Typed
Letter Signed, 2 pages |
| (Letterhead: TAO HOUSE / DANVILLE
/ CONTRA COSTA COUNTY / CALIFORNIA)
Dr. Leon Mirlas, Dear Dr. Mirlas, I was delighted to receive your long letter telling me of the favorable reception your book had. The translation you gave of excerpts from the critical reviews are extremely interesting. I think you should be well pleased. I know I am. As for what you say of the situation regarding intelligent criticism in Argentine, you are right in suspecting that the same condition prevails here and in every other country. At least, such is my experience. Robert Sherwood, one of our best dramatists, wrote me some time ago that he had had the pleasure of meeting you when he had visited the Argentine. He was very much impressed with the work being done in your country to make our North American literature better known. He was particularly pleased to have had an opportunity to know you. Yes, the Massa I wrote you about is a journalist. I know that much because he sent me an article he had written in La Prensa. And the Authors Society of Argentine wrote me a letter endorsing him as responsible. However, since my agent wrote him that he must agree not to condense, or cut, or in any way change "Strange Interlude" in translation for a stage production, I have heard nothing from him. If he is a European, I will be more than ever on my guard. My experience with European translators for the theatre is that many of them are ignorant, incompetent and totally unscrupulous, especially where the work of an American is concerned. In answer to your query, my publisher, Random House - the firm of Liveright went into bankruptcy years ago and I left it - is now the foremost publisher of current plays. I have written asking them to send you a selection of the best plays they have done in the past few years. Please accept these as a token of my respect and esteem for you. The Cycle of plays? I would rather wait and write you about that sometime later when I am farther along with the work. Or maybe, make you wait until the first plays are produced and published and then send them to you to see for yourself without being bothered by any advance information for the author. Or perhaps, to tell the truth, I am such a lazy letter writer, and the Cycle is such a long story, that this is just my excuse! Once more, all good wishes to you. Very sincerely, Eugene O'Neill June 9th 1939 |
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