498
PARTISAN REVIEW
Dec 19 (1933)
Saw a letter which Hemingway wrote to Kip
4
-a crazy letter,
written when he was drunk-self-revealing, arrogant, scared, triv–
ial, absurd: yet felt from reading it how right such a man is com–
pared to the "good minds" of my university life- how he will produce
and mean something to the world ... how his life which he could ex–
pose without dignity and which is anarchic and "childish" is a better
life than anyone I know could live, and right for his job. And how
far-far-far- I am going from being a writer- how less and less I have
the material and the mind and the will. A few- very few- more years
and the last chance will be gone.
Tues April 20 (1936)
Jacques B
5
called to report content of his dinner with Steeves
6
as
follows. That I am considered the most brilliant of the younger in–
structors, that I am most devoted to teaching of all of them
&
most
conscientious. That I have done brilliantly in the colloquium
&
am
irreplacable in that course: that my two yrs of work in the 19th cen–
tury were splendid. With freshmen I am not so utterly successful: a
little too much for them (not true, I think). The reason for dismissal
is that as ajew, a Marxist, a Freudian I am uneasy. This hampers
my work and makes me unhappy. E.E. Neff7 (a Columbia pro–
fessor!) concurs in this opinion! (And Mark?
8 )
Tues May 5 (1936)
Interview with Steeves. 1 Y2
hours. Me cool and positive. Him
friendly and "realistic."
Explains it as decision of college profs. (i.e. Neff, Weaver,
9
Van D., Everett,
10
Dick
11 ).
Two reasons adduced: 1. That it is bet–
ter for me to get out, I being superior to all the other men in the Dept
who because of their inferiority or mediocrity ... will easily get jobs
at any time. Believe me unhappy here. Act motivated by concern for
my welfare. I replied that if this is so I might well have been con-
4
Clifton Fadiman.
5
Jacques Barzun.
6
Harrison Ross Steeves, Chairm11n of the Columbia College English Department.
7
Emery E . Neff.
SMark Van Doren.
9Raymond Weaver.
IOCharles Everett.
11
Harry
K.
Dick.
