3

April 5, 1958

Dear Mrs. Nemiroff:

I can't recall whether I answered your
letter of February 8th requesting per-
mission to use the line: "a raisin in
the sun", as a title for your three-act
play.

I am happy to give my permission for its
use and send you all my good wishes for
its success.

Mrs. Lorraine Nemiroff
337 Bleecker Street
New York City 14

4

October 11, 1959

Dear Lorraine: I tried my best to get some information for you about that quote in NEGRO CARAVAN on the Irish play, but no luck. Wrote Sterling Brown, saw him in Washington, and again at Newport, and he said it concerned an old Irish play he had come across doing research at Harvard years ago. He thought he still had the play, and would see, but I guess he never found it. The other two editors, Lee and Davis, whom I asked about it, could be of no help, but said they'd try to prod sterling into finding it. I reckon not! Anyhow, your play book is out now, so too late.

Rosey Pool, just from London, says she saw RAISIN twice, the opening, and again recently, and that its cut by about 20 minutes, now plays very well, and the public is liking it. All of which I'm sure you know.

I'm hoping soon to catch Ossie. Rose has invited me to come whenever I can make it. Been BUSY with my Guild play, TAMBOURINES, which they think might go into production in the Spring. Usual rewrite and re-re-rewrites! But by now I'm used to the theatre (a bit).

Cordial regards,

May 10, 1960

Dear Lorraine:

Your inscribed copy of RAISIN IN THE SUN
(and a page or so of any draft of anything)
for Ghana have not as yet arrived, and the
date of Saturday, May 21, has now been set
for the presentation of the material to
the Ambassador from Ghana, so if you could
send it on, FINE! Or if more convenient
to have my secretary call for it, phone
At. 9-6559 after 3 P. M., and he'll come
down and pick it up. Me, I'm off on the
last lap of my lecture season---Michigan
State College, Wayne, etc., for a couple
of weeks---10 days rather until the 20th.

Cordial regards,

Sincerely,

August 22, 1964

Dear Lorraine;

As a part of its series of programs to be aired from London in the fall, the British Broadcasting Corporation wishes to set up for taping in New York a round-table discussion of an hour's duration between 3 Negro writers and myself as the moderator concerning the writer and the current racial situation in the U.S.A. and the world. I have been asked to ascertain if you would be willing to be one of the guest writers (for a fee, of course) and if you would be in New York to spend an hour at BBC after Labor Day, any afternoon between September 8th to 18th, as might be mutually agreeable to those participating. Perhaps, if you would be so kind, you might suggest three dates when you would be available—and I will try to match them with others and put the panel together.

This is the BBC series that will run for 13 weeks and includes three plays by Negro authors, two jazz sessions already taped by Nat Hentoff and some top groups, a poetry session already taped, a serious music session, etc., showing the positive aspects of Negro culture in America and various expressions of its contemporary talents. London hopes especially that you can participate.

With cordial regards,

Sincerely yours,

Langston Hughes

August 22, 1964

Dear Lorraine,

With cordial regards,

Sincerely yours,

Langston Hughes

Same note sent to Le Roi at home & Buffalo

August 22, 1964

Dear Lorraine;

With cordial regards,

Sincerely yours,

Lengston Hughes

August 22, 1964

Dear Lorraine,

With cordial regards,

Sincerely yours,

Langston Hughes

Sept. 1, 1964

Dear Lorraine:

Concerning the writer's round table
about which I recently wrote you, the BBC
has decided that if the discussion were
held the first week in November, right
after the elections, rather than now, it
might be more timely and stimulating.

Since I shall be in Europe for the
next eight weeks, the New York office of
BBC will get in touch with you later about
the dates and the possibility of your
participation on the round table in
November.

Mrs. Lorraine Nemiroff

337 Bleecker Street, New York 14, N. Y.

February 8, 1958

My dear Mr. Hughes,

I am the author of a three act dramatic play on
Negro family life. I have tentatively chosen as a title
for this work a line from one of your poems. The line
is: "a raisin in the sun".*

I should be extemely gratified and complimented
to receive your consent for the use of this line as
a title.

*from: Montage of a Dream Deferred; "Harlem"; p.71