PARTISAN REVIEW
371
seems to me that much vf the experimentation of recent years –
Baxterhouse's* "Symphony for Silence," for example, and all of the
electronic pieces - are simply admissions of defeat. We don't need
more experimentation or apologists for it!
My admiration for your work is immense, and I hope to bring
your name to a wider public. Of course you are quite famous among
those of us who follow closely all new developments in the arts, but
the average American - unfortunately - has yet to hear of you.
Could we get together next week for a few hours of conversation?
My number is 945-0095 and I will
be
waiting hopefully for your call.
Sincerely,
Roberta Brightmore
-*1
just realized that Ezra Baxterhouse is a friend of
yours - I hope you won't take offense at this remark!
11 October
Dear Keith Lurie:
I am writing to inquire whether you can set aside an hour or
two for an interview (tape-recorded,
if
this is agreeable to you). I
am working on a detailed critical study of your work. Please contact
me at 945-0095, any day after 5: 30.
Perhaps I should introduce myself: I am a young woman (26),
a seriolls student of contemporary culture, born and educated in New
York, whose quiet and even monastic life allows her an objectivity
sadly lacking in many of our "professional" critics and reviewers (I
wrote an angry, devastating letter in reply to Donald Sullivan's igno–
rant and cruel dismissal of your work, in
The New York Times
last
month, but I am still waiting for the letter to be published). I think
our meeting might be enjoyed on both sides, and I promise not to
ask you any embarrassing questions!
(I did write you a similar letter on October 6, but I understand
that you might have been out of town, or could find no time in your
busy schedule to call me.)
Sincerely,
Roberta Brightmore
