Prose

I hesitate to suggest any reading to you since I know you must be burdened with lots of things — and perhaps you’d rather not get into such subjects — but I think that Arnold Hauser’s “The Philosophy of Art History” in the chapter called “Psychoanalysis & Art”, makes a lot of good clear points about romanticism, neurosis, what’s neurotic & what isn’t in art, and so on, — and the relationship of an artist’s life to his work.

I feel rather foolish using all these words in any connection with myself. Imagine how it must have felt to be Tennyson, to be a “bard”—It is hard to know how one should feel certainly, and for me the solution most of the time has been to forget all about it. That is not altogether right — on the other hand I dislike very much the romantic self-pity and sense of privilege I feel in some poet friends.

(Forgive this typing — I have three machines of different ages — but even the newest is already rusting in this climate. Then when I switch from one to the other I make more mistakes than usual, too)

I hope you are feeling better. I’m having copies made of a few snapshots to send you next week — mostly Samambaia (that’s the name of the place in Petrópolis — means “giant fern”. The actual name of the hillside we’re one is Sitio da Alcobaçinha, “Little Alcobáça”—that’s a favorite name here, not original with us — after Alcobaça in Portugal.) — I am very fond of cats, too (I’m going through your last paragraph) and have always had them, even if they do give me asthma — a bit — dogs do too much to attempt. I’ll send a picture of Tobias if I can find the negative — he’s thirteen now, very handsome — also a clever if not very “good” Siamese, and a Bebe Daniels — style angora who recently died and was buried under the orange tree. I have cats in the country and birds in the city — practical solutions being best. I had a toucan, Sammy, for six years — (but in the country) — and a wonderful funny bird I adored, with eyes like blue neon lights and that huge beak. I’m fond of pets, and babies up till three … I say this because we have just had a friend with two little daughters, 11 months and 3 years, here all week, and so I know how demanding child-care is, & all about colds and shots and earaches, etc. The little one slept in my room and what I really liked best about her was the way she was quite willing to stay awake for hours in the middle of the night, standing up and chattering away at me agreeably. That’s [indecipherable] age. After three comes an age I don’t like — then they improve.

I am sorry I’ve been so slow replying — I should acknowledge your letters even if I can’t answer them right away, so you’ll know whether I got them or not, at least. We have just had two hours warning—th there’ll be no water for 48 hours. This kind of thing is very common — at one point recently we had no water, no light, and no gas. The light was off for two hours only, every night, and since we were lucky enough to have an electric skillet we managed; until the gas co. strike was over — most of the wretched city ate cold food. But we’ll be going up to Petrópolis for a long Easter weekend, thank heavens. It is incredibly beautiful here — and so hopeless — imagine the million or more favela (slum) dwellers here these two days — no water — all those babies. But I shouldn’t add to your own troubles—

Affectionately Yours — Elizabeth

I should say — I am quite looking forward to your book, now!

Rio de Janeiro, April 8th, 1964

Dear Anne:

It would add interest, certainly, to your book if you could have a footnote saying I’d been shot in the Brazilian Revolution of April Fools’ Day, 1964—but I wasn’t. We had forty-eight rather bad hours and then it was all over much sooner than anyone had expected. My friend Lota was naturally very much involved, she and one other woman the only ones in the siege of the Governor’s “palace”—and I could get news of what was going on there only by short wave occasionally since the President held all radio, T V etc here in the city. — It was a tremendous relief when we finally learned he had run away and all was over — The celebration, in the pouring rain — the whole “revolution” took place in the rain — was a weird wet sight, with paper, confetti, streamers, flags, towels, everything, sticking—& dancing in bathing trunks, raincoats, with umbrellas, etc — I’ll spare you the politics of it all; however, what I see from U S papers is half-wrong, as always—

I hope you got a mass of rather uninteresting personal stuff that was mailed to you about two weeks ago now — the mails have naturally been worse than ever. If not, I’ll send you most of it over again.

I am going away, probably about May 20th, and probably first to Italy for three weeks, then to England for a couple of months — I hope. I want to go someplace where I can speak the language, more or less, and where I think they care very little about Brazil and its politics — I’d like to forget them both for a little while. Politics are scarcely my element, and here we’ve heard absolutely nothing else for months—

I’ll give you an address in England as soon as I know one — and perhaps you’ll do the same? If you write me here again before I leave, it might be a good idea to register the letter — or maybe that’s just a Brazilian superstition I’ve acquired. — With kindest regards—

Affectionately yours,

Elizabeth

Petrópolis, Sunday, April 12th? I received your letter of April 4th when I got here yesterday for the week-end — Thank you so much for your kind invitations in England and I’m sure I’ll take you up on one of them, at least — But I’ll wait until I get back to Rio tomorrow to answer you because I have no typewriter here and my writing, I know, is awful — Lota & I are going to Italy — so I probably won’t get to London until about June 20—not a good time, I know. I’ll be visiting friends at Bexley Hill (near Petworth Sussex) for a while. - // The “revolution” now has a military junta — a middle-class revolution — Castelo Branco (the president until next year’s election) has a good reputation — moderate, “liberal” (for here), honest, — & ironical — not rhetorical, at least — the new vice p. an old crook, alas. — But desperate measures had to be taken—

I wonder if you ever saw Randall J’s second review of my book? He said some very acute things, I think — about painting, etc.

Rio, May 5th, 1964

Dear Anne:

In the midst of travel preparations I can’t remember whether I answered your letter of April 4th or not — I think I did. And thanked you for your kind invitations? My addresses will be simply:

May 13th to June 13th — C/O American Express, Milan.

June 13th, August 1st— " " ", London. (Haymarket)