64
PARTISAN REVIEW
Mass Criticism
In its issue of January 12, the
New
Republic
prints a round-robin letter
signed by fifteen people from East St.
Louis, Ill., which makes a personal and
scurrilous attack on the literary reputa-
tion of James T. :Farrell. Such an at-
tack, when made by an individual,
might, of course, be a spontaneous ex-
pression of his literary taste. But a letter
of this kind, signed by a large group
of people, takes on the aspect of an
organized campaign of vilification. Re-
gardless of the merit of Mr. Farrell's
work-and we do not agree with the
East St. Louis camarilla-we deplore
the publication of such a letter. Unless
the
New Republic
is sponsoring a new
form of mass literary criticism, it seems
to us unfair to select one writer for
this type of "special attention."
Letters in Brief
Babette Deutsch writes (New York
City): "It has been a pleasure to read
the first two issues, both for the interest
of the contents and the admirable
character of the policy." ...
From
Ezra Pound (Rapallo, Italy) a query:
"Marxism, ameliorated or sunk?" Our
reply: "Ezra, come home: all is for-
given." ...
R. P. Blackmur (Boston)
and Leonard Brown (Syracuse) protest
the review of Kenneth Burke's
Attitudes
Towards History
in our December
issue. Mr. Blackmur finds it "irrelevant
to what the book actually contains."
Mr. Brown calls it a "marvellous study
in feints." David Haskell (Brooklyn)
feels, on the contrary, that Mr. Hook
took Mr. Burke
"too
seriously." ...
Nathan Asch reminds us that in his let-
ter to us, printed in our January issue,
he wrote: "Except for the Farrell piece,
I think the first issue is swell." . . .
Richard Eberhart (Southboro, Mass.)
liked James Agee's "Lyrics" in the
December issue. " ...
he is the only
U. S. poet his age who knows much
about music-something a good many
of the rest of them could study to ad-
vantage." ...
Z. Zacharia (Mt. Ver-
non, N. Y.) asks: "Are you sure you
are not pro-Hitler?" and cancels his
subscription ....
Another cancellation
from Betty Hudson (Winnepeg). "Take
your magazine back to the underworld
where it belongs." she writes....
From
William Pillin (Santa Fe): "I want to
say that the first two issues of PARTISA
REVIEWare the best two issues of a
revolutionary magazine I have ever
seen." And David C. DeJong (Pro-
vidence) finds the magazine "far above
expectations, which were fond enough."
. . . From George Marion O'Donnell
(Belzoni, Miss.): "I approve whole-
heartedly of the fight you are making
against those who would make liter-
ature the
ancilla ecclesiae
to some of
the contemporary political religions."
...
Saul Shapiro (Montreal) approves
of everything but the proof-reading and
the art section. Of the latter he writes:
"I would recommend something less
aesthetic and more to the general taste.
A few good lively cartoons, shall we
say, that pack a real social punch." ...
Dorothy Dudley (New York City) likes
"the tone of the magazine which is
creative and aesthetic." . . . From
James Laughlin, IV (editor,
New Direc-
tions,
Norfolk, Conn.):
"I want to
tell you that I think the two issues of
PARTISANREVIEW have made it the
best magazine now being published. I
hope you can keep it like that." ...
From Sydney J. Harris (editor
The
Beacon,
Chicago) a warning: "I should
guard against being too esoteric, if I
may venture the suggestion. Most
periodicals of your type end up with
readers consisting solely of the editors'
relatives. I hope that PARTISANREVIEW
won't meet this fate."
