Showing 12 results

Sent from 3 Colleton Crescent, Exeter [home of Con Drury, who also signs the card]. - Postcard shows wood-carving of a female centaur holding a bow [a misericord from Exeter Cathedral]. Wittgenstein describes this as 'An ancient representation of myself as god of love'. Will arrive in London the following Friday.

Rosro Cottage, Renvyle PO, Galway, Eire. - Thanks for 'Borden' coffee; could not have continued at Cambridge; plans to see Drury and Richards and then go to Austria; Shah returning to India.

'Monday' - Will probably come to London on 16 Mar., since Drury, who's now in South Wales, wants to see him and suggested meeting them in there. Wants to spend the afternoon of 18 Mar. with Pattisson if possible, 'going through all the ritual meals etc etc'. Has had 'slight accident' and broken a rib; 'thought of having it removed & of having a wife made of it, but they tell me that the art of making women out of ribs has been lost'.

3 Colleton Crescent, Exeter. - Thanks Pattisson for helping him finance his studies in Dublin.

'Monday'. - Asks Pattisson to write to Drury with Clayton's exact address; 'enjoyed yesterday hugely''; recommends Pattisson take the Sedobrol, which is 'really excellent stuff & entirely harmless'.

'Monday'. - Arrangements for meeting Drury; would prefer to get out of Cambridge. Wittgenstein has pasted a small picture of Mary II [most likely cut from a Player's cigarette card] at the end of the letter, with the note 'By the way, this is my wife'.

'Monday'. - Has visited the bank and handed over a cheque for Drury, thanks Pattisson for his latest poem.

'Saturday'. - Article on gold in the Encyclopaedia Brittannica; has heard from Drury again, and would like Pattisson to lend him £20; wishes Pattisson to arrange a good cinema programme and egg nog; encloses a small picture [no longer present].

Maurice O'Connor Drury's mother will give her son an allowance to settle in Dublin if his friends raise some money for his training; asks if Pattisson is prepared to lend some money.

Lists attendees at Wittgenstein's lectures and Whewell's Court gatherings in 1930-1931 and 1931-1932. Expands information given in Wittgenstein's Lectures 1930-1932 on Broad's notes, is now 'as sure as I can be that these stem from conversations with Con Drury'; his own friendship with Drury.

Tale of A. E. Housman refusing to let Wittgenstein use his lavatory; 'He [Wittgenstein] was greatly perturbed, indeed very angry, and poured out the whole sorry story to me with great indignation. He was incapable of an unthinking, mean or selfish act of this sort'.

Kindness shown by Wittgenstein to Francis Skinner, and to King himself. 'It has been fashionable nowadays to denigrate great men and to ascribe to them failings which were hidden in their lifetime... Those of us knew LW in the 30's saw not an iota of what Bartley ascribes to him; and [it] is about as remote from his behavior as, say, landing on the moon. Nothing ever suggested to me that there was anything remotely resembling homosexual interest and of all men I have ever met, he was the most ascetic.'

King's confidence in the reliability of his recollections of Wittgenstein's lectures and other conversations with him.

'All of this material has either been published in LW Personal Recollections or in LW Lectures 1930-32 or sent to Brian McGuinness, at Queen's College, Oxford who is writing the biography'.

Visiting Maurice O'Connor Drury; is unwell; if peace is declared over Poland he does not know what he will do.

Letter, 6 Mar. 1978, from Bose to King. Discusses his old age and bad health; was a joy hearing from King, whom he remembers well. Memories of others, such as Rose, and those who have now died, like Azhar Ali, D. Raja Ram and S. Das Gupta. Would be glad to pass on his reminiscences of Wittgenstein. 'He was a very good friend to me, but I cannot say he succeeded in teaching me much philosophy'. Adds postscript asking if King is in touch with Con Drury and A. R. M. Murray, who both knew Wittgenstein.

Incomplete photocopy of letter, 5 Apr. 1978, from Bose to King. Praises King's plan of collaborating with Desmond Lee to publish their notes of Wittgenstein's lectures of 1930-1932. Fears he will be disappointed in what Bose can contribute. Answers questions specifically put to him: the dates of his time at Cambridge, and attendance at Wittgenstein's lectures; can only remember [Con] Drury and Professor Moore specifically among regular attendants; cannot answer the third question; did not take notes of the lectures, and now does not have any memory of the contents. General recollections of Wittgenstein: learnt 'very little' from him as a philosopher, but he was a good friend. Discussion of a Sanskrit word for friend, 'suhrid'. Wittgenstein obtained a sleeping drug for Bose from Switzerland when he was suffering from insomnia, and used to meet him out of each of his morning Part II exams, go for lunch with him, then walk him back for the afternoon paper. His first encounter with Wittgenstein was at a meeting of the Moral Science Club in the Lent Term of 1929 at which Bose read a paper on the nature of moral judgement and Wittgenstein asked several questions. Sometimes they would go for walks together, sometimes visit each other (Wittgenstein was at the time living in rooms in Maurice Dobb's house). Anecdote about Braithwaite asking Wittgenstein what title he wished to give his lectures, to which Wittgenstein answered, 'The subject of the lectures would be philosophy. What else can be the title of the lectures but Philosophy'.