REYNAL & HITCHCOCK, INC.

PUBLISHERS : 8 WEST FORTIETH STREET : NEW YORK 18, N. Y.

July 29th, 1946

Mr. Langston Hughes
634 St. Nicholas Avenue
New York 30, New York

Dear Mr. Hughes:-

Thank you very much for your letter to Monroe Engel, which
has been brought to my attention because Mr. Engel is at
present on his vacation.

I am very pleased to hear that you have been working on STREET
SCENE and hope everything has been going well, since it is some-
thing we all look forward to very much.

We have announced the Jacques Roumain book for January, 1947,
but since it takes us about four months from manuscript to
produce a book these days, that isn't really as far away as
it sounds. If it would be possible for you to let us have the
final manuscript on or before September 15th, it would help us
very much in keeping our schedules straight. If it turns out
to be October 1st, we will just have to do what we can with
the uncooperative printers.

HF:gd

Letters relating to the
completion of "Masters
Of The Dew"

September 26, 1946

Mr. Monroe Engel
Reynal & Hitchcock, Inc.
8 West 40th Street
New York 18, New York

Dear Mr. Engel:

I am happy to report to you that I have completed
my version of the translation of Jacques Roumain's
beautiful novel *Masters of the Dew*. It is now be-
ing typed and the manuscript will be ready for you,
as I promised, on October 1.

I have gone over the novel word for word with the
Haitian writer, René Piquion, who is now in New York
and with whom I read through the entire book, so
we certainly have an accurate translation. The very
few minor changes which I made in meaning were done
either for the sake of carrying over into English
the poetic rhythms of Roumain's prose, or for greater
clarity to American readers, and to eliminate entirely
the footnotes and shorten the necessary glossary
which I believe we will have to have for some
of the Haitian terms.

I have attempted to simplify the talk of the Haitian peasants, but to keep at the same time its archaic and folk-like quality---since, according to M. Piquion, their speech is a mixture of Old French and Creole.

Of course, after you read this manuscript, I would
appreciate from you any comments or suggestions for
improving its English version, in case you have any.
And I hope that I shall have the pleasure of seeing
and talking with you again. Perhaps I may be able
to bring the book to you in person.

Sincerely yours,

LH:HHS

September 26, 1946

Dear Mr. Engel:

I have gone over the novel word for word with the
Haitian writer, René Piquion, who is now in New York
and with whom I read through the entire book, so
we certainly have an accurate translation. The very
few minor changes which I made in meaning were done
either for the sake of carrying over into English
the poetic rhythms of Roumain's prose, or for great-
er clarity to American readers, and to eliminate en-
tirely the footnotes and shorten the necessary glos-
sary which I believe we will have to have for some
of the Haitian terms.

I have attempted to simplify the talk of the Hai-
tian peasants, but to keep at the same time its ar-
chaic and folk-like quality--since, according to
M. Piquion, their speech is a mixture of Old French
and Creole.

Sincerely yours,

LH:HHS

REYNAL & HITCHCOCK, INC.

PUBLISHERS • 8 WEST FORTIETH STREET • NEW YORK 18, N. Y.

October 7, 1946

Dear Mr. Hughes:

In line with our conversation last week, I
think that the translation merits some rewriting in all
parts, but for the most part the rewriting that is
required can be accomplished, I feel, fairly speedily.

I think first that the historical present,
except in the few cases that seem effective, must be
changed. This may at times require complete reworking
of a sentence or even a paragraph, but it is a fairly
straightforward task.

Second. Some of the intrusions of the author --
the "I's" and "we's" we talked about -- should be either
changed or, in many cases, cut completely.

Third. The stylized use of "would" is at times
unsuccessful and I think you might watch this rather closely
in your reworking.

Fourth. There is a tendency, which I feel must
be avoided, for the idioms to become slang in translation.
This too I think you can correct fairly readily.

Fifth. The first and second chapters require
careful styling, and perhaps some judicious cutting.

I am sure that with a modicum of rewriting this
will be a book with which we shall all be extremely pleased.

As regards the introduction, I agree with you that
it is much too long and tries to do too much. The book itself
requires no introduction. The important thing is that the
reader be told something more about Jacques Roumain who was
a very great man too little known in this country.

Please let me know how you get along with the
revisions.

-C O P Y-

REYNAL & HITCHCOCK, INC.

Publishers - 8 West 40th Street - New York 18, N.Y.

October 7, 1946.

Dear Mr. Hughes:

In line with your conversation last week, I think
that the translation merits some rewriting in all parts, but for
the most part the rewriting that is required can be accomplished,
I feel, fairly speedily.

I think first that the historical present, except in
the few cases that seem effective, must be changed. This may
at times require complete reworking of a sentence or even a para-
graph, but it is a fairly straightforward task.

Second. Some of the intrusions of the author---the
"I's" and "we's" we talked about---should be either changed or,
in many cases, cut completely.

Third. The stylized use of "would" is at times un-
successful and I think you might watch this rather closely in
your reworking.

Fourth. There is a tendency, which I feel must be
avoided, for the idioms to become slang in translation. This
too, I think you can correct fairly readily.

Fifth. The first and second chapters require careful
styling, and perhaps some jidicious cutting.

I am sure that with a modicum of rewriting this will
be a book with which we shall be extremely pleased.

Please let me know how you get along with the re-
visions.

MONROE ENGEL

-C O P Y-

REYNAL & HITCHCOCK, INC.

October 7, 1946.

Dear Mr. Hughes:

As regards the introduction, I agree with you that it
is much too long and tries to do too much. The book itself re-
quires no introduction. The important thing is that the reader
be told something more about Jacques Roumain who was a very great
man too little known in this country.

MONROE ENGEL