The Letters of T. S. Eliot, Volume 1: 1898-1922 (59 page)

1–In 1917 Nichols had been attached to the Foreign Office, and went to New York in 1918 as part of a delegation from the Ministry of Information.

MS
Reed College

3 January 1919
¹

[Hydraulic-Press Brick Company]

Dear Bob,

Thanks for your nice letter of 28[th] and enclosures which I now return.

Wilson is hurting himself in his own party. I want him to live long enough for the people to discover him in his true character. There will not be any dividend in H.P.B.
²
until we know more about final results abroad and normal conditions in regard to labor and work are assured. However you will be glad to know that the Co is out of bank and owes nothing except the bonds which are due $50,000 – annually and this is easy to pay.

A dividend is the only thing which is keeping me in this parlous world. I have no other work, now that GRE
³
is practically finished. In a week or more I will be ready to send you results.

We are all well and I thank the Lord that I haven’t a club foot or hare lip – but I will take them both if the Lord will give me
one
good ear!
⁴

My Tom is getting along now and has been advanced at the bank so that he is independent of me. Wish I liked his wife, but I don’t.

Ever yrs.
H

1–TSE’s father died, aged seventy-five, four days after writing this letter. It is accompanied by a record of the moves in an unfinished postal chess game with his brother.

2–Hydraulic-Press Brick Company, of which he was president.

3–The Greenleaf Real Estate Company was being divided up.

4–He had long suffered from severe deafness.

MS
NYPL (MS)

6 January 1919

18 Crawford Mansions,
Crawford St,
W.1

Dear Mr Quinn,

Thank you for your letter of the 3d December. You say nothing of your health, so I hope that it is better than it was when I heard from you before. 

I have heard nothing at all from Knopf about my manuscript. I cabled him a week ago, or Pound cabled for me. Knopf must have had the manuscript for over two months, but he has not even acknowledged receipt, so I have been worried. I am not at all proud of the book – the prose part consists of articles written under high pressure in the overworked, distracted existence of the last two years, and very rough in form. But it is important to me that it should be published for private reasons. I am coming to America to visit my family some time within the summer or autumn, and I should particularly like to have it appear first. You see I settled over here in the face of strong family opposition, on the claim that I found the environment more favourable to the production of literature. This book is all I have to show for my claim – it would go toward making my parents contented with conditions – and towards satisfying them that I have not made a mess of my life, as they are inclined to believe. The sooner it is out therefore the better, especially in view of my approaching visit.

Forgive these domestic details, but I wanted you to understand why I am so very anxious to get the book printed. I should consequently be extremely grateful to you if you would ring Knopf up and find out what the matter is; and of course if he does not want the manuscript I should be eternally obliged if you could find another publisher, as you so very kindly offered to do.
¹

I think Pound’s new plans are very promising: there is certainly an opening here now.

With all best wishes for your health – I have certainly appreciated very deeply the trouble you took for me at a time when you were still very ill, and when you were apparently doing more than a full day’s work of your own. I hope you will have opportunity for a long and genuine rest soon.

Very Sincerely
T. S. Eliot

1–Responding to this letter, and that of 26 Jan. below, Quinn wrote on 29 Apr.: ‘About a month ago Pound wrote to me withdrawing the copy for his book
Instigations
from Knopf and also the copy for your book of poetry and prose. A few days ago Knopf wrote me that he would like to publish your poems alone but not the poems with the prose. Pound will have told you that I have had the matter put with Boni & Liveright recently. They have decided definitely to publish Pound’s book. They will let me know in a week about your book. But I think they will decide to take it. I spoke very strongly in favor of it … I had clearly in mind that it was important to you to have the book printed for private and family reasons.’ Quinn received the manuscript from Knopf on 13 Feb., and took it to Boni & Liveright.

MS
Houghton

12 January 1919

18 Crawford Mansions

My own dear mother,

I was glad to get Henry’s cable last night to assure me that you were not ill. I am glad he was with you. Your cable came on Wednesday.
¹
You have not been long out of my thoughts since then, I have been over all my childhood. I don’t feel like writing anything in this first letter except to say again how much I love you – if only I could have been with you these last few days. I do long for you, I wanted you more for my sake than yours – to sing the Little Tailor to me.

I am impatient to know how you all are.

Your very loving
Tom.

1–Announcing the death of his father on 7 Jan. ‘A fearful day and evening’, VHE recorded in her diary.

MS
Houghton

12 January 1919

18 Crawford Mansions

My dear Henry

I received last night your cable reading

‘Do not come now plans uncertain mother well’ and thank you very much. The first cable reached me Wednesday – it came in the morning but Vivien wisely withheld it until I got back in the evening. I don’t feel yet as if anything was real, but I have a restless feeling that I shall wake up and find the pain intolerable.

I expect a full account from you of all the circumstances. Mother has such unusual character that I am sure she will come through all right, but I think it is better if she goes away from St Louis, as I gather from your words is possible.

Of course I want to know too how she will be financially.

Vivien has felt this very deeply.

I can’t write more now – I have several things of importance to say by the next mail, but I don’t feel up to it yet.

I am glad you were in St Louis.

Very affectionately
Tom.

MS
Houghton

12 January 1919

18 Crawford Mansions

Dear Mrs Eliot,

I cannot attempt to express how shocked and upset I was at Mr Eliot’s death. Tom and I are thinking of you all the time, and feeling so dreadfully for you in your loneliness and grief. These days are very awful for Tom, he would give anything to be with you now.

I feel it myself as a personal sorrow, for I had so much looked forward to meeting Mr Eliot, and talking to him. So many things one longed to speak of, to explain, and to understand. Tom, I know has felt the fearful inadequacy of correspondence, as I have. At last, after so long, with so much unsaid and so much unexplained, it began to be a torture to write at all. This loss is doubly painful, as we could at last look forward to meeting, and before very long. Tom was at the Bank when your cable came. (It came about midday). I was fearfully upset, and at first could not make up my mind whether it would be better to take it to the Bank, and bring Tom away, or to wait until he came home. At last I decided on the latter, and he says he is glad I did. But how I passed that afternoon and told him and gave him your cable I really do not know.

We are very anxious to get letters, but I suppose it will be nearly a fortnight yet. What a blessing you have Henry, he is so good.

I will write you some details about Tom in my next letter, very soon. I can’t now.

With loving sympathy and all my thoughts. –

Vivien

MS
Houghton

19 January 1919

18 Crawford Mansions

My dearest Mother,

You will know that my thoughts have been with you every day, though it always seems that little, very little, can ever filter through to pen and ink of what one feels. I am waiting as patiently as I can for letters.

One keeps thinking of little things – I have been longing to have some little drawing of father’s that I could keep and have framed. He used to do very funny ones too in letters sometimes. There was a wonderful set of comic animals that he drew long ago, and were kept in an album together – I think he did them for a fair – but I expect you would not want to split
the set. I think he had a great deal of talent. I know you will treasure his scrap-books and the fine genealogy he made. I should like to have one of his books (perhaps one of his Latin texts) to keep for myself, sometimes. If I can think at the end of my life that I have been worthy to be his son I shall be happy.

If Henry had advised it I should have gone to my managers and begged a term of leave to have visited you at once. I should however prefer to come later on and should be able to stay longer for this reason: the Bank is very busy now and still very short-handed. They have just taken over another Bank, and they have not got their former Staff men out of the army yet. They have been very kind to me (as well as very flattering) and I should not like to leave them in the lurch just when they need me most. I am not at all overworked, but if I went away it would be very inconvenient for them, besides handicapping me – I hope for another rise of salary in June. If I postpone coming just until things are settled to peace conditions I can stay more comfortably and longer. And after that often.

Dear mother. I do long to see you. And meanwhile I long for your letters.

I am sure Henry and my sisters have been very good at this time.  

Your very devoted
Tom.

MS
Texas  

22 January 1919

18 Crawford Mansions  

Dear Mary,  

Do forgive me if I ask if you could keep some evening next week (any night after Tuesday) instead of Friday? I know it is impossible for V. to come Friday (but she will explain all about that when she sees you), and as for myself, I really ought to stay at home and devote the rest of my evenings to matters I haven’t had time to think about: I had planned to keep these evenings and I thought that we had better see you tonight when we could. We wanted to come Friday, but as I can hope to promise a less petrified mind next week, and V. can’t possibly come Friday – I hope you will let us!  

Sincerely
T. S. Eliot

1–This and some subsequent letters have black borders.

MS
NYPL (MS)  

26 January 1919

18 Crawford Mansions  

Dear Mr Quinn  

I am taking the liberty of writing again, as you were so kind in your interest in my manuscript. I have had no news from Knopf yet. He must have had the manuscript for about four months. I cabled to him a month ago and have had no answer.  

I explained to you when I wrote last how important it was to me for family reasons to get something in the way of a book published in America. Since then my father has died, but this does not weaken the need for a book at all – it really reinforces it – my mother is still alive.  

I have been hoping to come to America for a visit soon, but conditions here are still such that it will probably be many months before I can reasonably ask for long enough leave from my bank for that purpose. So I am unable to exercise much personal pressure.  

If you could write or speak to Knopf and find out his definite intentions I should be very grateful. If he intends to use the stuff I should like him to get busy on it; if not, I should like him to deliver it into your hands. Perhaps then you would look it over with a view to what publisher might be willing to take it? Really you are the only person I know in New York to whom I would entrust such an affair, and therefore I hope you will not think me very cheeky in proposing it. And of course I don’t know that you are not either in very poor health or very overworked, or both.  

But a great deal hangs on it for me, and it was already a pressing matter several months ago!  

Always gratefully yours
T. S. Eliot