Diccionario Enciclopedico Hispano Americano, Fernanflor, 6 - Madrid - Apartado 847. - Asks Trevelyan if he can look out of a young Chinese friend of his, F. P. Ling, who has recently come to London and is currently staying at the Chinese Legation. They worked together for a year in Shanghai; Ling is very young, affectionate and clever. Does not know what 'overlay of bright & vague Americanism' he might have acquired during his year in the States; Sickert feels it is wrong that so many Chinese look back with affection to America rather than England. Don Julio [Álvarez del Vayo] has returned to Madrid with his wife, 'very full of Bolshevik propaganda in Germany' but unsure how their methods would work in Spain; Duran is still 'a staunch believer in violence wherever & whenever', but fortunately, since Sickert does not know how he would manage without him, this resolution 'is somewhat in abeyance here'. The Liberal leaders totally insipid: they not been heard of since Dato called a new election early next year. Supposes that one reason for the Liberals' failure is that though they 'want things for other people - for Irish, Indians & working men... they have not for a generation & more wanted anything for themselves' and would therefore be content, 'selfishly & personally' with a regime they do not approve of. Sorry Trevelyan has, at least for the moment, put aside his work in which a young man went through 'a wonderful medley of adventures... embracing, like the encyclopaedia, the whole range of human experience.' Excitement in Madrid as Catalina Bárcena is returning to perform "Pigmalion" [sic: Shaw's "Pygmalion"]; does not know if Trevelyan remembers her from the Eslava [theatre]; says Margarita Xirqu is the only other actor worth talking about. Argentinita not yet back from the Argentine. [Ramón] Menéndez has suddenly returned from Toulouse: he does not like the French, which Sickert believes is generally the case with Spaniards. Ocaña is studying for a consular exam so Sickert has not seen him for months: cannot imagine a worse consul. Would like to see Cossio again: liked him and did not find him a bore. His wife has been reading "Howards End', the latest book by Pio Baroja, "Sensualidad Pervertida" and three new Russian grammars by Fowler; she liked "Howards End" as much as ever, and has always admired Forster. Sickert himself did read Corneille in the past, but he was either too young or 'not up to him'. Hopes to see Trevelyan's Swedish friend. Sends regards to Trevelyan's wife; his own enjoyed the Hague very much when she was on a conference in Flanders 'under false pretences'; says he cannot forgive [Walter] Jackson for not having a Dutch encyclopaedia instead of a Spanish one.
Diccionario Enciclopedico Hispano Americano, Fernanflor, 6 - Madrid - Apartado 847. - Very pleased Trevelyan has send him his Lucretius, and has much enjoyed reading it, especially as he has been reading 'a very competent book which accords modern scientific theories with Genesis'; praises the translation. Apologises for not replying to Trevelyan's letter of 5 June; is coming to the conclusion that he is 'not inordinately egoistic nor singularly selfish, but... a pig'. Since his wife went home he has 'lived off Duran' at the office 'where he is unusually competent', at lunch, and sitting outside for coffee; Alcalá, where they sit, is currently being resurfaced in an inefficient way, which elicits Duran's irritation, he believes communist government will solve such problems. Suspension of "El Sol" newspaper for refusing to either reduce its size or change its cost, as ordered by 'the hopeless Dato', who is premier again. Is surprised at the Spanish people's lack of interest or judgment in political affairs; they should not have allowed [Joaquin] Sánchez de Toca to be driven out of power by 'military intrigues'. Troubles in Barcelona. Goes to see dancing whenever he can, but the best dancer, Amarandina [?] comes on at midnight, so he has only seen her twice. Argentinita and Raquel Meller are in Buenos Aires, everyone else at San Sebastian. Ricardo Baeza is in London writing for "El Sol"; he managed the company which produced "La importancia de llamarse Ernesto" [Wilde's "Importance of Being Earnest". Cancha [?], the 'funny man' of 'El Sol', is also in London. Bagarria [sic: Lluís Bagaria i Bou ?] is in Toledo, 'talking 23 & painting 1 hour of the 24'. Brilleas has been going to the Cantabrian coast for a month, but Echevarría the painter, who was to accompany him, went to see his father for his birthday at the end of July and has not returned. Mrs [Luis] Araquistáin and Mrs Don Julio [Álvarez del Vayo] are in Switzerland; Don Julio is in Warsaw if he has left Berlin. Tells Trevelyan to write 'lots of good poetry quickly': his grandfather's advice to his father was 'mahl gut und schnell'.