Correspondence, Earle Birney

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February 14, 1942Dear Mr Birney,I expect my Antho lopy of Canadian Poetry to be launched on this unpoetio world next month. Meanwhile 1 have mustered what audacity I had and presented to the Penguin Books Limited another idea I have long held flfir a book to be called, perhaps, "Contemporary Canadian Writing** My hopes were to collect a mixed bag of poems, short stories, and articles from the younger Canadian writers with an awareness of what's to-do outaide their own parishes* Good writing not afraid of the muscular or the colloquial with something to say about what's immediately defining Canada today*I presented my tentative list of contents to the director of Fenguin Books in Ehgland. It got Immediate enthusiasm and a letter to go ahead* I still have to drag down an O.K. from the powers that be in Penguin Books Ltd. Canada* I secretly hope the idea may turn Into a series*I want to get material' from"one or two young writers in the forces, If I can find them; also include people like A.J.M* Smith, Klein, Leon Edel, Pratt, E.K.Brown, Callaghan, Finch.Could I requisition you? I'd like a short story; or an oriole out of Canada that would seek audienoe also in England and the States* Not overlong, I'm afraid— as paper's a problem. I regret (as I did over the Anthology) that I can't promise payment — though I'11 do my best about trying to pay contributors*I enjoyed your "Advioe to Anthologists" hugely* What an appalling thing the book isl
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Xflntversltp ot TorontoTORONTO 5. CANADAUNIVERSITY COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISHDear Ralph Gustafson,A note in a hurry. This is my busiest month. Glad j^o get yours of Feb, 14. Looking forwar d to seeing your anthology. Your new idea for Penguin is excellent. 7/ill do what i can to cooperate.Unfortunately, for the moment, I may be a rival editor—on the score of short stories only— as I may be guest editor for a Canadian number of STORY, though the project is not definitely settled, xrobably the edition w ouldnt come out t^%»tfall, I would have to rite an introduction on the Canadian S.S., and find some stories, xaxid-r. Here yovle'xpecting to issue your CONTEMP. CM .WRITING earlier? If not, we should be able to keep our lines separate, -‘■here s no great surfeit of good Canadian prose, and I hope we wont have to compete at the same time. I-u any case I should be glad to submit you material of my own,if I get time to get anything into shape. I have no stories of my own on hand, and no tiHie to write anyway— and very little verse. I have one or two things, however, and could get together an article—perhaps a critical arjtxcle on Oallaghan or Sinclair Ross or someone like that. Would that interest you? I hope you'll be able to arrange some payment for contributors, however small, as it will act as an incentive—in my case at least I I have mentioned your project to on0 or two Toronto writers i know and will direct them to send you material when you say the word. What lengths of verse do you rnntj and of articles? Betterset a ordlimit for me, as i'm a wordy devil.I enjoyed your two verses in the secend number of Uontemp, Poetry very much, especially the' Canadian Pan one. Gelber has brought me a set of" your books,, and,, I'm looking forward to reading them. I've heard nothing of the issue of verticaland it may be the Forum has assigned it to someone else, as they know I'm tooMar.12/42
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busy to do anything for than this month. As you know, I'm no longer lit. editor. I dont know who is at the moment, Better just address enquiries regarding lost poems to the Lit, Ed., or to the editor, Eleanor Godfrey, at the Forum office. Sorry you've had trouble about MSS , end hope they find them.Please let me know your pj^ress with Canadian Penguins and I'll write again at more length.Sincerely,
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70 CENTRAL PARK WEST NEW YORK, N. Y.March 14, 1942Dear Earle Birney,Thanks for your note of Thursday.My Contract for CONTEMPORARY CAN.WRITING came from England— and they’d like my typescript over there by June.I doubt if the book could be on the English market before December. The Canadian edition would take a little longer^Se- I doubt If our editorial searchings overlap. Ms any-rata,,—3—trwtt Canada—gan pVeTdUtie enuaghgnnri wrIMng +• n fttvfmn g~ fTlH^f H'}. t MM tA.J.M.Smith told me about the excellent plan re "Story". Just now we are knocking together a proposed Anthology that would present about 12 Can. poets.If you have no story on hand, could I persuade you to a prose-piece of about3,000 words? As the book will attempt to Interpret Canada’s present spirit, abroad as well as at home, I’m anxious to keep the first number to an important general appealr-not too literary. Something like "Toronto & the Blitz" or "How to Live with a Bomb*.I dont mean to be facetious-- muscular, rather. But I leave such to you. Perhaps the prose counterpart of "Hands"?I've shoved the royalties I’ll get about-- and can pay ^ cent a word, <--*£<> \Would you be good enough to have your writers direct their material to me (anxious for material derived out of expcpience In the forces)?—with return oovor-& poatago, I hope4Would you be good enough to direct my letter to Morley Callaghan and have you Sinclair Roaa’ addreas? Sprry to trouble you."Vertical" went up to the Forum— hoped it might fall Into your hands. They’d never heard of my 2 poems .< ttL4- Hope ^E^can "eiffimarfc you for thofw 3,000 (about) words?Sincerely,
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■ClnfversttB of TorontoTORONTO 5. CANADAUNIVERSITY COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISHApril 5,1942Dear Ralph Gustafson,Got yours of Marl 14, and forwarded your letter to Callaghan, Am still hoping to see your Anthology. Vihat's holding it up? And how goes the Gont. Can .Writing project? I've mentioned" Tt”^o’ a number of people. 1*11 have an o for flow "from the~~Story project and, -where I think the stufftnight interest you, I’ll tell them to try you with it, if you wish. I’ll be glad to try a prose piece for you of about 5000, on something such as you suggest. Will hope to get hit with an idea in time.i’m ashamed to see you asked for oinolair Ross' adr.,& I forgot to send it.Will append it to this, vhen go to the office tomorrow. I’ve been drovmed in work —and lately in flu—hence this delay... i'here 1 s an RCAMiC boy in the v/est who used to write me pretty good'proletarian’stories for the CFQrum . I wrote him and told him about your project, also 1 have on hand some fairly interesting prose "montage" about the impact of war in ancouver, which x’m waiting for author's permission to send on to you. This chap is a discovery of mine, from Ftr um days, and I think will develop, "e's only about 23 now. Name is ^ill McConnell. l'rv'e mentioned your CCOT also to Fioris McLaren, Eleanor Godfrey, Dorothy Livesay,etc., & to members of my two -writing classes. So you may get something.-not too much drivel, I hope.I never saw the copy of VERTICAL you sent the BForum but your friend Lionel Gelber very kindly brought me a copy,also your Golden Chalice & your Alfred drama. & I’ve been having quite an interesting Gustafson weekend. Since I teach Anglo-Saxon,tffftiong other things, I ms greatly interested in your drama; I thought it was extraordinarily deft in handling all that complicated Danish wars stuff, and a reasonably just idealization of Alfred, who certainMf seems to be a great and much-negleuted figure. I suppose it should be judged as a closet drama; might be a little slow on tiie stage; but you never know--have you ever put it on? Anyway, however it would fare dramatically, it fares damned well poetically. Are copies of these two books still in print? I'd like to order them for the^x University Library.it was most interesting to trace your poetic development in the Golden Chalice.1 feel^that if you hadnt written so many good conventional sonnets, & such" fluent ’ Spenserians , earlier, you wouldnt have that metrical sureness in^your metres of your own now. T^e changes in sonnet treatment within the book intrigue me—how manyyears between,say sonnet ^‘1 on p.14, and "Voltage" on p.56? Incidentally, I'm still in the stare where I find something valid in the thought of "To Those Concerned". At any rate, iS&Seste i’m sick to death of the twenty-year old spree of Bloomsburyism; I think poetry will never be revitalized until it stops being afraid of (l) beauty (2) narrative (3) primary emotions ^4) comedy(as distinct from bile J. I'm afraid that in Canada, instead of profiting by the eDtperience of the between-wars & skipping a lot of the iiliotics, we're following our old habit of imitating a fashion once it's safely dead.What do you thinkYI'm enclosing some verse by an interesting newcomer hereabouts, a young professor of geogrpahy at ^c^afters,recently from Edinburgh,where he was associated with a group which included David uaichos, Hugh ^cDiarmid, Muir, et al. ^e's working on two excellent long poems, If you dont want these let me know as soon as you can, as I can place them elsewhere,but would rather let you and amtih^~fee them first.All the best,P.S. Just to demonstrate j- can be as obscure as anybody, and as inconsistent, i'm enclosing "In this Verandah", for your use or return, as you wishi
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April 13, 1942Dear Earle Birney,Many thanks for your letter packed with the right kind of thing*-- and that despite the odd flu-bug. At weary last, the final proofs of the Anthology went up today to Toronto. They're all set to speed ahead and I expedt the opus out before another moon. This has all been an 18 ) months gestation— and I rejoice that the offspring is now on its own. There's an awful lot of labour to a labour of love.The OGW forges ahead slowly. I’m afraid my t cent is not a propitious offer to offer Morley Callaghan. But the A of CB put me too deeply in the hole to continue with CCW! I wrote Sinclair Ross c/o Royal Bank in Winnipeg-- also L.A.MaoKay for a piece out of B.C. But would be glad to see the piece from your Vancouver writer t>f he agreesr-Bill McConnell. Prooe "montage" about the impact of war i8 what I'm particularly looking for— at least, three or four such pieoes*I trust your in the depth of the 3000-words-or-so for me? Will be very grateful.I enjoyed "In This Verandah" httgely— particularly the last three lines. Have you a copy so that I might keep this one? I'd like to see how the poetry I've asked for works out.At any rate. I'd like to add it to yours in the Anthology Arthur Smith and I mapped out — though the typescript is already being "sat on" by a publisher here. iI sent along an extra copy I had of "Fantasy". Thought you misrht like to see the quarterly— and try them if you wish. Mayer is slow on reporting \ however. I've also sent up "The Golden Chalice" and "Alfred the Great". The edition of the former is defunct, I believe. Though Reginald Sauaders In Toronto may have a copy left. I knov» he has some "Alfreds".I feel guilty of many things in the "Chalioe" — though I havent read it for some years* You are right about the early sonnets and Spenserians.They proved invaluable discipline— though some of them, I hope, still hold more than a preview, perhaps a handful here and there* A great deal of personal ircpatience intervenes between sonnet# 1 and, say, "Voltage’— two years of it, I guess.
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I'm very grateful for your liking "Alfred". However good it is, it certainly has pages as good as anything I can do* I didn't mean it to be a closet-drama-- never want to write one— but a play in verse, I can see now that it needs tautening here and there and colloquial-izlng— but it ahould hold up beautifully when spoken. One day, I'll get at it again. As you probably guessed, I used Asser, the Chronicle, and Alfred's own prefaces. The contemporary parallel struck me forcibly— but above all, Alfred. A muoh-negleoted figure and a man.I subsoribe heartily wtbh your prescriptions for revitalizing poetry. I get sick to death with the cerebral pastiche that gets printed down here, I had hopes the war would pull the plug on the accxroulated thirties. We might get a naked muscular body. I seem to sense that Canada is just running the bath? I tried to find some good vigorous and direct stuff to tail off my Anthology, But most of It had Audenitis or was held together with scaffolding,I liked V/reford's two poems-- and on very glad you drew my attention. If space In my various projects comes my way, I’ll get in touch with him. Smith's in Washington at present— so perhaps I'd better enclose the poems so that your outlets won’t be held up, (I was glad to see Wreford ended ’Early Willows” with not too direct a "whimper”! "Shall not the profiteer produce /his 3ilver from our grief?" seems like 1920 to me.)Again my thanks for mentioning CCVt round and about,... Like the Icon of winter, I run to length....I look forward to youi prose-piece.All the best,os, Did I mention to you before what a grandpoem "DaMd" is? Arthur Smith read while Ityped it into our Anthology, no* being hawked about.
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Ulntpersit? of ZTorontoTORONTO 5. CANADAuniversity college April 2^, 1942DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISHDeer Ralph Gustafson, nThat was very kind (you to send me copies of "The Golden Chalice" and "Alfred the Great". I am very glad to have them. Have ordered copies for the U.Library, and hope they get them, •‘•hey should have had them long ago.Glad to know the prooofs of your Anthology are here at last. Havent hacftime to look properly at "Fantas^f" yet but glad to have it called to my attention. Stil3^fcied up with academics but am brooding over an idea for your uCW and will lay some kind of an egg soon, xou’re welcome to the copy of "In this Verandah/'; I havent tried to place it anywhere... Do you know David M0rton*s stuff?... Saw Dorothy Livesay at lunch today. The stage is almost set up here for a new regime in lit. Wed Pratt is fed up with the UAA & would turn the UHI over to some of us if he could; instead, will probably give it to Benson to bury,and so leave room for a real verse mag. in this country. uave you see tne Montreal group*§ PREVIEW? And the Toronto Arts & Letters venture? These,with GY in Vancouver, might add up to something,with organization.Hope to have the prose bit for you shortly.April 23. Saw Pifcrce of Ryersons today. He spoke highly of your anthology. Understand he plans a 2nd. reduced edition foe schools.All^fehe best,
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April 30, 1942Dear JSorle Birney,itad a nice letter fron Koss Sinclair — who 13 In tfr.c throes of his new novel and has only the 3hort-story he sent al ^ng to you. 1 suggested he send me a carton of It to consider for Contemporary Cen«dlrtn Writing if he vas billing. My book probably wont appear in unfriend until the end of the year-- so that "Story” will have precedence and ^Acknowledgement could be made. Is this upreeable? 1 had hoped, as far as possible, to U3« only new stuff-- but I would like to include some work by Koss. I had thought of his "Cornet at Night”— tut I’m afraid it Is too long. The paper shortage In England Is a serious problem, however, I hope his new short-story can be doubly used?Trust yom* opus for me Is progressing?Varies l«augl lln of New Directions Press is having me do « little Anthology of Canadian Poetry for his '’Poet of the Month” series. I have tentatively put In your "Slug In Woods” and "In this VernKd^h". I plan about ten poets for the ?2 pages. The Penguin Anthology has arrived from Kngland and looks as well as can be on their almost blue-grey paper.Do you know if bill McConnell is submitting— or the others you were good enough to speak to?Gould you send me a copy of the Arts& Letters venture? Sounds interesting. I'll try to got a copy of Preview from P.R.Scott.It was good of you to Jder ray two fir3t for the U.Librayy. -^et me know if theyse not available.I remember David Morton's sonnets from Bishop's days. One or two have remained memorable but others static conventional, I believe?All the best,
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Xflniverstt? of TorontoTORONTO 5. CANADAUNIVERSITY COLLEGE lfe.y 21, 1942DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISHDear Ralph,I've been suddenly oalled up for an Amy Personnel job far the simmer (may be for longer), hence my delay in writing you. I enclose Sinclair Ross' story,vhich I'm glad to send on to you, more particualrly as the STORY enterprise has blown up ( as you no doubt have heard). I had a note from Ross giving me authority to pass it cn to you.I enclose also a story by a student of mine, Lois Darroch—THERE IS A TIME FOR... Her stamped envelope is included,-though unfortunately she put on Canadian stamps. I thought -the material in it might be the sort you're looking for, though the workmanship may not be up to the standards you are setting . She is a young girl -^ who has had nothing mud", published—an occasional verse in _CHd.i am very very sorry that I must disappoint you, & myself, about a prose contribution iaxjroaax of my ovm to the Fenguin book. I have an idea, but no time.Am frantically trying tow ind up my civilan affairs before I'm yanked into a night-&-day job (Personnel Selection). T^e irony will lie in the fact that* my army job will give me,daily, material for a novel—and I'll have to keep mum a„out it till the war is over. I will be heipxag testing ^ interviewing draftees & allocating them to their ariry jobs. If by any miracle I dtnribcx find a manent to write you a dcetch,& am allowed to do so, I will send it posthaste.Yours in sick hurry & divided aim,PS Many thanks for including me in the "P0et of the Month" project...Will tell Adeney to send you copy of the kz Tor. Arts Rev. He plans to use a page-poem of mine next (July) issue...Will directM6'Connell & others to you,now that STORY has collapsed.fc-N o >Z. d t /\/a- v DAY 4
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May 28, 1S42Dear Swrle,Many grateful thanks for sending me on the material for Contemporary Canadian ■>rltlng— it looks exoiting.TTaverithad a chance to get at it thoroughly-- having signed up wich the iiritish information Services has knockcd my writing plans Into a cooked hat. The hours extend into the wee small ones of the KiorniiiL£— and I write nothing but reports.I can well ur*3 erst and hotv the army personnel job will fill your time* I'm very disappointed not to be able to have your proae-piece for C.C.V;. Xf you do have some moments, would you ke«p me in mindV I’ve written rixgland that there will be some delay about getting my MS over — beoause of my own Job— so that there’s a margin of tirce if you are freo to do something*I had written 3inolair Koss, and will include his "One’s a H«ifer". H.K.Brown has sent me ft grand article on Pratt. I’m still honing that Arthur 9m'th will ba able? to do me a prose-piece on Can. Poetry. I wrote him to Hart **ouse today.X believe theAnthology of Can Poetry is about ready in Tor onto .X have ”ah™ a<Sv ance copy and it looks well. I’m hoping you can review it for the Can Forum?Allthe best-- and agnin my thanks. I shall hope you can manage the article....
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