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. - 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'.
The Shiffolds, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking. - Writes in support of the candidature of his friend [Hasan] Shahid Suhrawardy for a vacant post on the League [of Nations] Secretariat: has known him well for about twenty years and thinks him 'the most intelligent Indian' he has known, though lacking in ambition. Mentions that his uncles are politicians - one [Abdullah al-Mamun al-Suhrawardy] has recently died - and his father a retired High Court Judge in Calcutta. [Robert] Bridges and Walter Raleigh thought highly of him. Has a very good knowledge of Indian and European politics; is by no means a fanatic, often finding Hindu liberal politicians more sympathetic than 'his own Mahommedans', and by temperament and having lived in Europe is 'very detached and international' in outlook, as well as 'generously democratic and pacifist'. Expects he has written to Lord Lytton and Harold Williams, who supported his application for a similar position a while ago; the objection was then that he was not in touch with Indian feelings, but he has lived in India for some time since then.
14 rue Nungesser et Coli, Paris XVI. - Envies Bob greatly for going to Italy; hopes he will see 'more sun and sky, than in our north towns'; finds the cold without snow most depressing. Would very much like to 'breath[e] the perfume of our beloved and so much missed [Russian] snow!', which she remembers so vividly as she writes her memoirs, though Bob should not think she is 'indulging' in nostalgia, as she only uses what is 'essential to show... the course of [her] inner life'. She is writing the memoirs 'in the form of a letter to Andrusha [her son]'; it is a shame that Bob and Bessie cannot read it [as it is in Russian]. Has not had much news from Suhrawardy; hopes to hear on Saturday that he has reached India safely. Was 'very sad to part with him'; perhaps his father will come in the spring and bring Hasan Shahid with him. Thanks Bob for remembering about the flat; January 10 will suit her very well; thanks Bob for his kindness [helping her with the rent]. Andrusha seems 'in very good form' and his examination seems to been successful, though they will not know the results until 17 December.
14 rue Nungesser et Coli, Paris XVI. - Thanks Bob very much for the money he sent for the flat; she got it on 8 October and wrote to thank him at once, but has just found that letter 'forgotten in a book'; apologises. Has not been very well, and has had to stay in bed with her bad heart; has felt her burden and hates 'this forced laziness'. Is better now, and hopes this will last; she tries her best not to over-exert herself. Julian and Ursula have been to visit, and she was so glad she forgot she was ill while they were here. [Hasan Shahid] Suhrawardy will leave soon, so she is very sad; he is looking for a radio for them, which is very 'thoughtfull [sic] and nice of him'. Hopes he will come next spring with his father. Andrusha is sitting his examinations, and they think about him all the time. Asks how Bessy is; was 'mentalement [sic] writing her long letters' all the time she lay in bed; will write to her when Suhrawardy has left. He and Alex[andre] Petr[ovitch] send greetings to the Trevelyans.
14, rue Nungesser et Coli. - Arrived in Paris two days ago with his father, who is consulting doctors. Rex [the dog] was very glad to see him. [Marie] Germanova is well but very tired after over three hundred and thirty performances of Dostoevesky's play. Is not sure whether he will be able to come to England except for a few days at Whitsuntide; asks if Trevelyan will pass through Paris before 10 June, when he will have to leave to catch his boat at Venice for India. Sends best love to Bessie and Julian.
Grand Hotel Pupp, Karlsbad. - Apologises for not replying sooner to thank Trevelyan for the 'many kindnesses' he has shown him this summer. Has been with his father, who came from India in August, seeing doctors in Paris, Vienna, and other European cities; they intend to leave 'this magnificent but boring place' at the end of the month, and travelling to England via Berlin, spending seven days in London in October. Is taking a cure for 'rheumatism & obesity'. It is a 'moving sight to witness the enormous crowds (mostly Jews) pacing the collonades [sic]' while taking the waters. Has been reading Eichendorff, and there are statues of Goethe everywhere. Apologises for not replying sooner to Julian, and encloses a note for him. Madame Germanova is alone in Paris 'keeping house for Rex' [their dog]; her husband [Aleksandr Kalitinsky] is in Prague and her son [Andrew] at school in Switzerland. Hopes the Trevelyans are well; asks if the new wing of their house is being built as they wanted. Was happy to hear of the success of Trevelyan's piece at the Masefields' and whether he is now working on his other piece, '?Wilmlowe'.
Grindley & Co. - Arrived this morning and will be here for a week, would love to see the Trevelyans, either at the Shiffolds or in London. His time is not all his own, since his father is ill and his father's 'formidable wife... is ignorant of any language, including her own'. They will leave Europe on 20 September; he will then have a month more to see his friends 'in a real way'.
21, Theatre Road, Calcutta. - Is having two books sent by the University to [Bernard] Berenson and [Laurence] Binyon. Is starting from Bombay on the 26 July by an Italian boat to Venice; will be in Paris by about 10 August. Would like to see his young people [Andrew and Bev Kalitinsky] in Zürich in their new home. His father is coming too and wishes to visit England to go to Harrogate and to see his cousin (whom Trevelyan once met with him in a Spanish restaurant) so Suhrawardy hopes to be in England soon after 20 August and to visit the Trevelyans before their holidays. Only important mistakes are to be mentioned in the errata list of his book ["Essays in Verse"], so as 'not to exhibit to the world the inefficiency of the [Cambridge] University Press'. Agrees it was very stupid of him to have put 'Sophoclean' instead of 'Euripidean' and hopes few people will notice. Has received a 'delightful letter' from Will Rothenstein praising the book; is glad he did not take Suhrawardy's 'ironical references to Jewish writers on the Continent' amiss.
26 rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne s[ur]/S[eine]. - Work is a marvellous thing: she felt quite well when acting all through the winter, but as soon as she stopped, she fell ill; this is why she has not written for so long. She has had a very troublesome attack of asthma; fortunately the Suhrawardys had left, since she found the father very tiring. It was very sad to let 'notre [Hasan Shahid' Suhrawardy' leave when she was so ill; made one wonder whether they would see each other again. Knows this illness has a depressing effect, but there is good reason for sadness. Things are quiet and 'un peu "lonely"' at their house, except for Reksaucha [the dog]'s vigorous bursts of life; her husband goes to the market, and tells her about his exploits with the traders, wanting to make her laugh; sometimes she cries and finds it soothing; she prays, and can do a little cooking and 'make our flat tidy' [written in English]. She remembers the Trevelyans' house as a 'dream of cleanliness and order'; how splendid the days she spent there were.
21, Theatre Road, Calcutta. - Has received the air-mail post card. dated 19 July, which Trevelyan sent to an old address. Had thought that his poems should be printed one per page as it is a small collection, but since Trevelyan writes that continuous printing would save four or five pounds, will leave it up to his judgment and S. M. [Sturge Moore]'s advice. The job he was hoping to get [see 6/121] is to be given to an Englishman; a 'quite uneducated' Durham man, with Methodist training, the special education minister here, has been sent to England to find a candidate. If Trevelyan is surprised that after popular government the English are being employed in greater numbers, it is because each minister wants his regime to be a success and 'in spite of nationalist avowals feels in his heart of hearts that no Indian is really efficient'. Wonders if those who proposed the Act had this 'Machiavellian purpose in view'; it will come as a surprise to those like [Clifford] Allen who really want gradual transfer of administration to Indian hands. So Trevelyan need not hurry with the publishing of the book: any time in autumn will do. Suggests a revision to the first poem in the China Sea series, in case this can be made without expense and inconvenience. Was touched by [A.E.] Coppard's remembering lines he had written twenty-two years ago: he quotes from a poem printed in the "Oxford Anthology 1915" and another, which Suhrawardy had totally forgotten, in the "Palatine Review"; this was an 'ephemeral venture', edited by Aldous Huxley, intended for the poetry group of his time at Oxford. Has found a 'faded copy' and is sending Trevelyan the poem for inclusion if he sees fit. Is not in good health; after four years he has not managed to 'identify [himself] with the country' and remains an 'alien'. His chances of coming to Europe in autumn are remote, as his father does not like leaving 'his house, his servants, his masseurs'.
21, Theatre Road, Calcutta. - Is very grateful for the trouble Trevelyan has taken with his MS; agrees that it is unfair that no publishers will take his poems even when costs will be covered. The publication of his book would also have helped his chances of getting the University Professorship of English which will soon fall vacant; prefers this position to his own due to the lack of 'concrete material of the Asiatic arts' which necessitates indulgence in 'fantastic theories'. Cannot afford to have it printed himself, and will not hear of Trevelyan spending more money on him. Used to know a man called Coppard at Oxford, a 'towering intellectual from the working classes', whom he heard has had success as a novelist; he used to like Suhrawardy's verses, especially the ones printed in the 1916 "Oxford Anthology" (Amelie Brázdová must have mistaken this for the "Oxford Book of Verse"; would like to know in English what she has written about him; she makes mistakes as she is not familiar with England and Suhrawardy is 'horrified' that his friends might think he has given her false information). Coppard suggested getting the poems privately printed at the Golden Cockerel Press, with which he had some connection. If Trevelyan could lend him the expenses for a year, he would like to have the poems published there or with the Chelsea Press. Is sorry John Lane have rejected his book; used to know [Ronald?] Boswell, in the management there, at Oxford, and once met him at Trevelyan's friends the Archibalds' [Dorothy and George]. Tells Trevelyan to do what he thinks best, but only if he really thinks it worthwhile to get the work published: he himself is out of touch and cannot judge the merits of his verses properly.
Very glad Trevelyan saw [Marie] Germanova in Paris; they write in detail about each of his visits. Sends love to Bessie. Hopes Julian and Ursula are happy. Strange times in India: he had 'great sympathy with the Congress' and stood as a candidate for the Upper House in Bengal by 'indirect selection'. Due to 'indiscipline and bungling' he lost, for which he is now very glad as the path the Congress is following is 'sterile'. Does not understand the 'Congress formula', nor its tactical value. Calls Gandhi 'the divine bungler'. No chance of escaping the heat and coming to Europe in the summer; hopes he can persuade his father to consult his doctor this autumn, in which case he will come then. If not, he hopes to come next year, for longer. Is taking up the study of Chinese: when getting on in years 'one must have a quest that is endless', and Chinese will last him 'several reincarnations'.
61 Ripon St., Calcutta. - Thanks Trevelyan for his letter: thinks the changes have improved the lines [of a poem?]. Berenson is right about the pronunciation of Yudhishthira. Is very grateful to Trevelyan for having spoken to C.A. [Clifford Allen]. Is finding life hard in India, faced with the 'Victorian dogmatism' which most of the intellectuals affect, with a 'kind of religious mysticism for the sake of the reputation of the country'; human beings are not valued as human beings. Finds the country itself very beautiful though: has been to Ajunta, Ellora, Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Lucknow; likes Hyderabad best. Is currently with the Singhs at Bahagalpur, since his father is away from Calcutta. Sees the League [of Nations] as his 'only salvation'; supposes that Allen is right and after the Reparations Conference there will be less economic tension and more posts available. Was nearly appointed to a post in the Information Department of the Secretariat in 1929, supported by Lord Lytton and Harold Williams of the "Times", a close friend because of 'shared Moscow experiences'; Williams' untimely death meant that the High Commissioner's brother got the post. Since then every post has gone to Indians in Geneva, even if they are less well qualified. Feels he will have to stay in India and get some temporary post, to lift cares from his friends in Paris [the Germanova / Kalitinsky household]; hears Julian is going to paint a fresco in their rooms, 'with Osny as the background and Rex [the dog] as the chief motif'; is so glad he visits them.
Hyderabad DN. - Received Trevelyan's 'beautiful letter in verse' a few minutes ago: encourages him to put it in his book if he wishes. Was touched by it and feels nostalgia again for Europe. Seems he has no chances here, and would have preferred to stay in this 'beautiful, gentlemanly town'; fears he will not get a continuation of his grant. Will leave soon for Delhi, via Ajanta, Ellora, and Gwalior. Will be speaking at the university here about modern English poetry; the most recent writer they have heard of is Tennyson. Cannot remember if Trevelyan has been to Hyderabad; wants to see the Tombs of the Kings here. His heart has not been well enough for him to make many excursions, but he has been on a few and seen some good examples of 'late Muhamadan architecture'. Sends love to Trevelyan's family. Andrusha is 'already away to school'.
Hyderabad Deccan. - Cannot say how grateful he is to Trevelyan for enabling Andrusha [Andrew Kalitinsky] to get through his school. India, and the Indians, feel very strange to him, and he misses Europe very much; there is so much careerism at Calcutta and politics does not 'seem to touch the lives of people', while elsewhere 'the Fascist methods of the Govt. of India have cast a gloom on things'. He decided to sacrifice his individual happiness to save his friends from 'never-ending worry' by taking up permanent work in India, but there seems nothing to be had. Lacks influential support: his father has retired and knew few people; his uncles want to make names for themselves. Wishes he might find something at the League [of Nations] but the 'axe' is in operation there too. Asks if [Clifford] Allen might mention him to some people at Geneva; sends congratulations to him [on his peerage] and is glad he will play a role in public life again. Hyderabad is 'romantic' and he likes it better than any other Indian town, but it is getting hot and he finds it difficult to breathe. Is trying to get an interview with Sir A. Hydar, 'the Dictator of the place' [Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII?] but has not yet succeeded. His book on Islamic art in Spain is doing well here; will give a few lectures on modern English poetry and European literature, for which he is being paid badly. Will go to Delhi and try there for the Leaue. Sends love to Bessie and Julian.
14, Rue Nungesser et Coli, Paris 16e. - Saw Julian yesterday, and was glad to hear that Bob had recovered; Julian did not come last week in case Suhrawardy had not recovered from his pneumonia, during which his temperature went up to over 107 which his doctor says 'only happens to savages'. He is now much better. Has seen a lot of his friends the Singhs, who have now gone to London. His father has written to say he will be in Europe in September, and he has also be offered a Readership at the Calcutta University, to give six lectures on 'Mussulman Art' over the winter, so he has decided to go to India with his father in November. The Singhs are taking on the flat in Pembridge Crescent at which Trevelyan came to see Suhrawardy at the end of this month. Might be in London at the beginning of June and would love to come and see the Trevelyans if so. Julian mentioned that Mrs Trevelyan had had to give up her trip to Holland because of illness; hopes it was nothing serious. Madame G[ermanova] sends her love; excuses herself for not writing, but they have no maid so she is doing a lot of housework. Her husband [Aleksandre Kalitinsky] is much better. Rex [the dog] loves the warm weather. Asks him to tell Mrs Trevelyan that most of his vegetable were eaten by hares.