A Critical Friendship: Donald Justice and Richard Stern, 1946-1961

Correspondence of 1948

CORRESPONDENCE OF 1948 CORRESPONDENCE OF 1948 25 January 14, 1948 | [Evansville IN] Dear Don & Jean, Sorry I have been so lax—Bloomingdale’s is a pretty mediocre correspondent.1 Have been relaxing with acedia but as of today things are tightening up. I had been planning to go to graduate school, in March to Carolina, in the summer to Columbia, in the fall to Harvard, but Monday I start working for Paramount—six or eight months of “training” (I guess learning how to run a projector & evade taxes) and then the Orient—China or Manila or Bombay. (Where is Empson—specifically?)2 But before that, the East, so maybe I’ll build in Cabib. Also, I am helping the Hudson Review. (Heard about it?—I’ll send you a prospectus) so far doing errands—Today I brought an article by D. S. Savage3 on Hemingway to John Hall Wheelock4 who seems to be the chief editor at Scribner’s. It’s a good article and this seems to be the adjective for the review. First issue has articles & poems by Lowell,5 Stevens, Winters, Tate, Blackmur6 et al.—I’ve only met two of the editors (Joseph Bennett, who is fairly nice and Fred Morgan, who is fine7—did you read his article on Williams in the Fall Sewanee?)8 However, you probably know all this as Peter9 is going to contribute. When I start reading manuscripts (next week, I guess) send up some poems—16 E 95th — N.Y.C. ’Twill be a pleasure! There is one other editor (William Arrowsmith,10 whom I haven’t met) & two female assistant editors11 (ditto)—I am, number 6—so you see Factotum12 is a likely title pour moi—gratis at that. It’s good though, good work, good people—et goodium. I was supposed to meet Ken & Burke Shipley for lunch today, but I missed them (Ken just called up & said he wasn’t there anyway).13 He’s going to Columbia in Feb. I saw Paul in Chapel Hill—he had your wedding present—In Defense of Reason—but I had mentioned that you were reading your own copy, so he gave it to me for Christmas—so thanks—I really ought to give him something he can give you. Chapel Hill was cold & rainy, very lovely and sort of eviscerated . Perhaps it was me. I imagine you did some writing on your vacation. Where did you go & what did you do? How about Stanford? I miss you all and wish I’d stayed—corruption is motion. 26 CORRESPONDENCE OF 1948 How many people do you know that’ll subscribe to the Hudson? I don’t know but 5 or 6. I’ve come to the unhappy conclusion that I have read absolutely nothing and don’t know anything outside of a fog of an eighteenth of Eng. lit and a wisp of philosophy. The only book I’ve read recently is The Red & the Black14 and that just made me realize I’ve never read La Chartreuse,15 Balzac, most of Flaubert, Mlle de Maupin,16 La Princese de Clèves17 and that I was ignorant of any other titles appropriate to this list. It would have been so much easier to have material for years and years. How did the debate turn out or was it called off at the last moment due to lack of a hall or influenza? Oh yes, I’ve read Freud (the Master would look askance at this lapsus memoriae)—a truly lovely person (in many ways) (and at this addendum) (and this).18 With Jo at the radio station (did I write you I wrote copy for another radio station & started to announce) I nearly forgot her but now that I’m in N.Y. I miss her. I believe I’ll marry her before I go to the ‘East’ but much may happen , it, j’espère qu’il arrivera.19 I haven’t written anything—still I’m afraid my “talent” was a thymus condition. Volpone20 is pretty funny—do they show foreign pictures down there? Shoe Shine21 is pretty pink—I’d like to see Verdoux22 again—thinking back it’s lost most of its perfection, or is that my life welling up! Do you see your house in that shot of Miami in Life23—if you do, point it out please. I looked for 10 minutes—Life cheated us again, je crois. Well, excuse the...