Add MS 88998/2/34

40 communications from Harry Guest.

• (1). Exeter, 7 January 2001. Autograph letter (1 sheet).
• (2). Exeter, 6 March [2001]. Autograph letter (1 sheet).
• (3). Exeter, 15 March [2001]. Autograph letter (1 sheet).
• (4). Exeter, 'April Fool's Day 2001'. Autograph letter (1 sheet), with promotional card ('Rupert Loydell's Stations of the Cross to be installed in St James' Church, Exeter from 31st March to 14th April 2001'). Guest's new novel 'reached page 462 last Monday'.
• (5). Exeter, 19 April 2001 (postmark). Autograph postcard (Hopper). 'I can't promise much plot in the new novel ... lengthwise Proust & Tolstoi must look to their laurels.'
• (6). Exeter, 20 June 2001. Autograph letter (1 sheet).
• (7). [Exeter], 4 July [2001]. Autograph letter (1 sheet). Includes comments on Harwood, 'Five pieces for five photos'. The University of Chicago want Guest's papers, and Anvil plans a Collected Poems for his 70th birthday (2002).
• (8). Exeter, 20 August [2001]. Autograph letter (1 sheet). 'I much look forward to our collaboration for The North'.
• (9). France, 8 October 2001 (postmark). Autograph postcard (Giverny).
• (10). New York, November 2001 (postmark). Autograph postcard.
• (11). Exeter, 25 January 2002. Typed letter (1 sheet). Has received an invitation to attend the Kantō Poetry Center, Yokohama, and to edit this year's Poetry Kantō (bi-lingual publication). Guest would like to include Harwood's poetry. Harwood's pencil annotation to the letter records the titles of four poems sent to Guest on 28 January.
• (12). Exeter, 17 February 2002. Autograph letter (1 sheet). Refers to their collaboration for The North. Notices that a painting by Klee (at the Hayward) is called 'L'Homme approximatif' - is Klee referencing Tzara?
• (13). [Exeter], February 2002 (date annotation by Harwood). Autograph letter (1 sheet). Refers to their collaborative text.
• (14). [Exeter], 26 February [2002]. Autograph letter (1 sheet), with information (2 sheets) regarding SOAS Japanese Noh Theatre and Lecture, London and Brighton. Guest has sent their collaboration to The North. About to go to Professor Tony Lopez's inaugural lecture (Plymouth).
• (15). [Exeter], 12 May [2002]. Autograph letter (1 sheet). Travelling to the Kantō Poetry Center at the end of July, returning mid-August.
• (16). Exeter, 9 June [2002]. Autograph letter (1 sheet). Proof-correcting his Collected Poems: 'an incredible journey down Souvenir Avenue'.
• (17). Japan, [August] 2002 (postmark). Autograph postcard.
• (18). Exeter, 8 September 2002. Typed letter (1 sheet). 'Back with some reluctance from Japan.' Guest's Collected Poems is to be launched on 30 October at the Art Workers' Guild, Bloomsbury.
• (19). Exeter, 26 September [2002]. Autograph letter (1 sheet). 'Yesterday at 24.34 p.m. I completed the first draft of the novel - 776 pp. Rejoice with me. Now comes the hard work.' The cover of Guest's Collected Poems is 'sumptuous' - Samuel Palmer, 'Cornfield by Moonlight'. 'Lovely, well-deserved coverage of your beautiful work in Oasis 106.' Tony Rudolf has heard from Mrs [F.T.] Prince that he doesn't want a 'fuss' for his 90th birthday.
• (20). Loiret, France, 20 October 2002 (postmark). Autograph postcard. 'Went to this château to-day where Talleyrand did his double dealings.'
• (21). Exeter, St Nicholas' Day [6 December 2002]. Autograph letter (1 sheet). Sorry Harwood was unable to make it to his book launch. 'Busy re-casting the novel. Of course it wasn't till I'd finished the first draft that I realised how it had to begin'.
• (22). Exeter, 12 January 2003. Autograph letter (1 sheet).
• (23). [Exeter], 18 January [2003]. Comments on the French translation of unspecified Harwood poem ('Salt Water', Collected Poems, pp. 480-1 - indicated by the phrase 'shafting down').
• (24). Exeter, 18 April [2003]. Typed letter (1 sheet) referring to the death of Richard Caddel. With typed poem 'A Warning to Chromatophiles' (1 sheet) referencing Alan Brownjohn and Douglas Dunn.
• (25). Exeter, 9 June 2003 (postmark). Autograph postcard (Nicolas de Staël).
• (26). Orkney, 30 June 2003 (postmark). Autograph postcard (Ring of Brodgar). 'We climbed (very steep) the highest point in Orkney and were dive-bombed by Great Skuas protecting their nests!' Refers to the death of Peter Redgrove: 'he had the first tape-recorder I'd seen and at Cambridge we'd read our poems into it.'
• (27). Exeter, 10 August 2003. Typed letter (2 sheets). Pleased to hear news of Harwood's forthcoming Collected Poems (Shearsman Books). 'Enclosed [not present] the very tender obituary of F.T. Prince, another swish of the Grim Reaper's scythe after Enright, Redgrove, Russell, Cookson.'
• (28). [St. Ives], 2 September 2003. Autograph postcard (Hepworth).
• (29). Exeter, 13 September 2003. Autograph postcard. Harwood visiting on 30 October. 'The bogs are pretty dry at the moment but I'm sure we can arrange the odd mire.'
• (30). [Exeter], 6 November [2003]. Autograph letter (1 sheet), with cutting (1 sheet) from Welsh magazine - 'should bring a nostalgic glow' (article by Chris Torrance, including reference to Harwood).
• (31). Exeter, 'April Fool's Day' [2004]. Autograph letter (1 sheet). On receipt of Harwood's Collected Poems.
• (32). Italy, 26 April 2004 (postmark). Autograph postcard (Ercolano).
• (33). Mexico, 2004 (postmark, month obscure). Autograph postcard (Cañón del Sumidero). 'I'm relishing Malcolm Lowry's last novel, prose as rich as a plum cake'.
• (34). [Exeter], 'Conversion of St. Paul, 2005' [25 January]. Typed letter (2 sheets). 'Poland sounds enviable' - Guest recounts his 24 hours in Warsaw in 1987. Refers to a previously 'lost' essay on translation, now available on the Agenda website. 'My novel was rejected pleasantly by Seren.'
• (35). Exeter, 24 February [2005]. Autograph letter (1 sheet). Comments on Harwood, 'Gifts Received'.
• (36). [Exeter, 23] September [2005]. Typed letter (2 sheets), with envelope. Has seen Harwood's Collected Poems in Waterstone's, together with J. H. Prynne's ('can you believe it'). Guest has been invited to Chicago in October ('they're acquiring my papers').
• (37). [Exeter], 2 October [2005]. Autograph letter (1 sheet), with artcard (Ray Malone).
• (38). Exeter, 20 November [2005]. Autograph letter (1 sheet). Comments on Harwood, 'Gifts Received'.
• (39). [Exeter, December 2005]. Christmas card, referring to Harwood's trip to New York.
• (40). [Exeter, December 2005]. Autograph postcard (Chicago), with New Year greetings.