Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library© 2002 By the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia. All rights reserved.
Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Processed by: Special Collections Department
There are no restrictions.
See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.
Correspondence of John Cook Wyllie, Ezra Pound and James J. Kilpatrick, Accession #1078, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.
Gift of John Cook Wyllie
Correspondence between John Cook Wyllie, Ezra Pound and James J. Kilpatrick.
Wyllie writes concerning Pound's article in the North American in which Pound suggests people should read Thomas Jefferson's prose to help them out of their economic difficulties. Wyllie comments that Pound is "selling literature short" and "also supposing that no one will have sense enough to see that Jefferson's prose can be of no possible use to him in his economic difficulties."
Pound replies that Wyllie is a "perfect and god damned fool" who should know that Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren "were a god damnd [sic] sight better economists than the bankers' pot boy Carter Glass and the buggering kikes who run that inflated gas bag and staller Frankie D. Roosevelt."
Pounds encloses a copy of John Cook Wyllie's 1937 Dec. 1 letter (q.v.) and states "it is difficult for me to see just what good it did Tom Jefferson to found a University and try to bring civilization to the wilderness."
Kilpatrick forwards Pound's letter of 1958 Nov. 12 and comments he is "vastly amused."
Wyllie forwards photostats of his correspondence to Dalton.
Kilpatrick thanks Pound for his two recent letters and comments on receiving from John Cook Wyllie a copy of Pound's [1937] Dec. 13 letter. Kilpatrick was unable to make Pound's post-election comments "into something that would be usable on the editorial page" because it was too difficult for the newspaper's readers. Kilpatrick states that the "people who read quarterly reviews and the more urbane monthlies may stick with a difficult piece of prose to the end, but my readers will go watch Gunsmoke on the television."
Wyllie's reply to Kilpatrick's letter to Pound of 1958 Nov.19: "Right as usual, said the Duchess: what a clear way you have of putting things."