• 944-4420 Dr.-John A.S .. Hall 22 Russell Heights KINGSTON 8 Dear Jobn. Co)aba P.O. Box 20 Red Hills St. Andrew Thank you for your note on the Co)aba Chronicles I am glad it stirred )OU to remembrance. and I hope ) ou will yourself one day write for the public record your O\rn remembrances of ho\, it ,,as. We need as man~ such records as possible to ensure that the generations to come do not learn of" bat happened only from the European and American \iew of things The attempt to do\.\n-play or ignore the importance of George Padmore to '.W111 century history is a case study of,, hat will happen if we do not wnte our own history . Thank you again. Sincuel~ UWI L ibr ari es MEDICAL ASSOC IA TES ln5v£c/i- &. f:ll~ciaiuf r~c ~ f"v../o'A~ KJarJ:Jns .r,~ flv >i ~ fq-y1~5 !/- A ~, If- '1()\/ CAUl, 'i'KWJ'C ~ A'~~ I w~ ~ , 1:,'t fi..f. P./1.ffr~ ~ e-l~~ (f- yo~ wr✓M9. 1 4?y?~cl~ J?-lt1v ~r pM!,.... PH4_ Wr1f1-Nrr1l ✓vP9'i.f/S'; Yo pwJ, 'VC~7 11,.#./ '1f),/ a~rz..,e wt£. mt:; 00.t di--~ ft>.~ ?(/ ~ c~~ ~~~ ~ cw. f1tc, ~ ~ ~ w~ ~'all.4 -' At. ~ t '~;,:-1« I fM- ~ ~ · ~ L ~ ~ /;,cG_ ~ ~~ /~~ ~ d.,.';;~~-r ~ -t. ~ d,_ VO.- ~ 1~c.sJ'~ -/1 ~ j Je.M.J ~ · okfA'J'~~ J l ) I ~ d,_ Jc_ µU/1. ~ t.. iew. ~ ~ ~ . f- ~ ~ d-' ~ f.4'i- a , "h~ ~ ~ ~.._ A-t..-o..= rr· t,.; 1-·~'~/o1~ d' ~Jc!~ ~ ~~) 4 .£1u~ £ i.. ~ ~ ~ d ' &j:r- ~ ~ - UWI L ibr ari es rptM ~ ..:_fJ dL ~ ~ -~ f-. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1-· U-lo'4..~ ~~ ib ~ w a,.~ ~ Ck t.i.~. ~ ~ I ~~ I ~ ~ ~ 1t~ '-~fw-q~ I It.I.. t~-~ ~ ? i_ ~ ~C.Q<.. d,, 7.o-,J.n:1,- /c­ k ~~t: ~ 0 fc. W-4 k»- ~ ~~ i­ ~ ~ I ~ ~ ; ~ ~ j,v.'a-J' d._ ~ ~ ~ ~~ -t._ ~ l<:lLa...~ / ....Jt'HotJ,Ji=. V.A It/ R.ay UWI L ibr ari es f lvu.. ~ /).-t citb... ~~. ~ hAVvV t.llA, J- / ~ Jk ~ ~ll ~ f ~ ~ \; lttW) ~ .k'.v, } ,_:_~k. ~ ~ itv. ~b. 'l/4..tM vt I Cl. hl~ = &. ~ ~ ~ r- VUA-1- ~ ~ t,,yf- h-c--7- ~ f<',CO\M.JG_ ~ ' -~. So-.~ 'k VIA~~ ~ j ( ~ ~J-<..Uv? /VWt/,) ~ di~ ~ u.J:J.:.i. Ut.i. ~ ~'\A~ rov\-U- ~ f ~ OJ. ~ (AA_ k lo_ h..o-..du.J-wvi ~~ ~ ~ ~ lf 'LL : l t T J.Q I=~ ,,_ ~ IA~ <¼ ~~ J- i-~ ~1-~1- Jv.. H ~ cA,. u..tJ:,_ .l.,tk.. ~ ~ t. d..w_ - - - ~ Jo.-,. f- ~ ~ I 'i- {°V-3 VIM ~t, ~;tu, ~ d~ ~-~ , ~ j ' o,µ_ ~ _ I • t:/o..W e,.k-u. cr-v-- ~ ~ ~ V '\,()~ 7 u. ~ I "" .I\A.u..lf-- ~ e.o_ (.,Q\MJ ~~ <..vu. '- -,,, ;;/._'(,,,{v:,.!,u/ /Jl-,✓-i .t ·i£a,;~. d,tUt.. ~o/ 'ltf'u.~ e4. 1.P ' a ~/, 4'6-,ul y~ v'I 'ru_,L / ·t{_u-6/ /.2 t-<-q Ll.tJr>I ,... .. '/ 4.~v.L> .. 1 ~ ,. 11-'<7 u.., ,,i. ku/rL<; .,_,J 4 r ut-:.. (/4{.(~v /J..C«~H , c1 1/l, 11..c~ ,"CJ . 1$,.., :-hi ft,, jtd t -lf.~ f c1,+-:I .. /4..,~-v1 : ~ ~ , } 1 1-7 u t/ ku .ci -t ~-a . o/ ~ "" UWI L ibr ari es 5~ ool 1'JV!)trJ1U; 1 CU Ci,-r r~ /), I a 7 11 ~ 1--1;, 1 /t{ ~ If' wq, 711 ildz~t,,, ?or//. s-:17 t.J / 6'e J-mQ H Cj Jo4 n /itr tf P kerr .100 t f/Ct(f flj f!ouf-R fj!e of t /o 0 s I AA Q/'},< ( Mr c{(J H lJ C ,f / 'f,;,,r«cl 6'/re m, p ,foJJJ2 Jh och-2n fo j/ J, . fe /P'J/ /'f 6 rq f;q~/" . 9 }z,?, 1/e j-0 b(j·oJ 1, Cj~.,eR®'-r /. t COLLEGE INTERRACIAL B. P. 825 USUMBURA RUANDA-URUNDI COMPTE : SOCOBANQUE NO 10 TELf:PHONE : NO 2340 Cher '.1onsieur Abr9.hc '11S , I Uswmwra, le ....... ~ f;. .... d.:. . .Q.~ .. / 2.r..~ ................................. 19 .. .5 .. 6 _.:onsieur I eter Abr ahams c/o r.:aison Cqsterrn.an Rue des Soeurs Noires TOURN1_I ( R~~:;- GI',.UE) Vene.nt d ' achever la. lecture de l .' edition fr"'n• c;aise de votre autobio&rn.phie , je tiens a vous dire l ' impression profonde produite en ~oi p ir votre t l ~oi gn~ge . Com.me l ' en- t~t e de cette fe~ille vous l ' Dura laiss~ deviner , j ' ai l ' honneur de di riger un College OQ eleves bl1ncs et noirs fraternisent d ,ns l ' a"'l i t i ? la plus sincere . Deux cent cinq P.leves noirs , originaires du Ru~ndi et de l 'Urundi , vivent ici, m@les a 27 jeunes Europeens . Tous suivent un cours d ' hu~~nitis gr~co-1 tines , selon le prosr· ~,e belge ~'tropoli t9.in Au terme de leurs ~tudes , les autres o:)tiendront le m~me dipl6· e , donn ,nt ::>cces nent sup'rieur dans toutes les Universites belG s d ' .frique . • unset les a l ' enseigne­ d 1:::::urope ou j ... our foJ.·:ner cette jeunes 1e , nous sorrnes i treize J~suites belges , d ' expression fr~ng~iBe, plus un pr@tre noir, orieintire de ce p~ys/ et qu1tre professeurs laics , -~ale­ r.ient belgeso J 1ai pens' qu 'il vous serait ,0reqble d ' ap­ prendre l'evistence d ' une institution cJnme 1 n3tre . Notre a bi­ tion ser it de jouer au-" "eas de tous no.3 'levee-: lP r61P que rem­ :plirent 2 JZotre eg rd Canon "/oodfield et le ~ ere Ad'l.ms. r·:e permettez- vous de vous de a tnder une fn­ veur? Je voudrais beaucoup accrocher v0t~e photo au ~ur demon buretu . ~lle ~e rappellerait uinsi ~u •~ tous ceux qui passeront devant elle l 'ideRl d ' union et de compr~hension mutuelles que nous 1oursuivons ici. Vous combleriez nes voeux en y mett nt votre sic91ature . Esp'rant que vous voudrez bien dormer sui te a cette -e,u@te , je vous en remercie d ' ~v~nce et vous prie d 'a6r0er , Cher .:onsieur .. brahams , 1 ' expression de ma profonde symp·1 thie . Si peut-@tre voua d'si~iez o 'adresser quelquer mots, n 'hesitez pas a m' ecrire en anglais . 0. /faui ~ I. .JI =-:"U .. U " . j . Recteur du College UWI L ibr ari es • I Dear Mrs Grossman, 57 J essel Drive, Loughton, Essex, England. June 28, 1955. Please do forgive t he del ay in writing t u you, t o thank you for your very cordial l et t er of Apr il 9th. It i s s.n occupat ional disease of writ ers for t hey ar e so busy writing these books t hat t hey have V9ry llt t .L'3 t ime to answer their l et t ers . I hope t o be in New York in November of t his year f or a short time, and i f i t i s at all poss:.ble t o do so, I shall de., my b<'lst to t hank both you and you:r husband p~r aona.lly f or your cordial l et ter . Mrs. Sam Grossman, 7 45 Gr aft Avenue, Frank_in Square, New Yor k, U. S. A. Yours sincerel y , UWI L ibr ari es UWI L ibr ari es UWI L ibr ari es : •· · 706 Riverside l.lrf ve, Nev,r York City, 31 . ?th June, 1956 . Dear Mr. Peter Abrahams: First of all I must thank you for a Xmas card from you and Daphne -- and from the biogr aphical sketch about you I loo.rn that there are also t wo children. I wish you'd all take a trip to NY, I have a lot of very young friends and coul d have a party for the youngsters while the oldst ers chatted. But when you do come, you won 't be able to get me t hrough Knopf ' s , for there have been drasti~ changes in the juveni l B dept . A new ecl i t or came i, ~ e.r: d 6➔r er ~lly upset everything . However, the adul t c.ept. remains superb and you could not have better publisher s . But the best way to get me should you come here is t o ' phone in the evening -- and it never matters how late fo r I•m up umtil 2 . ~0 a . m. an~~ay . I'm i n the 'phone book . And -- if ¥ OU contine t o writ e such magnificent books you ffiUSt expect this correspondence to co ntinue. Only now ~ •11 know that if you don 't answer you ' re i n the midst of a new book. The time before I was concerned a s I was afraid the books I• ~ s ent had gone astray, and of course all that was straighten ed out . I ma~vel at the way you can make a character so utterl y human vtltb the good qualiti es and bad combined -- just as human being s are . I admit, thouBh, I could never have let Udomo treat Lois so ruthlessly wi th the Jo epi sode . And, what a pr oblem you had when you had him b~trRy Mhendi and yet bow t t agically r easonabl e f or his obj ective. Mhendi's death -- e.nd the.t of Maria gave me liter al chills ? And Tom was m1rvel ousli done, while Paul Mabis ' l e tter at t he end was a tremenrous cl jmax. Waso t Mr . Hughes thr illed at the dedicati on? Somehow , with your ability t o see peopl e and situationE as you do , I v, ish sometime you 'd malte a character !fil another ' s probl ems even if it's not hi s own . I believe this to be very possible and certain . Not only might people be a shamed at, for instance, what the white rece has done whi l e being a member of tha t race, but I kno·w that some one can feel this even if not having suffered f r om it as an i ndividual . And not o"'.l l y from shame. A pr ojection of one ' s self into another isn't pe rhaps usual, but do es occur and i s important. As you showed in "Tell Freedom" a Jewish NHon who ha d known prejudice qli ght or again might not und erstand anothe r prejudice . A Negro might, as you showed , be scornful of a anot her Negro who wa s beneath him. Oh a jar, this is something f or discussion and I'm becoming i nvolved i n trying to wri t e it. The main thing is I believe tha t sometimes it's just a s hard for a person who hasn ' t had the stupidly cruel axperi ence per sonally of being differentiated agai nst . And, whenev~r I use tbe phrase "white r f!ce " I always think of E.M. Forster's description as " pinko-grey." So much more realistic. That terrific probl em of doing harm for ~ltima te good is one you hBve handled so tell j ngly. I don ' t know. I feel no one should ever mi s s 8.Il opportunity, no matter at what personal loss of s tanding, t o assert v:hat one belie ve s i n , but Ud omo had to do so much more . And parti cularl y when Selina emerges as she does. Here am I chatting away about your characters, but they' re all so real, so important. And oh, how you can write. Thank you again . Cordial ly, UWI L ibr ari es Prof . Dr . K. H. Pfeffer Hamburgisches Welt - Wirtschafts- Ar~hiv Mr. Peter Abrahams 37 , Jessel Driv e Lou gh ton, Essex ====================== England . Dear Mr. Abrahams , Hamburg, 18th May 1956 Poststrasse 11 My Bri tish- born wife discovered 11Mine Boy" in t he library of the British Information Centre . I started to read all your available books and got so enthusiastic that I am trying to get a German publisher to accept translations . Would you agree to tha t , and might I possibly visit you when I come to England on a short trip this autumn , or coul d we meet in London , better still in Hamburg? Your point of view helps me very much with the South African Section of the Cyclopedia of Modern Nations which I am preparing for a Government Research Institute in Hamburg. You wi ll understand my interest when I explain that I am a sociologist and hold special Seminars on overseas problems at t he Uni versity . Even if you cannot entrust the translation of your books to me I should very much l i ke to make your personal acquaintance. Sincerely Your s, /f;fa . /( I;. ( Prof . Dr . K. H. Pfeffer ) UWI L ibr ari es J I , . / v Dear Peter THE OBSERVER ·179 1· ..% ,. flbJe >'vn -!:/:m, '/j, ,,I 22 TUDOR STRE ET LONDON, E .C.4 TELEPHONE ; CENTRAL 9 4 81 15- 5- 55 This was copi ed from t he di ary of a f riend of 1ni ne 11h o i s a t liird- year medi cal s t udent, a South .African,at Edi nbur gh . I t i s v. moving and I t h ought you might be glad t o see it. UWI L ibr ari es UWI L ibr ari es UWI L ibr ari es ~ Abraha~a, THE VICARAGE, UPPER BAS I LDON, NR. READ IN G. TELEPHONE UPPER BASILDON 223. 5 A pr il , 1955 . I feel I :nuat wr ite to tell you how deeply moved I have been in reading your book Tell ~reedom. I went out to South Af rica in 1959, the year you came to Eni land, and was for a year a t Ekutuleni in Sophiatown,and then after my marrial e I lived for ei6ht years in Parow, near Cape Town, where my husband was Rector . So I know well the background of wh i ch you write. I waa rnuch interested to read what you wrote of Canon Woodfield, as he came origi nally f rom 'nY -nother I s village, Stone, near Aylesbury, and she and her family knew hi m well in his youn~er days, before he left for South Africa. There are still people in the villa~e who speak of him with affection , though of course it is many yeara since he l eft, and he has not been back often. Can you kindly tell me the name of t he publisher of the book of Negro poetry you spoke of, as I shoul d so like to Eet hol d of a copy. Per haps you rnay be interested to eee a poe;n I wrote a .:10nth or two a. ·o about South Africa, and two stories drawn f r om my experiences there. I do a good deal of speaking to ;,!other s 1 Union Branches about South Africa, eo try to keep my knowledg e of 3evel opments up to date. Things were bad enou6h when we were there, but they have gone fro.1 bad to wnrse now, and one wonders what the end o~ it all is going to be. Do you know if Bl anket Boy ' s . .foon is a true story? and can you tell me anything a bout its author? I was much inter es ted to read of the bet ter conditions for non- Europeans in P. E.A . , and I should very much to like to know something about the educational system there . What chance is there for the African to reach the required 11 0.ssimila tion 11 level ? What schooling is provided for non- Europeans, and what proportion of them have a chance of going to School ? Can you tell :ne anything about th i s, or tell ne of a book in which I can find the answer? With my good wi shes, Yours sincerely, UWI L ibr ari es .. . f UWI L ibr ari es UWI L ibr ari es UWI L ibr ari es ' 0 . ~~ ,, ,._,_pt , • ~ ~eh ~ Y/4.e-. .. ( ,i"~ ~~ ? P-~J . dd/4 ~ ~~ 1 ~ ~ ~~~ /4(~ ~~~ - ~ r ~ /Jl~~ ~ d & tll4 r ~ £r~~ - J~~ /4 7 ~ 'ke~e>t 1/ J(A,\., ~« ~ ~ 1/t7K-r tiulf~ed ~ p ~ . ~ ~~ 4- ~~ A~ 7 ~ . . J. a.-.. ~ e:u-j r ---- ~~ ~ I 7ef · ~ ~ ar ~ -~ ~ ~ ,,,.y~ ~~ ~~~~ 4/~ ~ /4 q~. J'j ;ye~ (;>t'd 4-nd 4-1~~d . ?a/A ? t:=l • ~ ~ c.r ~rd ~~ IPan~ - ~~ t cl? . cl ~ li.tNf ~✓~ ~ ~+ ·~ ~ ~-'e '?°'4- A~ ~ ~ .f' a- . ttZ,-~~ ye~ .r ~ &f ~ -e.._ ¢..A~ ~ J.,11 ·, , . . . .,,~ . _G.v .. /~~~ UWI L ibr ari es 31 / Josnol lJ::l Vr"' , Lour-Jr~on, 1..:caex . Enr;l und. I have only ju:::;i; rC'c ci voc yon,~ l e'titc-:; .. ci: ted 11 eh.•n "::Y r , and. I r;houJ. tl 111:c to t,11 11.... you mo Pt ,1ur .:il v fo..,.. your lcincl co~'!.~nt;n on '.i. ~11 l! rocdom. l!; you see, I an no·t livin..- in IT01.·1 Yo:i~'r bnt u l U~tlG ·uay outside Londo .. , :1.n En ·l. t1 , :o I cannot n0e·i; y')Ut' • r·'vy i n I cu Yorl~ unJ.~c::; I en l ul.!' .. y onou"'l to lJc able --; , 'll n:i .. e a v·i.n 1 •i.~ t'1ero during the corilnc·slLl'l!10:;: . I Gnst_:>ect 'J1ou,,,•1 tl' t y n Tiill have to purm thxour)i Lon.don on your ,.-my to 1.'-•ic· • If th,·· ic so , .ild if you are S~ijoppi nr; oti' ; n London i"o:r i'cm day ... , • • 11' I an not on ~ v:--ip out 01 1;1 •• n9ut1t:r'y t tl o tL _.., - na please i'o!' -1.ve 11 tho 'ifs i - , then cr'm·1n :C co.n _ 1 ,._ you:e ) rJliY lrn:ra i ·1 .L ma.on. l .1' ....,,1 , ill u· 1.·i;e abo 1t y U!' possil le tr V<,l c:.ateo c r:rl ;.at br • bl~ ·.:;o ·c 80 . th:i.11c,1 . .. > n :i:-:urn lnco 1 600 ~follm: .~r ~; ,i" J!'RJ, Cit>CO C lito 11..., . u . fi . . I Patn ... ~ b!'alW lfl vennc , • ,7 ' UWI L ibr ari es SAN FRANCISCO STATE COLLEGE Mro Peter Abrahams Author, Tell Freedom 1600 Holloway Avenue San Francisco 27, California February 4, 19 55 c/ o AlfreaA. Knopf, Inc. 501 Madison Avenue New York 221 New York Dear Mr. Abrahams, I have just finished readi~ your book, Tell Freedom and have recommeooed it to the members of a study""°'to"ur of .i.ifrlca which I am organizing for the coming summer. I understand that you are now living in New York. Would it be possible for us to meet you there? I plan a day's program for my study tour in New York (mostly at the United Nations) before we fly to Africa. It would be a very si gnificant thing for us if you can give us a bit of orientation. All our group would, I am sure, be most interested in meeting you after reading your book. I consider your book one of the finest things of its kind I have ever read. It seems to me, in fact, far superior to Richard Wright's, Black Br• I an sure I need not say t o you that you write with unusua poetic beauty, sensitivity, and signifi cant insight. UWI L ibr ari es - NADINE GORDIMER ro . Go;. s~~ o~vu, -~~ua.J. - ;) () ~ vet.., k>, 1qfJf: (},e,c,., w'lr ~ ci-n ' , g &J M w U) (I>) •• { ..tRt ' ho..~~ •· u-.-r J ~ h...0 ~ ) W, --U1v ~~ , V "'- a,,<.., k,,; l,fa....,f...: I is;- w l'l)i .1c- o.,...J. f °'1 W or~ hi.Ii ~ ~ ~ vJ, µ ~~~ ~rn . 'J ~, CLvJ ~ r~,~~~ ~wui ~ w' . --f~ h~ ~ ~ u tw1~ w ~ y (1K ~ ~~ ,, ~ ~~G ~,~ ~. ~~ M/4-0W\,4/, ' ~ tMJ ~ / 0V V, (l ~ ri- 1 wr-, ~-(.(.. ~ uk t., Jt ~ l5' {,<., • . -- \ W rT r 4-1 ~~ ~~ '11(J.A.--- I j UWI L ibr ari es Donr I'Ii:.:io Don.nor , \/hen your l e Vi;o1" of \uc;unt 1 5t h ca.no I r om.o.nborocl ·thcrt I had l:ol)t yon:r. onrlio:r. l at tar onc-1 I h: .vo nm·r a.ng i t; out or ~w f ile ':l..nc1 :rcr cnD • o.ncl. l1op0 to nco-t you ho·i,11 i n o:rao:r to oay t ho.nJ-: you i n ·chtJ _.,;,I" ,,,-, :rlach. ~ I 1,nvo be en o.ut:inc for Arna l1ontcnpo ' S'J·ORY OF T~ lT.F!f"!T)O at tho London hookr:Jhopo yotrocrday bn-i; t hey uon ' t oc.cn t o k:nm:r it , :.-Jn I nhall h,,v-r it; oracrotl/t f :r.on thC".; Uni ~:;eel 0tatoa . I ""' :.ti 1 • oo ui; a cU.ondvm1t,1. r.:c \'Ji ·i;h yon nn I huv not n:mac00. t o --:c •i; fu1Y of ym~r hool~D . Rnt I 11.opo t o r cJ mdy t llio lwfo:r.-o so l onr; . I n a.11 thi G I an "i:ryi n'"; ·i;o nay tlln.nl: yon ndoQu.cri;oJ.y :,ncl :i.t, in not vory 0O."Y• Bnt I t'1J.nJ: you irill tmrlorr;tn..ric1 'Ghot . I oo.n my nothor nnd nintor ( anc1 c'b:-11.11l~r-m h~ot;J,or ) t.'l.:o ycn:t~o 1 ) ml:: one ·i.;hci:r p:dclo 1 , r t Iilo J1cJ.plc-oc . .. UWI L ibr ari es Dear Mr . Abrahams : 70 6 Rivers ide LJrive , New ~ ✓rk ~it y , 31. 15th nugust, 1954. Pe rha ps you have not · seen tl'.le r Y T i mes revi ew of Tl:i!LL FRE f!::DOM , or the adverti sement wi th the quotes , so I encl ose t hem. A few ye a r s ago I wrote you a bout your PATH OF THUNDER , and had such ~ nice let ter f rom you in reply . I t hink this i s t h e onl y time I heve written t wi ce to the s ame e.uthor (I don ' t even write once very often) , but TELL FRf!;EDOM i s so be a.u t i fu l and so i mport an t t ha t I em compelled to do so now. I h es i t a te to put down on t hi s t yp evrri tten uage a l l I would. li k e to say . You u s e words so superbl y and effec t i velJ tha t I rejoice t ha t t he Engli sh l ~nguage car. be so ~s ed , but it makes me a little shy a bout writi ng t his l e tter . (And, I t hink I tol d vou befor e that I write f or a living - - book s f or young people - - ~md Knopf i s my publ i sher ) . Somehow my pl a ce seems enr i ch ed with your book as one of rc.y proud possessions . And its beauty makes i tE' tragedy obly t he more te l l:ing. I bope it is tremendoucl y successf ul - - not only f or your sake, and cert ainly you deserve grea t success for doing such a magni fi cent j ob -­ but so grea t numbers of people may r efld it . I n South Africa pa r t i cu l a r J Anyone who reads such poetr y- i n- prose wi ll b e r c:1rel y rewarded , but es Ar r. Bontemps says i t i s so t imel y . Hea rt breakingly so t h9t such a book of experiences shoulc be t imely . And how you have managed to lift up t h e cruel s tupidity into such a clear focu s with words th~t win through any k ind of a r gum en t i s a f ea t of genius and of h ea r t . Did you ever read Arn g Bon temps ' STORY OF' THE N EGR6J? I t h ink i t h r.is been publi shed i n Engl 2J1d . Noti cing bi s quote made me th ink of mant ioning i t to you , as he tell s of s ome of the l ong- ago writ er s . Knopf did i t here for the young people's l i s t . Your mother and s i s t er mu ~t be very happy a bout your wri t i ng . And thank you deepl y , as one of your readers . Your s f a ithfully , t UWI L ibr ari es Mr. Peter Abrahams, 73 J essel Drive, Laughton, Essex, Eng land. Dear Mr. Abrah ams, P.O. Box 51 Colleg e Sta tion Ne w York 30, N.Y. Aug ust 25th 19 54. A few y ears ago, when I was editing a little ma.g&zine, tbe "Harlem Quarterl y", I corressp ond ed with y ou briefly concerning an article which Mr. Swain of the Paul R. Reynolds Agency had mailed for our consideration. Your work as a writer was known to me long before then becau se I began to beat the drums in your behalf when I read one of your early books that a friend of mine h ad mailed from Eng land. Now that three of your books have been publish ed in America there is a resurg ence of interest in y ou a s a writer and a.s a person. I read your novel 11 Wild Conquest11 when it was running in seria l form i n the magazine " Drum" . If you ha ve an issue of that mag azine for August 1952 you will n otice that I have a short s t ory "The Boy Who Painted Christ Black" in the s ame issue. I get regula r distribution of maga zines from South Africa and have sp oken extensively on th&t troubled l and. Yesterday, Sunday August 23rd, here , I read y our review of t h e book, "Rep ort on Africa" in the New York Times. It is a good review a nd to the point. I think Africa is emer~:ing from her UWI L ibr ari es long lethargy and I think some blood will be spilled before the emerg ence is completed. I see no reason ~hy e person of color shoul d apolog ize for thinking or believing a thing like this. After all, the whi te race did not t ake the world by waving an gels win f s and the world that they have ensla ved will not free themselves in like manner. I am completing your l ast bo ok "Til F reedom". I read over half of it early this ye ar in one of the Afric an mag a zines. I wou l d like to hear from you from t ime to time. I will s end you copies of Ame rican publications t hat mi ght inte rest you. Now that y ou a r e better known in Ame rica, I wonder do you h a ve any future plans for visiting t h is country? S ince r elv , JHC :mp J.,.L~~-z "~ C/ John Henrik Clarke. UWI L ibr ari es Alfred. A. Knopf Incorporated 501 Madison Avenue NEW YORK (22), N. Y. August 17, 1954 Dear Mr Abrahams I have read your book tell Freedom and I think it the most wonderful book I have every read about 11\Y people. I only wish that every one of us could the chance to thank you for such a real book. I would like to keep it as long as I live, ... so would be so kind as to autography this book for ns. r7r tr~ ~ s c/o Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 501 Madison Avenue New York 22, N. Y. p.s. Could I Please have a Photography of you. PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS UWI L ibr ari es l Dear Mr . Abrahams, 20 Norman Road, Hove, 3. 3rd August 19:>4. I feel I must urite and tell you how much I have enJoyed your book, "Tell Fr eedom. 11 Not only does it seem to me moving and very well written, but every word of it rings true, and I mus t congratulate you on a f ine pieoe of work. I wyself spent nearly 40 years in South Africa, and i n many spheres ca.me into close contact with the Co~oured and N ative inhabitants. After the Boer , ar I Joined t he Native Affairs Department. Yhen I was at the Chief Pass Off ice at Fordsburg in 1908 I formulated a scheme for the abolition of passes, but the then Director of N~tive Labour sai d the Government would never agree to it. One of my most treasured possessions is a testimonial given to me when I left t he Pass Office signed by all the int er preters and Native constabl es and testifying to my sympathy and fairness towar ds t hem. All t hat was in 1908 - long before your time! • I aJ1l now in my middle ei ghties, with failing sight, and your book has been r ead aloud to me . I am the f ather of William Plomer, to whom ¥Ou allude i n your book. His first b ook, 11Turbott Wolfe" {1926) was critical of r acial preJudioe and brought down on his head a storm of abuse . I remember t hat t he Bishop of Bloemfontein, described it as a most courageous book. Wi shi ng you every success in your career, Yours sincerely, Capt. C. Plomer, Sunnyend, 20, Norman Road, Kingsway. Hove, J. UWI L ibr ari es tlf . q-rU-~tri J>­ s {_[-_(_ --- ~9 e w, 'J-,,i,' , .Mr"' A"'....,,, . l '("'Y1AJ / CA~ u-:,e ( l,,r,) I- µ 0;., ~ _,,( ~elt ~7">'1 I ~~ ~ ~~Le, .r1-<:,IL y~ t ~ wi"'"c:I. l~uye-r' a---: /'./- ~ IC-~ ~ 1 r~ c.Ov,',C.. tl-tfu~ 1-e.ih tl),c..,r!G f-hry-,- ~&e ~ ~c+I) - d- ~h~ r; /~ hf vrvr:. "" ;-------JC /,A ,v/1 1- / f-.e- (J-, ,,...,;,. /2,,'" ,,_ (?) 1--[k,, I-es /~1,a I'~ fr-~(,c lt~I /~ //1~~f r-r/7~ k- ~,/-;~~ ~ (.. C' -~ ~ 1,--.;;;r UWI L ibr ari es ~./4A~ ~-;:~y ~ ~ ~ r - J . _/ / I r" ----,..-:, ~ l-c., 11,f"' - ./) l ~ ~~~ ~:) .:1 ~7 ~~-{iu; -. ~ · ~~-J --r0)-i ~tj/h-(,{ / ~~; . I l _V'::f.) ~~ -~ft! ,,,n-,o 0 y '-/ C:: ~ '? / - Y. ~}, v / ~~~~~~ :!'II IJ~~,s -f' .£#, ''I,,{_/ I T.>li. '7' --/ 7 1,:, '2.--10 i '7'v;Jrr V71rL?:!I ~ ~1,,v~-CY ~ 1.J~l-ri:j ~ / / .. •J 7~;J C-'1,f-1/ _', ")-W u..a', ~ ~~~ - ~ ' ~ ,f( 4N.,I., Int~ . 'J)l~ y ~ ~ ~cnt ~ 14-r fA+_ yl,w-. ~ " ~ ~ ~ ~, J ~~ - ~M( ~~ ne ~ . UWI L ibr ari es r, 78, Campden Hill Road, W.8. ~ v /JC/'t,v JI ~I~ ~ ~ lb tcvi~Mvlttfi.. '{'(JV~ ~ /f«o'1YVI 1 ~ ( ~d n,..~ ~ /- ~W\9 l}-CUI. 't~ !:,o;Jk.s. lt-t lb4-i ii- {r ~'i'A ~ ~'7 'ltu~ er~ dvaiJtr ~ If ttr Cvt£ U,Cv/(J" /t,«,r;,vj l,, fhf ~£4t,a/-ui- f' v.,11,li/ai'wf ~ (;(JV'a/ d 'i¥M~./. ~ ~ £ 5<;pv0~& ( i,lfvvP :t{[v.f ~-~~~ '1""'4-' dt;f4hc-,,i 1- lt..2 ,vr~ ~ ¥ ~ I IC~ ~ ~ I t:&PI. /c,wt~ . .JSvt1!4€ ~ --- M orh'i4,, ;.r,,,lt l-v..1 ~ ~ '{fi/fU1 ~ ~ hf I r(rft,,/~ /ti;:, · f'V'trv~i A~ ~ JAq 1/v'd.~ tJh ~ I ~ ~CA.c ~ ~:to- UWI L ibr ari es /~ r · -r.¥V.A.f 1 MJj ~ I '[ /,yfv{ /"l-,a,,f/ ~ (J~e,{0 w-- (>~' 'ff- ~ ~ . ~ /'Mvt,1,1~ al" ~ r-~ a9"£. a; .r~ vu.y p{,(~ Cwii/~~~ av, ln.f4 ~°1 ~· ~ tv/v?( VVk·f"~h~ ~ ]Aol( ~aJf(' h., ~ ht't,,f'f1t.Pr- ~ '£ ~ S2.-, ~ ~ v'v you very s incerel y on a book which must have t aken a gr ea t d..,a l of courai.:e t o wri t e . You have certainly wi dened my comuhr ehension of South Africa , a count r y which I do no t know at all f r om first hand In r eadin~ 1 was c~ns t antly s tr~ck with t he par allels and contvasts wi t h t he Sout he rn J nited 0 t a t es , which I do know so11P.wha t; and for me it was a r eve at i on to r ealize t hat , in t he vast ma jority, t hP "' pgroPs of t he U. S . A. a r e "Colour ed " ra t he r t '-lan. "Black" ps y chologi colly, as well as ohvsica l ly . The d iscussions among t he Co l oured wnich you r e count could , with very slight :. 1 t erat i Jns , have t aken place in .. a r lern ; and t her e i s exactly t ~e sa~e value g iven to phys ical signs - lighte r skin , "good hair " , "good lips " and s o on . One of t he po i nt s wh ich I would much like to know more about is t he cont ent of African and colour ed educa t i on in S. Africa . 1egro s chooling bBlow t he ~as on Dixon line i s al.nost as i nadequate as what you desc r ibe ; bu~he text books in the vast naj ori t y of cases are t he s ame as L ,sed f o r t he whites ; and I t h ink t his contribut es quite a l ot t o t he unhanpi ­ ness of many of t he Southe rn ~egroes . The v l u~s t hev a r e t au~ht are t hose of t he white A'Ue r icans , which t he laws and cus t oms of sPgr egati~n °t c. or e vcn t t hem r ealizing , so t hat t hey feel chBA t ed , I think i n a di ffe r ent wa · t o , s ay t he people of t he Gol d Coas t twent v year s ago ( v1he n ... was t her e ) wher9 a r eal effort had been made , a t Ach i ~ot ~ f or examole , t o adapt educati o1 t o t h~ l ocal r "al iti9s . Don ' t t h ink I mean by t h is t hat uegr oes shouldn t have as good an ~ducation as ooss i b l e ; but t here is some t hinq ludicr ous in t he 1 egroes of Senegal bBing t aught history f r om a nri"Ile r whi ch onens "r os ance tres. 1es Gaulois . . . " I t hink a careful and comna r a tive s t ud r of the te.x&books pr ov i d ­ ed could be v~r y i lluminat ing . of your s . I shall look fo rward to r eading furthe r books di t h al l good wi shes for t he future , UWI L ibr ari es Joubert Park Nursing Home 22 Koch St , Johannesburg. RIVERSIDE FARM, P.O.BOX 77, MASERU, BASUTOLAND, SOUTH AFRICA. TELEPHON~ : LA0YBRAN0 14JI 12 May 1953 . --... Dear ( '-(f>) Abrahams, ~ I have just read your HETURN TO GOLI with deep admiration; so great, that although normally I don't hold with fan letters I feel bound to write to you . If you don ' t ·hold with fan letters I hope that you will forgive me, and do not of course feel t hat you have to reply. The full magnificence of hum.an character is only re­ vealed in resista nee to, and triumph, over adversity . I shall only say how conscious I was, as I read your a uto­ biographical pages , of your share of the giants and hobgoblins. "Who would true valour see ... " If I had t o lay my finger on what I thought showed most understanding in this book I would choose the descrip­ tion of the corruption of life in the Reserves, for Goli is very active there. But, speaking from a knowledge of Basutoland only, I believe there to be quite a lot of the go lden age left, even to- day, particularly where there is a sufficiency of wealth and enough family ahesion. Your book has moved me greatly , and I believe will have a gr eat influence in this country, particularly with good peopl e who are tempted to be embittered and defeated by the hobgoblins . Your book holds the future, for we will one day experience a national reconciliation based on its ideas. ThaA i s a certainty . The doubt­ fulness is of course in the manner and length of our pilgrimage between to-day and that day . Please go on writing . You can do so much to safeguar d t he peace of this country - and to build courage to defeat our worser selves. I was born here too , I suspect about the same time as you - 29 June 1918 . Tha__,nk you for your ki nd reference to myself. \1 ' /) 1 ~~ J'\.\A (~t 10 1)~ UWI L ibr ari es I ., ~ ~ . µ v'r ~ 1'_:..}r- ~ ( ~ a-r Dear Abrahams, "Mill side 11 , Church Road, Ba,gshot, Surrey, 13th March, 1952 The ve·:y day after meeting you at Henry SWanzy' f I got your book , Wild Conques·b f r om t he T:iJnes Book Club, and I can t ell you quite honestly i t -was a relief t o read a book wit h r eal vitalit y again. For months before I had been bored by novel af'ter novel. When I fini shed your book I was sorry I was not able to see you at once t o di s cuss it with you, as there wer e quite a number of points I wanted to take up vdth you. On t he whole , I t houzht it excellent, but I found that it was a t rifle unbalanced in constructi on-- that is, you started off by making it t he tale of the Boer trekker s , awitchE off to the Eatabeles and t hen came back ( almost as an after­ t hought ) to the Boers. Ever y section was admirably done , novel theless, and my interest was held all through, which is re.re for me vrlth any novel these days. Sunday l ast I saw The path of thtmder revi~weJ. in The Observer , and despite the review got t he book next day and am oow well over three- quarters through it. I read very slowly and caref ully. I think I am enjoying this book even more than I did Wild Conquest. But my God! I'd never dreamt • that the Coloureds were treated so badly in South Africa. In t he West Indies colour prejudice is not overt-- in fact, it is,in a sense, a.J.most academic-- and no coloured or pure- bloodec negro can complain of being treated ignominiously by the whites. Look here , we must get together soon and have a lorli chat about cver ythin,g. Incidentally, I heard you on the Thira. Program:ne in the second talk. I didn ' t hear the first , but t hi1 didn' t matter as I read the p rinted version in The List ener. What fire in your penl Drop me a line and let ' s arrange a lunch da.teo Or some sort of evening date, if i t isn' t too late i n the evening, for I live far out in the oountry as you can see. My phone number in London is GROsvenor 8011, Extension 107 ( British Council, 65, Davies Street, W l ). Do let me hear from you soon. UWI L ibr ari es Dear Miss Bonner: 98 King Henry's Road, Lond on .N . ... , . 3 . England. April 19, 1948 . I was deepl y t ouche d ,1h cn I co t your lr.t t c r of : ·arch 18 . Thank you very much indeed. It is not often that a young 11'/ r ! t e r f~otn the kinrl o -" ap 1 ,r eci e.tion conta i ned i n your l e t ter. And while I do not want to set the writer apart from the ordlnary 111,ltvid'.l.8.1. , t do fee l tl1at i t :.s □ o:.1e t i :1e s only those who a.re at the job t hemselves who can go i nto the book and read i nt o i t ~oMe of th • pn rRonnl probl c~s i nvolved for t h e write r in 1 GS maki ng . The making of the PATH OF THUNDER deManded a pecul i ar kind of ooura~e he cause I am certai n the 'Col oureds', my people, are going to be quite bitter about s oMe aspect s of t he book. On t he oth~ r hand , I 8hAl l be very surprised if the South African whi~es do not ban i t out of hand . Yet i t hqd · to 11 e done . A11'l w1~iters a.., a t r i.b e arc n o mo re courageous and no less cowardly than other !olk. Perhap3 they j ust se e a _tt tl e mor e clearly uorJet i nes ard 8.r8 n li t tle more dumb a t other times. Li ke you, I hope Arna Bo11temps' b ook 1s brought out here. Very Many year s ago , in J ohannesburg , I read a poem hi s t hat moved me mos t profound l y by i t s quiet strength. Perhaps you know it : • Go t hrough t h~ ·gate s wi th closed ~yes, Stand er~ct and let your bl a ck face front the West, Dr op t h e axe and l eave t he timber whe r e i t li es - A woodman on the hill must ha ve his rest. Go_ where l eaves are l y5.11~ brown and V t, 1 Forget her urown arms and ~ner breast who mothered you 1 And every f ace you ever l oved forget, Close your eyes: walk bravely t hrough. Since then I have always l ooked out f or the works of Arna Bo~temps, but so far without any success. I have been much more fortunate in ge·l;ting t.tie works of Cullen and I am t r ying to persuc1.de someb ody here t o brir.g out hi e ON TRf.SF I Sl1AND. I l ove Cullen because more t han ruost mouerr1 poets of our time he has the singi ng touch t ha t found it s highest expr ession in the i ncomparable .tCeat l:I. It has been one of my grea_t hopes to meet Cullen , i t is one of my great regret s· t hat I shall not . To make amends i n s ome small measure fo r the unavoidable delay in repl yi ng to your letter , I am sending this by air. As soon as I can a ffor d it I hope to visit Hew York. When I do I mo st sincerely ·i;r·us t I shall have the pleasure of meeting you. Thank you agai n fo r your very kind letter • . Yours sincerely UWI L ibr ari es MARY GRAHAM BONNER 706 RIVERSIDE DRIVE NEW YORK 31 . N . Y. 18Lh _.'.vj_;..irch , 1Sl4B . Last ni~ht I finishAd ( thou;h I 3hRll want to rsr3ad) Tri~ PA~H O? TH!JNDER , eind todcnr I h :we talk3d '1bout it 0md thought '.lbout it F3. gre'1t , gr~~t deal . Thjs, of cours3 , I sh~ll conti~u':l Lo do . Bu t it do~3n ' t P99ill ri 0 ht to adm jre a book so d33Dly ~s I do yours wjthout tolli~g vou so . I wqs qrrest Jd nnd imore~s~d 3t first b7 your originAl ~nd si. 5n l fic rrnt method of stqting th9t your ch9.r•➔ ct'7rs w;:n") fj ction°l but the probl':lms and prejudices factu9l . Ihe storv is baAutifullv •vritten , Lhe char1ct3r~ so al ive th9t it s~smad tragic Lhev couldn ' t liv9 . Yet vour ending w8.s the only one -- 0 11d the J;Jilo6ue I thou ;ht very gffective . In it -w?is embod i 3c :111 c-=Jroless - - •'3nd cs11el -- cOT:J.ITj':mt whi.ch w-:: s s hovm uo s o stri l<:i n gly •➔ ftar wh at h;;1.d gone before . There wer"3 so mA.ny integrsl p9.rts of tne sto r7 th'1t were so right . For exqrnole it w11.s t.~o fitting to ba irie 3nd her love ror L1.i1n:v thAt sh e should h::tv~ been the one to hop e to be aule to lie in the 3un . It wr-is p9i:i.ting s uch q tr·ue oicture when you drew the or3ncher . 1 Gh 3n. ' t go on like this - - for c1f Lar a ll you do k11ow the stor y vou n•J v ~ writ ten but I think it one of the finest books I have r'3:3d in A lon ., , long time . As a writer I took delj~ht in vour mngnificent crAftsmAnship . (Mostl v I vrite books for voung neople ) . As a reader I ~~r h 9opv that you told vou storv exuctlv as vou djd - - or should I 2ay 95 ~ r )qder and an individual? I hope there will oe m~ny neople reading it qnd that it wil l do well for you ~nd for its story . You quoted Cullen ' s poem , 8nd I hope Arna HontempP ' ne~t book will be brot1snt out in Englqnd . Knopf , who publif;h my books , ere doing hi s " Gtory of the l\l egro , " rind I did the index for it, [::o I knoVJ it v;ell. It i c ~ histor? for teen -- or any - - qge , .nd is repl-3te 1•rith iriformetion and vary we l l wriLten . 'I'he only r·3cent book of mi"1':l brought out in Engl ·m d is 11 Cen Adq 9nd u~r 0torv11 wh ich doesn ' t fit into this pqrRgr~ph q 911 , exce?~ as 9 meqns or introducing mvselr . I notic~a you hao wriLtan other books , 9nd I hooe they ' ll brin~ them out here , too . You ' ve hRd a fine preHr in New fo~K , 9S no doubt vour oublishers have told you . Ple9se l~t me snv once mor3 how gr8atly I bdmire vour book . It seems to me you h9.ve done the v~ry thing Cor ,.,h j ch an '1Uthor nl•,v9vs wishes -- you h'3V-(:l really ·::iccomolished vJh<3t vou set out to do , 9.nd you hRve done this suoeroly . Yours f aithfully , UWI L ibr ari es abraham books0001 abraham books0002 abraham books0003 abraham books0004 abraham books0005 abraham books0006 abraham books0007 abraham books0008 abraham books0009 abraham books0010 abraham books0011 abraham books0012 abraham books0013 abraham books0014 abraham books0015 abraham books0016 abraham books0017 abraham books0018 abraham books0019 abraham books0020 abraham books0021 abraham books0022 abraham books0023 abraham books0024 abraham books0025 abraham books0026 abraham books0027 abraham books0028 abraham books0029 abraham books0030 abraham books0031 abraham books0032 abraham books0033 abraham books0034 abraham books0035 abraham books0036 abraham books0037 abraham books0038 abraham books0039 abraham books0040 abraham books0041 abraham books0042 abraham books0043 abraham books0044 abraham books0045 abraham books0046 abraham books0047 abraham books0048 abraham books0049 abraham books0050 abraham books0051 abraham books0052 abraham books0053 abraham books0054 abraham books0055 abraham books0056 abraham books0057 abraham books0058 abraham books0059 abraham books0060 abraham books0061 abraham books0062 abraham books0063 abraham books0064 abraham books0065 abraham books0066 abraham books0067