ELEVEN NEW CANTOS
NEW YORK: FARRAR & RINEHART, 8 OCTOBER 1934
1933
From Virginia Rice, 6 October 1933
YCAL 43, 44/1891
Dear Ezra Pound:
John Farrar is most anxious to see the new Cantos, so do let me have them at your very earliest convenience.
From Virginia Rice, 13 October 1933
YCAL 43, 44/1891
Dear E.P.:
[…]
I’ll be anxious to see the new Cantos.
To Olga Rudge, 26 October [1933]
YCAL 54, 14/361
He haz got off his XXXI to XLI
From A. R. Orage, 30 October 1933
YCAL 43, 38/1617
I should publish your Cantos XXXI–XLI right away, if I were you. Not one bloody word about your Canto 37, but I have the feeling that it was impressive. That’s mainly why I think you should publish the others: I feel you are being read again with a new kind of interest. Don’t be surprised your No. 37 evoked no commotion. Each week N.E.W is greeted with deafening silence. We must be at the hub of things, the quietest but busiest spot in the wheel.
From Virginia Rice, 3 November 1933
YCAL 43, 44/1891
Dear Ezra Pound:
I’m still waiting to show Farrar & Rinehart the new cantos. Incidentally, they phoned me the other day to find out particulars re your date of birth, etc. Perhaps Mr. Farrar wrote you that he is trying to interest the Pulitzer Prize Committee in XXX Cantos!
From Virginia Rice, 10 November 1933
YCAL 43, 44/1891
Dear Ezra Pound:
The new cantos arrived intact and I’m hustling them down to John Farrar who, as you know, is most anxious to get them. You will hear from me again soon.
From Archibald MacLeish, 28 November 1933
YCAL 43, 32/1328
Dear Ezra:
This is a hurried interim report to say that Farrar’s school book man is due back in town shortly, that Farrar is waiting upon his report, that Farrar has been filled as full of the proper emotions as I can fill him and that I really think there is an extremely good chance of getting some action very quickly. He also has I discover the new cantos and I think you should hear from him on many subjects almost immediately. It goes without saying of course that I shall keep after the whole thing.
From Archibald MacLeish, 22 December 1933
YCAL 43, 32/1328
Dear Ezra:
Interim report. Farrar will not publish How to Read. God knows why. Probably scared. Farrar is however delighted and panting to bring out the additional cantos and will write you about them as soon as his “Christmas rush” is unrushed.
To Hans Cohrssen, 24 December 1933
EPEC 84
Dear Prof. Cohrssen
[...]
very tiring to be continuously suppressed. My Cantos XXXI to XLI are pratically pure econ/ propaganda. reduced to putting it into poesy in hope of getting it across.
(or aere perennius, as you choose to regard it.)
1934
To Archibald MacLeish, 7 January 1934
YCAL 43, 32/1328
Why the HELL don’t he know if he wants it// he’z had a bleating month to say so…
In mean time Routledge (Kegan Paul) in London have signed on and I’ll be paid by the end/ of next week, I suppose. For a book that will have been written while Farrar is turning round and round andaround. and Routledge is no damn charity institution either…
And it is in LONDON… back of beyond….
Have we got to watch the U.S. going back to pre/war relative status?
Did I write you that that fahrt Canby said he only permitted decent review of Cantos in his arse rag/ because you and Eliot had vouched for the volume??
That I understand/ having see the little pin/head 20 years ago.. but j.HEEZ is that the manimum [sic] murkn mind??
In 1912/19, I know I had to fight SIX months to get Frost and Eliot into Poetry// but again JEE/HEEZ, are we still there, have you in 1933/4 got to waste the SAME amt/ of energy getting ME into print… as submit to the same time lag//
Don’t the cunts ever learn ANYthing….
This note part result of 25 years (TWENTY FIVE) of accumulated irritation at being sabotaged
From Archibald MacLeish, [January 1934]
YCAL 43, 32/1328
Dear Ezra:
Farrar: Says what is holding him up is working out terms of contract because book being smaller book for which he can only get smaller sum of money he can’t make same terms as before. Believe it or not. Anyway he is still alive and still intent on doing the cantos and I am the horse fly to sit on his arse until he does.
To J. Laughlin, 8 January 1934
L/JL 15
Note from MacLeish sez Farrar izza going on with the CANTOS/. [...] Therefore no intellexshul need of sep/ edtn/ of a “38” Unless already done. If its in press/ thass O.K. If not DONT waste anymore time on it/ or NRG [energy]. [...]
MacL/ sez Farrar “delighted and panting” re 31/ 41// lezope it aint mere illusion via telephone.
To Olga Rudge, 8 January [1934]
YCAL 54, 14/370
Ziao cara amure
[…]
Delayed letter from MacLeish started 22 Dec.sez Farrar iz “deelighted and panting” fer to bung out Cantos 31/41.
so that gordam plug is disobstructed.
From Virginia Rice, 10 January 1934
YCAL 43, 44/1892
Dear Ezra Pound:
I have your card of December 28th. As a matter of fact, Farrar & Rinehart are still mulling over the cantos so I have no final decision to report to you yet.
From Virginia Rice, 12 January 1934
YCAL 43, 44/1892
Dear E.P.–
I just talked to John Farrar and he wants to publish the new cantos. Of course there are only ten of them this time, so I’m sure it won’t be possible to charge $2.00 a copy – $1.00 is the more likely price – and that means we will get less of an advance. I hope they’ll want to give us something. Otherwise the new contract will follow the lines of the other one.
To Olga Rudge, 23 January [1934]
YCAL 54, 14/373
Ziao cara amure
His a/gent iz at last in contractual reelashuntz with Farrar/ and XXXI/XLI is purrzoomably on the way fer tew be printed.
To J. Laughlin, 22 January 1934
L/JL 16
ALL right/ copies of 35/36 discovered.
That dry twig, [Harriet Monroe] in Chicago is rooting on 37.
38 you have.
39 can’t be released save in vol/ 40 and 41... waal we’ll see how the club furnishing holds out [...] If you havent already printed 38/ the three ought to make a group/ you can add feetnote/ that 37 deals with Van Buren and has already been announced by the Chicago AshCan [...] If 35/ 36/ 38 dont show main design at any rate they indicate the variety of the opus. reflection on rereading carbon of 35 a few hours after pea/ roozal of Btch/ roozul of Btch/ and Bgl/ [Hound & Horn]: As 35 was done some time ago its main prupose was NOT to annoy Mr Blackmur// but that incidental effect seems now almost unavoidable.
NOTE double spacing between words in 36; a different KIND of Canto from the others/ different tipographic disposition.
To J. Laughlin, 23 January 1934
L/JL 18
(Two cantos sent you yester/ and 38th you have. That for [Harvard] Advoc[ate] [XXXVIII] The enc/ intended for [Harkness] Hoot [XXXVI]. [...]
Mail just in FARRAR [& Rinehart] reported about to pub. the cantos. XXXI/ XLI
Thass thaat. BUT as no news had reached me/ and contract not here, you can damn well go ahead with the three you’ve got. only make eee haste
From Virginia Rice, 25 January 1934
YCAL 43, 44/1892
Dear E.P.–
I fixed up the contract for the new cantos yesterday with John Farrar and you’ll have it in a few days. It will be along the lines of the other one, i.e. $150.00 advance immediately on signature of contract, a 15% royalty, etc., etc. John says he will get out the book next fall. Of course he’s most enthusiastic but hopes that next time you will have more cantos to be published at one time. It will be impossible to charge more than $1.50 for this book.
From Virginia Rice, 31 January 1934
YCAL 43, 44/1892
Dear E.P.–
Enclosed the Farrar contract for CANTOS [X]XXI-XLI. I’ll have the advance any day. Do sign these and let me have one back as soon as possible.
To Olga Rudge, 12 February [1934]
YCAL 54, 15/378
Ziao
[…]
Signed contrak fer 31/ 41 with Farrar [& Rinehart] sta mat’// [this morning] to be pubd “not later than autumn” whenever t’ell dat iz.
From Virginia Rice, 14 February 1934
YCAL 43, 44/1892
Dear Ezra Pound:
Enclosed your share of the $150.00 advance that just came from Farrar.
To Marianne Moore, [undated; her reply on 25 June 1934]
YCAL 43, 35/1472
Dear Marianne,
Proofs of XXXI/XLI came yester/// perhaps block will induce you to reconsider the Dantescan tradition, as not inferior to that of Barbey d’Aurevilly.
Not only were we brought up econ/ illiterates/ but we were fooled by there being “Schools of Econ” teaching a cardboard sham which was and IS of no bdy/ interest/ and has only been invented to prevent perception of life and convince the “victims (section intelligentsia) that the subject was A. of no interest
B. extremely complicated.
To Dorothy Pound, 29 June [1934]
Lilly Library, Pound Mss. III
letter from Faber [& Faber] that gk/ proofs hadn’t com/ and telegram to wipe off letter, saying they had.
To Dorothy Pound, 12 July [1934]
Lilly Library, Pound Mss. III
Proofs of cantos 31-34: from N.Y. [Eleven New] self respect vastly raised/ the eleven seem to hang together O.K. and to go without hitch/ carry thru from start to finish I spose that means no one ELSE will like ‘em. Have got the next three shaped [XLII-XLIV]/ you needn’t mention it till I see whether Criterion is getting ON with the Rhooze feldt article/
To Dorothy Pound, 25 August [1934]
Lilly Library, Pound Mss. III
Final proofs 31/41 [Eleven New] sent back to N. Y.
Eleven New Cantos XXXI-XLI are published by Farrar & Rinehart on 8 October 1934
To Olga Rudge, 9 October [1934]
YCAL 54, 15/389
Ziao/
[…]
Hopes to have 31/41 before going up to Rez// due back here sunday/
To Olga Rudge, [13-14 October 1934]
YCAL 54, 15/389
Ziao/ cara amure
[…]
DOMENIKAA AAA
31/41 arruv/ and will start to you domani [I. tomorrow] when I can register’um
[...]
31/41 badly bound/ but almost well printed. tenny rate, can be tackled as readin’ matter.
and one in the MOOG for the buzzards. (bank and powder)
Dunno when there’ll be any MORE copies. Cheap book/ I. dollar 50 or only abaht 17 lire.
To James Laughlin, 2 December 1934
L/JL 36
[...]
Re/ the Cantos. I dunno whether farrar is printing the next 10 AT ONCE. or NOT at all. As god damn bastards have wasted a year and half NOT printing ABC////. 10 months NOT printing Jeff/Muss Three years NOT getting an Americ/ edtn/ How to read [...] The XXXI/XLI are shot out to instruct the pore god damn bloody pubk/ in history and economics... only loophole...
1935
From Louis Zukofsky, 15 March 1935
L/LZ 164
Dear E
[…]
you can’t I think afford to depend entirely on an audience composed of the good will of Mr. Cummings & old Doc Bill [W.C. Williams] & the quiet, honourable faithfulness of L.Z., who may out of concern tell a coupla’ things to you he won’t reveal to the pig public – be it Mr. [M]ike Gold or Gore ham Munson. That is you’re not very clear, in fact very vague as to what is happening “even in the U.S.A.” And you’re not being read in the U.S.A. for reasons you ought to be able to find out for yrself. (And) I’m not going to tell the U.S.A. (even) if my word doesn’t spread further than the leetle maggiezeens, that in Mr. Pound’s last “Cantos” I have found nothing to move the cockles of my heart or the network of my brain, outside of 5 lines (perfect lines) given over to Hathor & her box and some musical metaphysics of the dark Cavalcanti. It is alright to condense the virtues of Thos. Jeff. & J.Q. [Adams], but one can’t stop there economically. No one in the U.S.A. is interested in the Boss’s reclamation of the marshes – & quite a number here are aware of the fact that Rome when it was caving in did something like it – some time before 1935 A.D. No one in the U.S.A. will be interested in the after-dinner wish fulfilment & table talk of an Irish senator. There must be something that’s bogged yr. erstwhile intelligence that makes L.Z. worry over the future of the – whatever Cantos in process – when he considers the achievements (not the shortcomings) of the last “XI.”
