538
PARTISAN REVIEW
MS
Lilly Library
[3 November 1922]
[London]
Cher Ezra
Vivien wrote to you yesterday about the position I am in. Lady
Rothermere has been getting increasingly offensive ever since the
Criterion
came out, and especially since she entered her retreat for
maniacs. I wish you could see her before she leaves Paris and tell her
bluntly that the
Criterion
is a SUCCESS . I have had nothing but
good notices . Nearly all the copies are sold
(600
printed) . But this
woman will shipwreck it.
V's idea is to get the money somehow and buy the paper from
her - before she has time or opportunity to make my position such
that I must throw it up, on her hands . V . thinks she would take
£500
for it
now,
especially ifmy name was kept out of it, and we could find
some American who would allow us to use his name in the purchase.
Can you not come over to London for a weekend and see me,
as you
know
I cannot come to you .
If
you and I could get the
Criterion
into our own hands and
could only find the money to run it for a couple of years, it would be
the thing of our lives.
Try to get over here to see me, and meanwhile
don't let a soul
suspect that
everything is not absolutely right between me and Rother-
mere .
T.
cc
7 November 1922
9 Clarence Gate Gardens
Cher Ezra,
In answer to your question : yes, of course I have a contract for
three years , prepared for me by an able solicitor, as binding and
clear as possible , and OF COURSE I know that a contract would be
no damb use if she wanted to chuck the paper or give it to someone
else . Even with the contract the TITLE, which we presented , be–
longs to her, and the title is the paper.
So far the point is not the number of lunatics whom she wants
included . She objects (I) to the whole getup and printing of the paper
without specifying anything good about it, and I have with difficulty
