Humphries
35-34 77 Street
Jackson Heights, N.Y.

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

February 23, 1944

Mr. Rolfe Humphries
35-34 77 Street
Jackson Heights, New York

Dear Rolfe:

I am very sorry I do not know of any sources of miracles and
marvels that I could refer you to. Possibly Mr. Arna Bon Temps
the librarian, Fisk University Library, Nashville 8, Tennessee,
might be able to help you. Or perhaps Mr. John W. Worth, who
specializes in the collection of folk material at the same
University, could be of aid.

Concerning Nicolas Guillen, I have known him for ten or twelve
years. He is a good friend of mine who I have seen on numerous
trips to Havana, and who was with me for five or six months in
Spain when we were both there as newspaper reporters during the
Civil War. Guillen, no doubt, has been influenced by my work.
Indeed, when I first met him some twelve or more years ago, he
was writing poetry in polite European style, such as his charm-
ing little poem TWO WEEKS which I translated in the early 1930's
for the Herald Tribune BOOKS. I introduced him to my own blues
and other folk poems and suggested that he write Cuban poetry
based on their sones which he shortly proceeded to do, and a
few months later he sent me in manuscript some of his poems
such as NEGRO BEBOM and others with Spanish folk song rhythms.

Guillen

I very much wish we could bring/to the United States for a tour
of the universities here. He does not speak English, but possibly
you, Hays, or I could accompany him on such a tour, translating
his talks and his poems. Anyhow it is an idea. I think he is
one of the most important poets in Latin America today. With
my best regards to Marjorie Fischer, and the hope that I shall
see you when I get back from my current ten-weeks lecture tour
which carries me through Texas to the Coast,

LH:mc