Correspondence, Earle Birney
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’ 8 :ul0 onoJL nx £>wo*io le^rOfov e..M' ' c ai. 03Dear Sal'oh, ' rGla'' t*o 'Have ybhr letter of May 13.Have pt last seen rt SSffth^’s ^'Kblogy and Wa's’ pleased to see you fairly*-'well represented, is you say, the* book cont: ins a lot of ^upholstery, - icto'rian love-seats mainly. Ifa scrap nost of the middle if I were doiv»g it, ''Including .Hesvysege,Cdn aptlplQayst .wit S. an. historical con-scir-nc- is licked at the start , rBavent seen nany reviews of it, except ranch.Gdn., 7/hi oh was mildly comnendatory. Am glad to hear of ititt's new bo k, and yours, on the way. Out yet? Sould it be possible for yon to have the iantheon Books send me a copy and the bill to my wife, Esther Birney, 45 Isabella St., Toro to? If so, please do. Ha ve^eardVto thing of your Canadian Accent yet; it's been a long time a-borning. Havent seen Art’s ban book, though I know it in IIS. 1' to see he won. the Gov-Gen’s medal, for what it's worth--a little publicity. There go the goddamned sirens; life is certainly more interesting since the buzzbombs, if more precarious.The New Saxon Pamphlets are publishing my "Steve" poem in their third issue this fal1. Am rather pleased as they are a younger cro^/d inclined to be patronizing to anyone over thirty and their acceptance at least makes me feel I’m not jret entirely relegated to the Old:- Generation.Have one or two things u publisher! now, including "Steve", and would be lad of any advice you could give :ie as to American outlets.1 have no '-.gent and no co tacts in the 'U.S.I sent \rt a copy of "Steve" some weeks agobut never heard if he got it.My job gets busier. I’ve .ken over fr<35\ my olf1 boss and direct the psychological end of the work here; so my literary activities, mild eno "■h anyvay, h ve faded
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into nothing recently. Hrvefbeen meeting some of the yoiOiger or owd in London lately ho rev ?r nd getting Bone^ revival of interest in writing in general as a e^ase^uencs, Gls.d when^ tl1 15 is over rid i can get down, to it. ill -be i terested' to.hear fron you Pf^iln. _ ■> ;c" r» , ■> •.'.1 oKe best,*■\1c ' . « liajor -BirneyHo. ,1 oelection Appraisal Centre . Cdn-Army .-Overseas ,v;;:
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8 West 67th StreetNew York, N.Y.August 19, 1944/Dear hiarllfeVMany thanks for your letter. But, first, a sincere praise "For Steve.” I read the poem in this month's "ForumM and eagerly acknowledge your strides from strength to strength. It’s a splendid thing, a thing hoped-for, forit's a Canadian thing and a memorable. It is good to know that even with your present days you write-- and well. I once tried « narrative in Spenseiian stanzas-- long ago—•md ad ole sc -ntly-- and It's good form. You’ve handled the end-music finely. The assonance Is concentric with your essence. And— something I have longed appreciated in you-- the hark-backs, or at least the hark-forwards, from Anglo-Jaxon poetry. Something which takes root in Canada us easily as the birch. "For Steve’’ Is an affirmative poem, and not introverted. And for that, more thanks. I think poetry will have little to do henceforward vith the neutral, or digging with a pitchfork in a marsh of the subconscious.In short, you will gather, I like your poem!Wish I had had it for CaK«.DIAN ACCINT, though you certainly did well by me with what I have. The galleys of the book are corrected and Alien hano of Penguins writes me that it will be out shortly in Aflgland. You will probably see the book before I do. I hope you like it.What are the Hew r?axon Pamphlets? Might I have a copy of the one which carries your poem? as for markets here, there are good ones, I thinly, a magazine called "Tomorrow" (11 i-ast 44th 3t, N.Y.C.) has a commercial circulation and pays well for poems. They gave me 110 each for two of rain?. I hav* also hold them an article apropos of Canadian poetry. Then, there Is the Kenyon Heview (Gambler, Ohio); Sewanee Review, now uncei Allen Tate (University of the South, Sewanee, T^nn.); Poetry, Chica.ro, of course,-- they all Pa7*Pantheon Books are. doing handsomely by my 7LIGHT INTO DARKNESS. It will be out October rrd. I shall send you a copy. I have high hop*s of it— but then it is poetry and how can we tell the time of d<9v with It? I am sending you under separate cover the current I?sue of the Canadian Review. There is much in It 1 think you will like to see. The Penguin Anthology has pone into a ?rd edition In Canada. Is It still available in England? or gone %Ith the wind?I hear from Vita McConnell occasionally and he says he has news of you once in a while. I believe he has a novel under way-- and is trying to place a book of short stories with Ryerson's. A group of Canadians have suggested a Federation of Canadian Writers. I hate organizing creativeness-- bull-sessions, O.K. Minutes and dinners, questionable. But Perhaps this Is needful for Canada. A make-weight for the CAA. It Is rather ghastly being antagonist to a corpse though. All my best, and best for your own personal welfare. One day soon perhapswe shall meet. "/ ( , ■'")* u ■, /( „ y k
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5 Sep 44Dear Ralph,%ny thanks for your letter about "Steve”. I’m particularly happy that you like the assonantal Spenserian ; your own technical brilliance makes your approval all the more hearteniig to me. Looking forward to seeing CDN ACCENT and even more to your FLIGHT INTO DfiEKNESS. Will certainly send you a copy of the NEW SAXON PAMPHLET if they ever get around to their third number, with "Steve” in it. The editor is John Atkins, a young writer now an infantry private; was to have gone to Normandy bit with the delectable developments in the front this week,perhaps they wont need him. I hope not. Thank you very much for the hints as to U.S. mags, taking verse. Will try some stuff as socn as I get enough to make it worth while sending over, Respite tlB possibility of an ending to tfr* German war soon I expect to be kept over here all winter—Tn fact it will take a year to get everybody back that wants to go,with available shipping space.Ofr at least that's what the wise boys calculate....1 never see a copy of your Penguin anthology of Cdn verse on sale over he»—the demand for anything like that is so big 1 doubt if a would stay on a stall more than a few hours. If only we had books on Canada,good books,over here now,they would sell in the hundreds of thousands.. .1 shsve vour doubts about the new -Bed. of Cdn Writers, especially since^cConnell sent me the "Proposal” of the Provisional Committee". The latter consists simply of Klein, Anderson, Dudek, Layton, N.Shaw. Of these only alein is an established writer, and his "Hitleriad" makes me wonder if he isnt already a has-been. JJ'rom what I'ge seen of their stuff midek,Layton ohaw are talented tyros only. P.Anderson ±s ha^ more stuff by far,but I think he's^amned fool- in a peculiarly English-Oxonian way. I also o£$ect to a lit ,movemeit being started ”to express the cause of democracy” by a group Kba mest of whom have expressed themselves in a purely cycnical or pacifist fashion during the whole of the war.Layton is tn Hr the services ; the rest may all have good reasons for being n(£2-'~ participants but I understand Anderson is simply a belated pre-war Oxonian pacifist who fled to Canada to become an expert on the colonies while the rest of the Englishmen were fighting to keep his precious democracy. Correct me if I*m wrong. It aH seems to me a piece of megalomania on the part of a somewhat unsuccessful Montreal literary clique. Much better for everybo<$r to go into the CAA & capture it, or get thrown out,before starting a rival, I think. What do you say?Ma;j# E, Birney1 Selection & Appraisal Centre Cdn Army Overweas
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West 67th Street Nev» York, N.Y.September £6, 1944Dear Earle,Many thanks for ycur letter, your news and your pood forthright opinions. I an looking forrnrd to the number of Ni-V. 3AX0N PAMPHLET with your "Steve” in it. Do send me n copy if you can. it's a fine poen-- and, to rep at myself, I particularly appreciate its craft. I pet "ick of reading so much Canadian stuff that technically lust isnt there. It's like handling a babv that has no skeleton. I think, of the lot, you and Smith and sometimes Pratt are the only ones that write stuff that is technically masterly. Stanz«s of a crispness and aureness-- that show a pliancy that is valid only because there's a traditional mastery behind it. Klein’s rhythm is vile, itou srot his Hitleriad? anderson strikes off bursts of imagery-- but his thinking Is like an unravelled sweater. I've p-iven up reading Canadian stuff for a bit. The anthology & Cdn accent & the Nev. Directions & the Voices thing are enough for a while. They've helped publicize the stuff we have qnd now to hell v1th it-- until Cdn poets write less and better.In my prosent mood, the same applies to the proposed Federation of Canadian writers. 1 wrote up supporting their idea of a magazine & other proposals to get poets in contact ith readers. But I have my doubts. Organizing writers sounds a bit fatuou3-- and writers worth their salt dont need organizing. There are sounder reasons for bull-aessions But rod forbid that everybody go into the Ca-a and capture it Have ;/ou statistics on the number of women with three names? I had in invitation today to the i-.nd meeting of the N.Y. branch of the CaA from Nathaniel ^enson. 1 see that the executive committee of the C^a is, among others, Celesta Hamer-Jackson, Flora S.Rogers, Irene Steeper & Laura Goodman Salverson. ^11 worthy souls no doubt.I had a cable from the Penguin people suggesting the title CANADIAN ACCENT be changed. I cabled No, and hope they dont override. 0therv.:i3e I ha vent heard lately-- but the book should be out soon-- and I've been stirring up the Canadian people about a Cdn edition. FLj. JiiT IN'i'O DARKNESS is nearing the light of day-- and they ar< really doing a handsome job. I think I struck on the right publisher. I've already had a letter from Somerset Maugham on the Lyrics Unromantic, which has given me a grand fillip. Lad a poem in this month's "Tomorrow" -- on the Spanish war I out its good to get the root'i of this holocaust imbedded right. Otherwise a new sonnet-- and little else. BIS reports to MOI in London nirhtlv irent conducive to extra-curricular inspiration. Do you get any leisure for poetry? will you let me know your appearances? *3 gather here that the European end might be this year. Postwar stuff in the US is rampant, but the 3igns arent all right. Today's the Jewish New Year. It would be warming finding someone taking stock. All the best.
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2 West 67th St New York, N.Y. November 6, 1944Dear Earle,I thought you night be interested In having pp.7? & 74 of the enclosed Issue of "Tomorrow."Is CANADIAN ACCT2NT out In England? It should be by now. PLIGHT INTO DARKNESS is published on the 27th.and your ners— literary and otherwise? Perhaps I am previous— but at any rate, I do not want to miss sending you a Happy Christmas and a New Year home, nil the best,/r
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179 lines-- 12 words a line-- 1,668 words at ■£: $4.172 West 67th Street New York, N.Y.June 8, 1945Dear Earle,Your letter of last February was most welcome.It was good to have news of you. Was sorry to see it come from a hospital but trust your siege is over and won.Dysentery can be the damnedest thing. Friend of mine has been fighting unknown bugs all winter-- not that I mean to be Job's comforter.I am wondering if you are still abroad? The physical fireworks are over, but from all evidence not the political-- and I suppose thereis plenty to keep you there. From the reports that pass through the BIS and which we hand on to the Ministry, the battle is just beginning.One result of the article in "Tomorrow” magazine--was a call from Pocket Books here to do them a collection of Cdn writing. I stalled them-- as Allen Lane, head of Penguin, was in N.Y.C. and between us we cooked up a scheme to make "Canadian Accent" into a series— perhaps an annual affair.The first one is apparently enjoying some success. I shall soon launch into collecting material for #2. May I call on you? I’d particularly like a prose-piece out of your experiences and cogitations abroad. Could you manage? There is no rush particularly— as time must be given for "Canadian Accent" to appear In America. It is now going through the publishing mills in Toronto.There is so much I should like to talk over with you on that first round-up. Your remarks are shrewd and, I agree, well-founded. Sinclair Ross' piece i_s long-winded but sound I think. As for Sybil Hutchinson's-- I am enthusiastic-- the first Cdn prose Of genuine locale of the sort--I should use another such piece by her. Callaghan’s latest stuff that I have seen is slick and journalistic— it seems badly dated. Gelber really isnt glib-- he’s pounded away at themse for years which are now being accepted right and left — with no acknowledgment to him— "middle powers", a foreign minister for Canada, etc. More power to him. Brown over-claims Pratt, I think-- but it is not a fault viewed externally.I’ve dragged up one or two more prose stories of Knister from defunct American little mags— and would use a further sample in the new book. Anderson is now communistic in a big way--is behind a new Montreal mimeographed periodical called "En Masse”; he sees red on all occasions. But his poetry is good--though wondrous prolific and unsifted. I cant tell if Viiadding-ton's piece is army-valid and defer to your conclusion-- but intolerance is certainly rife in Canada. The Montreal mentality toward Jews is thick enough to cut into fascist gobbets. I certainly hope the returning soldier crush his heel on it.I am eager for material out of the forces. Could I call on you for suggestions again? I'm most grateful for the lines you threw out on the first job.
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