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1st Edition. Signed by Author. Richler, Mordecai. TLS, Size: 8.5" x 11" on beige stock. Montreal, n.d. [Autumn, 1952] to Daniel George, author & editor at Jonathan Cape. A poignant letter by the 21 year old Richler prior to the publication of his first book, The Acrobats, by Deutsch a couple of years later. "Mordecai Richler 61 Hallowell Ave Montreal, Que. Canada Dear Mr. George, Thank you very kindly for your report on my book, THE ACROBATS (15 Sept 1952). It is very encouraging for a young man to know that a critic of your standing takes an interest in his work. When the ms first came back from England parts of it made me blush! You are right - it is wordy sometimes inane, and often just plain xxxxx sloppy. I still believe in the book, though; and now I am working on its revision. It is a difficult job, perhaps more difficult than the initial writing. I have always before me your report, letters from Miss Weiner, plus my own notes, rules to be followed, etc. I hope it will be a better book when it is revised. Also, I hope Miss Weiner will send it to Cape for you to consider again. At present I am broke and looking for a job so at best the book will not be 'finished' for another three months. (God, it's not the revising that bothers me but the other books that are not being written! I've got at least three novels buzzing around in my head - chapters, dialogues, characters - and I'm mad to get them down on paper. Honestly, it keeps me up nights.) I regret that I missed you in England. I hope that I shall be able to meet you when I am next in England, perhaps next summer. While I was abroad I followed English criticism ( in The Times, The NS & N, The Tribune, The Observer, etc) of the modern novel with great interest. I found it always more constructive, more valid, than anything we've got in America. But why almost always the indulgent attitude towards The American Novelist?? as if we were a bunch of ill-behaved, raucous, yahoos caught trying to light up the old man's pipe in the parlour closet. Surely Mailer with all his bungling, and ditto Algren, are doing more sympathetic work than Sansome (and the others) rushing about me their handy brownies, taking their small but only accurate snarfings of suburbia??? Again, thanks very kindly for your criticism. I hope you will find THE ACROBATS much less inclined towards the trapeze if and when you read it again. Respectfully, Mordecai Richler" An outstanding example of a formative letter the likes of which are rarely offered.
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