going to Leeds to try and get munitions work which may 'hamper [his] fictive faculties'. Asks whether Bob has read Hume's "Treatise on Human Nature"; it is a 'great book' which he himself is in the middle of. The question of whether [Edward] Thomas will be included in the "Annual" remains: Abercrombie is seeing Gordon [Bottomley] this afternoon and will 'extract from him his definite opinion'; Abercrombie himself thinks that Thomas should be included, as his poems are certainly good enough, and he is apparently having difficulty getting them published elsewhere. Is also writing to Wilfrid [Gibson] to get his opinion; will tell him to send his own poems to Bob, and get [H. O.] Meredith and [Robert] Frost to send theirs too. Hopes [Henry?] Ainley will 'do his bit properly about Mrs Lear' [Gordon Bottomley's play "King Lear's Wife"]; appears he likes the play, but supposes he is 'water to rely on'.

Hollycroft, Cavendish Avenue, Cambridge. - Is glad that Trevelyan's wife is as well as can be expected [after the death of their son Paul]; asks if they are in Holland. Has been staying with [Hugh Owen] Meredith in his new house; goes tomorrow with Mrs Barger to join a party in Wales. Is reading "L'Iles des Pengouins" [sic: "L'Île des Pingouins", Anatole France] but is rather disappointed.

Letter declining invitation to the 1905 Apostles' dinner.

Postmarked Stone. - A letter seems to have gone missing: Forster will soon be at West Hackhurst and will make it up to Trevelyan. Has been stopping with [Hugh] Meredith, whose house in Cambridge will probably be too small for a 'playground' [see 3/10]. May go to meet [Goldie] Dickinson in Italy. Hopes Paul is well again.

Harnham, Monument Green, Weybridge. - Has heard from Miss V. W. [Vaughan Williams] about Trevelyan's accident at the Pageant: hopes he has recovered. Asks where Paul's 'playground' was purchased, as he would like to buy one for [Hugh Owen] Meredith's children. Returns two books, and his 'silly Dante paper'. 'Miss Bartlett' ["A Room with a View" has been rejected by the USA. Visits Meredith next week, then Mrs Hope Wedgwood; goes to Abinger next and on the 5th September may join [Goldsworthy Lowes] Dickinson in Italy. Wishes that Trevelyan could come too. Is reading Marco Polo, inspired by Masefield's introduction.