Add MS 88998/2/2

37 communications from Ashbery to Harwood; 1 carbon copy letter from Harwood to Ashbery (item 22); and 1 letter from David Kermani to Harwood (item 31). The envelopes have been annotated by Harwood with the date of his reply.

(1). Telegram (stamped 5 Jun 1965). With envelope ('Overseas Telegraph') addressed to 37 Wellclose Square, [London], E.1. Message: 'Have room for you until twelfth please advise'.

(2). 18 June [1965]. Typed letter signed (1 sheet). With envelope (postmark Paris, 19 Jun 1965), addressed to 37 Wellclose Square, London.

(3). 20 June [1965]. Typed letter signed (1 sheet). With envelope (franked Paris, 21 Jun 1965), addressed to 37 Wellclose Square, London.

(4). Tuesday [29 Jun 1965]. Autograph letter (3 sheets). With envelope (postmark Assisi, 29 Jun 1965), addressed to Harwood c/o [Barry] Miles, 15 Hanson Street, London. The envelope is printed with the address 'Albergo Manni, Spoleto'. Letter refers to the 8th annual 'Festival of Two Worlds' held in Spoleto (24 Jun - 18 Jul) and comments on several American poets who attended. 'Stephen Spender is leaving tomorrow and has passed on his mantle of master of ceremonies to me!'

(5). 3 Jul [1965]. Autograph postcard (postmark Spoleto), addressed to Harwood c/o [Barry] Miles, London. 'Still in Spoleto but am starting back [to Paris] Sunday or Monday'. Ashbery records that he read 'on the same program with Pound!'

(6). 8 Jul [1965]. Typed letter signed (1 sheet). With envelope (franked Paris, 9 Jul 1965), addressed to Harwood c/o [Barry] Miles, London. Further remarks on the Spoleto Festival.

(7). [31 July 1965]. Autograph postcard (dated by Southampton postmark), addressed to Harwood c/o [Barry] Miles, London. Ashbery sailing to New York. 'Looks like rather a dull lot on board'.

(8). 13 Aug [1965]. Typed letter initialled 'J' (1 sheet).

(9). 11 Sep [1965]. Typed letter initialled 'J' (1 sheet). With envelope (postmark Paris, 12 Sep 1965), addressed to 37 Wellclose Square, London. 'I have decided to go back to New York. I have been offered a good job with "Art News"; and I must keep a closer eye on my mother who seems to be going downhill.'

(10). 5 Oct [1965]. Typed letter initialled 'J' (1 sheet). With envelope (franked Paris, 5 Oct 1965) addressed to 37 Wellclose Square, London. 'I've been busy with all kinds of worthless details connected with going back to NY'.

(11). 21 Oct 1965. Telegram, from Paris. With envelope, addressed to 37 Wellclose Square, London. 'Je viens de recevoir ta lettre ecrirai demain mille excuses baisers John'.

(12). 25 Oct [1965]. Typed letter signed (1 sheet). With envelope (franked Paris, 25 Oct 1965), addressed to 37 Wellclose Square, London. 'PS - I just tried a new experiment - I wrote some poems in French intending to translate them afterwards into English, thinking it might put an interesting measure of "distanciation" into them. I haven't done the translating yet.'

(13). 2 Dec [1965]. Typed letter initialled, with autograph supplementary message (1 sheet). With envelope (franked New York, 2 Dec 1965).

(14). 2 Jan 1966. Typed letter signed (1 sheet). With envelope (franked New York, 3 Jan 1966), addressed to 37 Wellclose Square, London. 'I got quite a shock when you said you were dedicating your book to me.'

(15). [3 Feb 1966]. Front page of The Village Voice (27 Jan 1966), with message from Ashbery annotated in pencil in the margins. With Art News envelope (franked New York, 3 Feb 1966), addressed to 37 Wellclose Square, London. The cutting features an article about Ed Sanders, 'proprietor of Lower East Side's most remarkable book store - Peace Eye - which lies between Cintron the Grocer and Lifschutz the Egg Dealer.'

(16). 11 March [1966]. Typed letter initialled (1 sheet, Art News letterhead), enclosing cutting from The New York Times (1 March 1966). With envelope (franked New York, 11 Mar 1966), addressed to 69 Brockmer House, Crowder Street, London. The enclosure is a review by Conrad Knickerbocker of Ashbery, Rivers and Mountains, and three other books of poetry: 'Mr Ashbery makes no concessions to the reader, and his work is utterly private. His dialogue is with himself alone, but strangely, he is not obscure.'

(17). 18 Apr [1966]. Typed letter signed (1 sheet). With Art News envelope (franked New York, 18 Apr 1966), addressed to Brockmer House, Crowder Street, London.

(18). 23 Dec [1966]. Typed letter signed (1 sheet). With Art News envelope (franked New York, 23 Dec 1966), addressed to Brockmer House, Crowder Street, London.

(19). 24 Apr [1967]. Typed letter signed including supplementary autograph message (1 sheet, Art News letterhead) . With Art News envelope (franked New York, 24 Apr 1967), addressed to Brockmer House, Crowder Street, London. Ashbery has just received his advance copy of Selected Poems (Jonathan Cape): 'I am a little unhappy over the choice of poems, but this is mainly because of omissions rather than inclusions - I guess.'

(20). 19 Jan [1968]. Typed letter signed (1 sheet, Art News letterhead). With Art News envelope (franked New York, 19 Jan 1968), addressed to 12 Over Street, Brighton.

(21). 31 Jan [1968]. Typed letter signed (1 sheet, Art News letterhead). With Art News envelope (franked New York, 31 Jan 1968), addressed to 12 Over Street, Brighton. 'Here at last is a little text for your book jacket' (not present). Ashbery is 'just mad about the poems' (i.e. Harwood, The White Room): 'My only objection to your work is that I keep stumbling over myself in it and that I emerge as a kind of cross between the Dark Lady of the Sonnets and a CIA agent.'

(22). 11 Feb 1968. Harwood to Ashbery. Typed letter signed (2 sheets, carbon copy), sent from 8 Norfolk Terrace, Brighton.

(23). 10 Jun [1969]. Typed letter signed (1 sheet, Art News letterhead). With Art News envelope (franked New York, 10 Jun 1969), addressed c/o Fulcrum Press, London.

(24). [28 Dec 1969]. Undated typed letter signed (2 sheets). With envelope (postmark New York, 28 Dec 1969), addressed to 4 Denmark Terrace, Brighton.

(25). [31 Dec 1969]. Undated typed note to Ashbery from Tom McNamara, having heard that Harwood is visiting ('tell him to knock on the door here'). The note is annotated with a brief autograph message from Ashbery to Harwood. With Art News envelope (franked New York, 31 Dec 1969), addressed to 4 Denmark Terrace, Brighton.

(26). 29 Apr [1971]. Typed letter signed (1 sheet, Art News letterhead). With Art News envelope (franked New York, 7 May 1971), addressed to Harwood c/o Better Books, London. 'Many thanks for the beautiful book [Harwood, The Sinking Colony] - Stuart [Montgomery] does do a terrific job but you do an even more terrific one.' Ashbery is coming to London 'for the ICA even though it means flying. They say there is a hypnotist here who can cure people of their flight phobia and I'm planning to go to him.'

(27). 6 Feb [1973]. Typed letter signed (1 sheet). With envelope (franked Provincetown, Mass., 6 Feb 1973), addressed to Harwood c/o [Judith] Walker, 115 Peterborough St., Boston, Mass. 'I am stuck here for the month of Feb. as "poet in residence" but am finding it rather a down so may depart ahead of schedule.'

(28). [9 Feb 1973]. Typed letter signed (1 sheet). With envelope (franked Provincetown, 9 Feb 1973), addressed to Harwood c/o Walker, 115 Peterborough St., Boston, Mass. 'Climbing Mt. Monadnock indeed - you Lake Poets are all alike. When you could have been sharing a hot-fudge sundae with me at Bailey's in Brattle Street'.

(29). [22 Feb 1973]. Typed letter signed incorporating a hand-drawn map of the Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown (1 sheet) and enclosing an unused colour postcard of Provincetown. With envelope (stamp cut out, franked Provincetown, 22 Feb 1973), addressed to Peterborough Street, Boston. 'I'm delighted that you can come'.

(30). 28 Nov 1975. Autograph letter (2 sheets). With envelope, addressed to 21 Chatsworth Road, Brighton.

(31). 14 Feb 1976. David Kermani to Harwood. Typed letter signed (1 sheet). With envelope, addressed to 21 Chatsworth Road, Brighton. Kermani refers to himself as 'play[ing] secretary/Jewish mama to John for a certain number of hours each month'.

(32). 6 Feb 1977. Autograph bespoke blue card ('Private Mailing Card'), with envelope addressed to 21 Chatsworth Road, Brighton. 'Could you rush me a poem or three for Partisan Review? I'm doing an all-Limey poetry section.' Envelope annotated by Harwood with a note of poems sent, date Partisan Review received, and date cheque received.

(33). 18 Sep 1979. Typed letter signed (1 sheet), with envelope addressed to 21 Chatsworth Road, Brighton.

(34). 14 Mar 2001. Typed letter signed (1 sheet), with envelope addressed to Flat 2, 57 Brunswick Place, Hove. 'I miss being in touch with you, but I sometimes think losing touch with one's friends is what old age is all about.'

(35). 29 Oct 2001. Typed letter signed (1 sheet), with envelope addressed to 57 Brunswick Place, Hove. 'Meanwhile, a few days ago I received the Angel Hair anthology, with your beautiful poems and memoir of our meeting, and also a beautiful photo of the two of us which I don't remember ever seeing. I can tell it was taken in that apartment in the rue Charles V - perhaps by Pierre?'

(36). 1 Apr 2003. Typed letter signed (1 sheet), with envelope addressed to 57 Brunswick Place, Hove. 'I'll be thrilled to see you when you're over here, and I look forward to meeting your son.'

(37). 4 Jun 2003. Typed letter signed (1 sheet), with envelope addressed to 57 Brunswick Place, Hove. 'I was very sorry to miss your visit to New York [...] obligations at Bard College'.

(38). 12 Jan 2007. Typed letter signed (1 sheet), with envelope addressed to 57 Brunswick Place, Hove. 'I'm sorry we weren't able to link up in New York, but it was wonderful having dinner together at the Corbetts' house' [William Corbett].

(39). 17 Apr 2012. Typed letter signed (1 sheet), with envelope addressed to 57 Brunswick Place, Hove. 'I love the poem on your card and also the one in London Review of Books, which seemed to announce a new you. Does that make sense?'