July 18, 1961

Dear Bernard Nast:

Almost all winter I have been travelling away from New York---
to Africa last November when your letter came---then on long
lecture tours all across the U. S. A. two times to California
and back. So my correspondance has been greatly neglected.
Also, I do not read German, so I had to get someone to trans-
late your very kind letter for me. Nevertheless, I must appolo-
gize for being so long in answering you.

Your drawings I LOVED! And thank you very much indeed for
sending me some original sketches. These I value highly, and
have had them framed to hang on the walls of my studio.

I showed your drawings and the SIMPEL SPRICHE SICH AUS to the
publishers of my 3 SIMPLE books combined under the title:
THE BEST OF SIMPLE (Hill and Wang, October, 1961) and, as you
probably know, they are using some of your drawings in this
book. I have seen the proofs, and they look beautiful. I am
very happy that your work is appearing my American edition,
so that more people on this side of the Atlantic will have
the pleasure of seeing how sympathetically you have captured
the spirit of my SIMPLE. I am most grateful to you.

When THE BEST OF SIMPLE is published you will receive copies.
Do you read English well? If so, let me know, and I will send
you some other of my books, poems, etc., for yourself. And
do you have a record player to play LP (33 1/3) discs? If so,
I will send you a record or two of my songs.

It is very nice knowing you, and I wish you all success in
your work. I hope you will write me again.

August 17th 1964

Dear Mr. Nast,

I am happy to let you know that I
shall be in Berlin from September 21 to
28 as a guest of the Berliner Festwochen
during the Poetry Week whose accent this
year is on African and Afro-American cul-
tures. And, if you are in the city then,
certainly it would be a pleasure to see
you.

With best wishes and cordial regards,

LH:r