‘The Attic’, 43 Bernard Street, Russell Square, W.C.—His plays have been seized by the Government. He hopes some protest can be made if they are destroyed.
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‘The Attic’, 43 Bernard Street, Russell Square, W.C.
Oct: 27/16.
Dear Mrs Pethwick Lawrence
Thank you so very much indeed for your letter about the plays. It is good to know that people like you think that they might be of some use.
But alas—yesterday the War Office or Home Office (I do not know yet by whose authority) descended upon Hendersons the publishers and seized every copy. They have forbidden its distribution or sale. And there for the present the matter stands! Needless to day I am not particularly concerned for myself whether they prosecute for the sin of having written them—but I do hope, if they destroy them, that some protest can be made. Here we are at a most critical period in history—at the very cross-roads—& we have to face all the extraordinary difficulties & dangers of the years of crisis without freedom of speech or expression one to another. Some friends in the Commons are making enquiries for me—& the Council for Civil Liberties have been told.
I shall look forward to meeting you soon. I will write if I may in a few days to fix an afternoon when I know what the next move in this suppression is to be. Again—thanks for your letter
Yours sincerely,
Miles Malleson
Agrees in deploring the suppression of artistic works. The seizure of Malleson’s plays is evidence of their power to kindle the imagination.
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31st. October, 1916.
Dear Mr. Malleson,
Yes alas—when I sent round next morning after writing my letter to you to purchase copies of your Plays to send away to my friends, my messenger was told that it was too late, {1} that the Authorities had descended upon the publisher and seized every copy. I agree with you that there is something very menacing indeed in the fact that even {2} the work of an artist is subject to suppression. I think it is one of the most serious dangers with which any Community could be confronted. I see that a question is to be asked in Parliament to-day. I am of course extremely sorry that I did not read the Play at once and secure additional copies. I congratulate you again on having written them. The very fact that they have been suppressed is in itself an evidence of the power that is in them to kindle the imagination.
You won’t forget your promise to write to me in a day or two to fix an afternoon when you could look in and see me, or ring me up over the telephone.
Yours with all good wishes,
[blank]
Miles Malleson Esq.,
“The Attic”,
43, Bernard Street,
Russell Sqre. W.C.
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{1} Mistyped ‘thateven’.
British Museum, London, W.C.1. - Has just heard that Oswald Sickert has lost his job with the Encyclopaedia Britannica and will be in England in about a fortnight looking for work. Corrects an impression given by his last letter: only met Adrian [Stephen: see 17/25] once and liked him, does not know him well. Asks if Bob could translate Aeschylus's "Prometheus" for the Art Theatre" as requested by [Vera ] Donnet; thinks his way of doing the chorus would 'work very well' for recitation. Was greatly bored by the first performance by the Art Theatre [George Farquhar's "The Beaux' Stratagem"]: everybody 'connected with it is completely Philistine', and he does not think that any good will come of it, though it will be no worse than 'the Stage Society, Pioneers, Plough, Bel Espoir, Paddington Players, Malleson's Mimes or anything of the rest'.
Has arranged to publish his next book ["More Translations from the Chinese"] with Allen and Unwin; Constable's [who published his first book] is 'a nuisance to get to'. [Eugene] Morice has died of illness at Salonika and his bookshop [in Museum Street] is for sale; would be 'great fun' to run it, but he is afraid there is not 'enough sustenance in it for Oswald'. Has translated about thirty more poems of Po Chu-I for the new book, but may 'weed them out a bit', as well as a new version of Ou-yang Hsiu's "Autumn Dirge'. [Gordon] Luce's poems have been 'an appalling blow'; liked some of them at first, but now 'hate[s] them all'. Asks if anyone has seen [Charles] Vildrac and whether he is translating any more of Po Chu-I into French. Does not think he has seen Roger Fry since Bob went away. The Dickinsons [Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson and his two sisters] are soon to move into the upper storey at 13 Hanover Terrace.
Trevelyan has filled in the sections printed on the front: 'Written by' with 'R.C.T'; 'Commenced' with 27 August 1923 [looks like 8]; 'School' with 'Ἡ ΓΗ' ['The Earth' in Ancient Greek]. Notes in his first entry that he has been reading Ponsonby's book ["English Diaries" by Arthur Ponsonby] which has inspired him to start this diary.
Mentions of Mabel [Godwin?], Marian [?], Alice, Bert and Bobbie Elms; Bessie and Julian; his parents; Miles Malleson and his wife [Joan] and uncle [Philip Malleson]; O[liver] Simon at the "Fleuron" (who asks him to translate the "Acts of the Apostles", to be illustrated by Paul Nash); Miss Ewing [later wife of Walter Rea], Nicky Mariano; Bernard and Mary Berenson; Frances and Arthur Dakyns (visiting the Ponsonbys at Fernhurst); his brother George (who has written to the "Times" saying the matter between Greece and Italy should be referred to the Powers not the League of Nations); Margaret and Ralph Vaughan Williams and their mother; Mrs [Jane] Russell Rea; Irene [Cooper Willis or Noel-Baker]; 'Miss [blank left], with whom Rennier had an affair. She is now private secretary to [Henry?] Hamilton Fyfe'; Francis Birrell; Clifford and Joan Allen; 'an Italian-French lady' whom Trevelyan had met at I Tatti; Barbara Strachey; [Simon] Bussy [paintings by]; John Rodker 'and his child [Joan] by Sonia [Cohen]'; a 'nice rather muddle-headed young man.. Labour candidate for Petersfield' [Dudley Aman]; Bertrand Russell.
Works on: translations of Theocritus; his 'Flood poem' ["The Deluge"]; possible continuation of "Pterodamozels"; review of books on metre by Lascelles Abercrombie and E[gerton Smith] (Smith is the first person he has 'attacked' in a review; wonders if Desmond MacCarthy will think his comments 'too strong); review of Sturge Morre's "Judas" for Leonard Woolf at the "Nation"; his 'Pandora play'.
Reads (as well as Ponsonby, and sometimes with Julian): the "Manchester Guardian", Spenser's "Mother Hubbard ['s Tale]", Epicharmus, "Henry IV pt 1", Phaedrus, Macaulay, Aristophanes, the 'Summer number' of Julian's "Hurtenham Magazine", Lucian, the "Mikado"; Ssuma Ch'ien [Sima Qian]; Hastings' "Dictionary of the Bible" [at the London Library]; a "Classical Review" with Duff and Bailey on Lucretius; Molly MacCarthy's autobiography ["A Nineteenth-Century Childhood", 'Very charming']
193 Portsdown Rd, W.9. [27 Belsize Park, N.W.3, embossed on paper but crossed out]. - Thanks Bob for his poem"To [G.] Lowes Dickinson" in the "New Statesman" [22 Oct, see 2/177], which was 'an inspiration'.