Dear Rosa and Murray,
Post cards have been coming in fast of late. One minute you
were off to Spokane to a job and then to-day I read that you are going to
Hoquiam and won't be coming to New York this year after all. We are sorry to
hear that. Re your repeated invitation to come on out to the west, we may take
you up on that so hope you aint been foolin'....
By the way if you can lay hands on any chamber of commerce
stuff about your state which has got illustrations could you send it along. I
want Judy to get an idea of the kind of scenery they grow your way. Incidentally
Judy goes out slaving every morning for the cats in 79th and 57th and I do all
the poxy work around this apartment. Judy wants to know what chances there are
for slaveys out your way? ... You all know we'll take a chance at any old thing
from scrubbing out cathouses to chisselling off the Joads. Don't look at my
spelling. The work I have to do here around the house leaves me so tired I
can't do much writing. I never thought how much strength you really need for
writing. The destruction of Europe also makes it hard to write. Gives
everything an atmosphere of futility. Since the beginning of the year I had an
article on Unity Mitford (the one who tried to sling her girdle under Hitler's
bed) published in a fine little magazine called EQUALITY. Then this month I
have an article on the Balkans in a la-de-da, intellectual mag called Common
Sense. If you read this latter don't burn with shame for me. I went and told a
couple of lies. Not serious ones but I had to make some publicity for myself so
I travelled and saw things in the article that my friends and acquaintances saw
for me. I guess you know how it is for a poor working girl. By the way the
notes say I was in Poland. Gee, I guess that trip from Buda Pest to Berlin
which passed across Polish territory for about half an hour in the middle of
the night makes me one big authority on Poland. My, my, how this does get
along. ...
A new weekly called FRIDAY asked me to write an article on
the German Underground movement. I sent it off last night and hope something
happens about it. They have also asked me to submit an outline of an article on
one of the brains behind the Gestapo. Trouble is to illustrate these articles.
I have some interesting pamphlets printed by the comrades in Germany and maybe
they would photograph well.
"Friday, The Weekly Magazine That Dares to Tell the Truth" began in March 1940, as a liberal counter to Life. Dan Gillmor was publisher. Contributors included Erskine Caldwell and Upton Sinclair,photographer Louis Hines, and Howard.
This new evening newspaper P.M. which starts tomorrow is
going to be interesting. An old pal of mine has a really big job aboard it and
I'm hoping he can do something for me in the way of placing material. It's got
some remarkable people on its staff. Ingersoll (late publisher of Time) seems
to be the brain. All my larger writing projects have been put on ice. Several
publishers told me it was a waste of time to plan anything at this moment
because they are so uncertain of the future. As a matter of fact I may finish
my detective novel as I think there's going to be quite a demand for escape
literature. ...
Boy are we see seeing history in the making. Last few days I
have been reading the programme and last congress doings of the C.I. [Communist
International] and so help me god if they didn't forsee all and I think that
was back in 1935. To me there seems to be little doubt in the validity of their
approach to world politics. They are always right before the event with their
prognostications. I have been so stunned at the writings of the C.I. congress
that I am now reading right through that Marxist handbook edited by Emile
Burns. Most of the stuff I read when I was a student but I guess I never gave
enough thought to it. Guess I'd better lay off that subject before the
Department of Justice gets to jumping on me. Jes, what do you think of that
special act of Congress to get rid of Bridges. My former knowledge of
constitutional law tells me that it is ultra vires.
Something about acts of attainder.
In the light of the Landis
report this is pretty barefaced and points the trend in the civil liberties
field. It's the old trick, destroy liberty at home to defend yourself against
something outside. Of course as the greatest living economist in apartment 62 I
am aware of the general trends in capitalism, that it can only stabilize itself
by imposing a system which amounts to fascism. Also about the war industries
which are being built up. With all the American markets disappearing in Europe,
American heavy industry has no alternative than to embark on an armaments
scheme. Christ why am I boring you with all this stuff? I'll go take some
bromides and spit in the Hudson. Guess I'm worried about the French and British
working classes and what they are going to do and if they do then what will the
Roosians do....
I wrote a beautifully learned article on Hieronymous Bosch
the Flemish painter of diableries, for Art Quarterly of Detroit and am waiting
to hear what they say. Had some nice photos to illustrate it and hope they are
impressed. Nothing on Bosch has ever been published in English and I wouldn't
mind being the first. I got this Bosch just where I want him. In fact I have a
new way of going to town on Art History so that it makes sense. ...
I wrote a volume of poetry earlier in the
year but some bastard lost it and I haven't the guts to type it out again. Read
The People, Yes. by Sandburg. That's my meat. I have been keen on Sandburg for
eleven years. Read some books of Macleish. Not bad but what a son of a bugger
he turned out to be. On this, there was an excellent cartoon in New Masses this
week. "By Gad, Colonel, have you resigned from the New Republic yet?"
Frank, Mumford, Macleish etc. are making the changeover to fascism early.
Aldington wrote a biting letter to the NYTimes and I'll bet it stung Macleish
in the left testicle. How does the bastard spell his name, anyhow? Did you read
Native Son? What do you say? Saw Grapes of Wrath. Wonderful. When Casey rared
up over that bush I was rarin with him. Granma spitting, now wasn't that a
beautiful piece of work on the sound track. One of the dopes at this here
hostellry nearly brought on a prolapse of my large bowel by remarking about
this picture that it must have been bad out there in the old days. Met a young
guy who researches for the American Youth Congress and he told me an
interesting thing. Said there were plenty of negro Joads who were much worse
off. That guy Steinbeck must be alright. Saw he gave his Pulitzer check to some
poor writing bastard out your way.
No comments:
Post a Comment