Letter of the Week

Every week, on this page, we will show a different letter from a selection of letters from Paul O'Prey's books on Robert Graves correspondence In Broken Images and Between Moon and Moon.

Date: 18 JAN 1937

Recipient: Stevens Cuyler, Juliana (1903-1949)

Location: Orange Street, London

* * *

To Julie Matthews

c/o Constable

18 January 1937

Dearest Julie,

We have your very nice letter of January 4th, which I am answering for the both of us. Yes, we both had flu. It lasts for three days and then one feels rotten for ten more. We are just out of that shadow. On February 5 we leave England (so as not to acquire a domicile) and go to Lugano in Switzerland where old Schwarz and Emmy Strenge will be. They report: 'Sunday afternoon picture-postcard scenery; warm; one would be a snob not to like it.' On April 6th we are entitled to return. Perhaps by then Deyá will be clear of trouble: if so, we fly there like swallows. We are packing up now: lots of stuff to go to Deyá, especially the (Caledonian Market) china and glass we had to buy because we couldn't bear Woolworth's products, and will have to be crated and stored.

. . . .

Alan Hodge was going to Spain to interpret or something for the Government, but Laura said, 'don't!' She set him instead to write a novel in his six Weeks' vacation, giving him a title, Year of Damage. He did ten pages a day, and finished in the given time and the result is excellent. Alan is fine: he always delivers the goods. We hope he will come to Deyá this summer and work on the Dictionary with us.

The Claudius scenario is a great joke: its permutations in and out of German, Hungarian and English as various big-shots take turns at it would make you laugh. I don't care personally. Von l Sternberg has it in hand now. Laura and I (anonymously) did a 'refugee' scenario for Korda. He paid us something for the job; and will pay more if he takes it. (We don't care if he doesn't take it. Films are insane: if they occasionally drop gold on our hats as we pass, that's all right.)

How is Tom's narrative poem?

How is Tom's novel?

What about American Ecclesiastical Habits? Laura didn't do the lectures. Instead she had talks with a number of people about the international muddle, and women in regard to the international muddle, and about what can be done. She got quite a new line on the problem. She is therefore writing a circular letter to a number of women and what she calls 'inside' men on the subject, and when they answer will make a book out of it. She will send you and Tom a copy for you to answer, and also copies to send personally by post to the few people you know who are likely to give thoughtful answers. This sounds mysterious, but you'll soon have the letter to understand.

We are getting Epilogue ready before we leave. It will be a good issue, I think. Also A Trojan Ending is now in print. A hopeful omen was that the President of Magdalen (George Gordon) who is Merton Professor of English at Oxford and also member of the Book Society Committee got very excited by a copy we sent him and said: 'The Book Society must take account of this.' It would be fun if it had a popular success. (No reason why not. It is long, and scholarly, and the only book on the subject and very nice to read.)

. . . .

Everyone is well and Karl is a darling as usual. He is going ahead to get things mapped out for us at Lugano.

The Lawrence book is going through after all.

. . . .

love to you all from Laura and me and Karl. '

[Unsigned]