I’m glad I wasn’t along because I really think I would have slapped him. Now the Americans are all talking in a superior way about “McCarthyism”—which is absurd, no matter what injustices — and there are some, undoubtedly — are being committed. In the 1st place this is real—(I actually met several of those Chinese spies, years ago now—& wrote my friends, who thought I was being funny) and in the 2nd, there’s no McCarthy at all. The new government is honest, at least — Castelo Branco pretty bright, one gathers — for a general, amazingly bright — his new cabinet good, on the whole, too. But the mess is too great, the financial situation too hopeless, for any one government to clean it up. And though the entrenched aristocracy is pretty much a legend by now — there are “conservatives” who won’t give up anything at all. The worst weakness of the so-called “right” (the terms we use make no sense here) is, even when well-meaning, the gap between classes here — and the horrifying lack of feeling.
Brazilians are not civic-minded, that’s all. — Rich, religious, well-educated old families, living blameless, charitable lives by their lights, commit hideous cruelties without realizing it — sometimes just a matter of intonation. They don’t like animals, don’t understand “pets.” They’ll have three gardeners — a Picasso on the wall — a library in four languages — and throw the garbage out in the street. (As Picasso might, too! — It’s something to do with being Latin, I’m afraid — and so many of the things I like them for have the same roots, it’s hard to disentangle) They are mixtures of 17th century Portugal, “Victorian”-style 19th century family-life and sentiment, and contemporary industrialized man — this last a very small admixture that doesn’t affect the “masses” much at all — To expect them to act — overnight — or react, like the U S A, or an American of the same social or financial standing, is plain silly. — I never in my previous life dreamed for a minute that I’d be glad to have an army take over — but I have been, here, — twice now—
You see, unfortunately (I often think) I am very much involved in politics here because of Lota. — It is such a small society and her family has been prominent in diplomacy etc for generations. Carlos Lacerda (you must have read of him, by now) is an old old friend of hers, and quite a good friend of mine, too — old neighbors in the country — She is working here at his request, and I suppose we are for him (he’s running for President, and I hope wins) — in spite of many reservations, and his obvious faults. — This is a part of life I never would have had much of an idea of if I had stayed in the U S and just paid my taxes and voted, and never had come within miles of any of the real leaders.
“Industrialization” is inevitably the future for all these backward countries, no doubt. Since it is a choice of evils, apparently, for Brazil (I had hoped they’d find another, neutral way out, but I don’t think they’re strong enough to) — I’d much prefer the American variety to the Russian — which is all Russia amounts to any more, isn’t it?
Carlos has been invited to England — he was so rude to the French (& very witty, too) that England immediately invited him over. Now if he’d only study British Trade Unions — but he probably won’t!
Rio, April 10th, 1965
Dear Anne:
I suddenly have realized that more than a month has gone by — almost six weeks — since I wrote you and that I haven’t heard from you. I wonder if my letter could have got lost? — or perhaps yours back did?… The “revolution” did improve the mails at first, but lately we have been losing things again — one I know of, coming from England a few weeks back — maybe your letter was in the same batch (I think they disappear in batches, and occasionally re-appear in batches, weeks later). I am packing up to spend a week or ten days in Petrópolis this morning and started putting your BOOK in my bag, when I remembered that I hadn’t heard from you at all, and I thought how awful it would be if you hadn’t received my first letter about it … Heavens — so much has been happening here lately, I hadn’t realized just how long it had been. I do hope you haven’t been worried or thought — oh dear — I didn’t LIKE the book!
This is just a note — I’ll write from the country. I did write and acknowledge the book and said I’d be sending you a long letter soon — well, the soon is now six weeks — but I’ll get it off from Petrópolis. Just now all I’ll say is (and if you got my letter forgive me for more or less repeating myself) — I know how hard you had to struggle, so I think perhaps you’ll be surprised when I say my first impression was one of remarkable freshness and spontaneity. Compared to the other Twayne books I’ve seen, it sounds fresh, young, sensitive, — not a bit like those tired academics parading all their tired little theories and clichés. — It also sounded as if (or I think it did) you had really enjoyed some of my work — and I hope you did, and are not forever incapacitated from liking it again, after all your work. I liked the quotations (I’ll write more about Wittgenstein to you someday) and delighted you dedicated it to Mark. It you have already received a letter saying all these same things, forgive me — and if you haven’t, forgive the Post Office — and forgive me for letting so much time go by before it dawned on me I hadn’t heard from you.
My “long letter”—is just a sheet or two of small corrections, all in the biographical part — nothing to do with the other parts. I must have written you awfully hurried and confused letters, like this one. The corrections are all just facts,* nothing to do with your interpretations (very nice) or opinions, etc. — I thought I’d better get them straight, since yours is the first book to publish them, and probably the last — dates, names, etc. — So please don’t worry. And as I said before — congratulations on a really difficult piece of work well done. There was so little to say about me — and you did find enough, and said it awfully well — more later … Now I hope you haven’t been sick, or your family hasn’t, and that’s why I haven’t heard — and where is your book of poems? I am eager to see that.