The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1954-05-22
THE NORTHWEST TIMES - Sc. 1894

Oh tAollG DllIdse0lo2A anu peculiar
CONSTRUCTIONS. He was getting SOME
where. I reflected then but
Where2
The years became a succession of
little advances ana receSsions for
me; springs and summers and vim
tiers that varied in chilliness and
the degree of warmth I eoaxed from
a succession Of hibachi and gradu
ally electric heaters and kerosene
stoves Itos letters were fewer and
more cryptic than ever. I detected
brooding quality as if ne had laid
life bare and wasn't rejoicing in hui
manity's craSsness
But, he was still the peripatetic
He became the Fabulous Ito to me
and The people I spoke to about
him We thought of him as the man
blessed with the ability to travel
With ease. the man who was garner
ing skins beyond our prosaie abili-
ties
He began to write. casually. of the
name writer's. Hemingway and Sar-
TIE ans eide and Dos Passos. They
were evidently influencing him and
I began To wait for his novels and
as I waited. still slowly plugging a
way IN Tokyo my irritation at each
lie Ter grew. l didn't know why eX-
aeIly Was It envy? Or revulsion?
I didn't know
Last year, 10 years after the Fa-
bilious Ito began his Wanderings
and disseeting Of the writing styles
OF practically every literate country
ON earth, 1 had finally become the
editor of my own small weekly
nice steady little sheet with a re-
gular list of readers and a good re-
putation
I knew that | was becoming the
person that Ito had despised 10
years before but l had done as we'll
as I could That year last year.
had received one letter from Ito. He
was nearing the end of his long
quest, he wrote He was coming
home to Tokyo and he was going to
use the material he had stored for
a succession of novels The time
had come he said He was going to
write steadily
I had no doubt but that he would
write beautiful, bizarre things that
would ring through the literary
world. He was almost ready for that
10 years ago.
am opening this letter now. l
have steeled myself against any en-
Wy or irritation 1t would be silly 9,
such old friends
"Old Friend" it reads in the rae
ing scrawl. II have changed my
mind. Ii has been building up in
me for long time, this change wi
thin me. | have come to the heart
of the matter and | can see clearly
that my return would be a lettering
thing would be chained to a
desk typewriter | would be the
subject 10 the crudities of publish
ers and their uncouth formulate con-
ceptiOns: neat novels all bound in
polite phrases catering 10 public
t,G 4 a
what the public wants. | have gone
"Oh no" the words leap out
at me and the shock spread through
me. | must read on:
81 have written two novels here
in Paris and have tested the reac-
ton 1t was as | thought ii would
be. Only two men understand what
| have written and they both are OF
my school They both are as poor,
as ragged as proud and as mental
ly remote as | know that |
could not find even two readers in
Japan
so, old friend, if you can use a
foreign correspondent for a paltry
sum, | shall be glad to report to you
from Paris. am not eating too
well and frankly l must have ano-
ther suit -
All the old, old irritations and
twinges and envy are dropping from
me All | feel now is a vast pity |
feel that I have witnessed a gradu-
al wastage Of something fine.
And l will send him money He
will be my correspondent in Paris.
me with my little paper with Pa
ris correspondent and 1 know
that I won't be able to print any
thing he sends. Ito's talent has
gone. It has been buried by the
sterile, fruitless years.
From Nippon Times