New York Evening Post(11 Aug 1927) [26] 1
[Dear Sir,]
Owing to the generous activities of Miss Sylvia Beach and others, the affair of Mr. Samuel Roth and his serial publication of Ulysseshas already received some publicity. 2 But I feel such a matter can only be effectively dealt with if it is continually kept before the public eye; and I have just seen, by the courtesy of Mr. James Joyce, a copy of Mr. Roth’s Two Worlds Monthlydated May-June, 1927, which gives me every excuse for another protest. This number contains its usual installment of Ulyssesand contains also a piece of verse of my own reprinted from The Criterion. 3 It is unnecessary for me to say that this republication is quite unauthorized and that I have received from Mr. Roth no offer of payment or communication of any kind. This is all part of Mr. Roth’s game and calls for no special comment. But I should like the advantage of your columns, and that of any fair-minded American paper which is willing to print this letter, to protest most strongly against the effrontery of Mr. Roth’s dedication of this number of The Two Worlds Monthlyto myself. If this is not adding insult to injury I do not know what is. Mr. Roth’s little epitaph runs as follows: “I dedicate this issue of Two Worlds Monthly to T. S. Eliot, who has given us some excellent verses, several sound critical formulae, and one of the most charming literary personalities of our time.”
“Has given us” is a real stroke of humour; Mr. Roth chooses to interpret any gift to the world as a gift to himself.
In the same manner 4† Mr. Roth has a great deal to say for himself, and states that he offered Mr. Joyce a thousand dollars. 5 I did not know this interesting fact, but I am certainly in a position to say that Mr. Roth has not offered me a penny. It would appear that the flow of money, if any is to flow, is to be in the opposite direction, for he devotes a page to an advertisement, one sentence of which runs as follows:
“If you have money and wish to invest it in one of the most fascinating of civilized ventures write to Mr. Samuel Roth, care of Two Worlds Monthly.”
[I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, t. s. eliot] 6†
