BERLINER FESTWOCHEN

RENCONTRE INTERNATIONALE DE POÈTES

BERLIN, 22-27 SEPTEMBRE 1964

COMITÉ DE PATRONAGE :

Société Africaine de Culture
Akzente
Der Monat
Congrès pour la Liberté de la Culture

Paris, 28 July, 1964

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, New York

Dear Sir,

Further to our exchange of correspondence concerning your participation in the International Meeting of Poets which is to take place within the framework of the Berlin Festival, from 23 to 27 September, we would now like to give you the details pertaining to the travel and hotel arrangements for the conference.

**TRAVEL** : You are shortly going to be contacted by our travel representative who will be authorized to issue to you a round-trip air ticket, tourist class, from your nearest airport to Berlin. He will be glad to take into account your special demands regarding the route you wish to take. However, should you choose a route other than the direct one, or if you wish to travel 1st class, all extra costs involved in such a diversion will be at your own expense. If you do not come alone, you will of course be responsible for the travel and living expenses of the person accompanying you.

Participants who prefer to travel by train will receive a 1st class round-trip ticket, with sleeper (double); any change of routing other than the direct one entailing extra cost, will of course be borne by you.

The travel expenses of those participants residing in the Berlin area who wish to travel by train, will be reimbursed on arrival.

When you have made your final travel arrangements, we would appreciate hearing from you as to the date of your arrival (Flight number, time of arrival, airport, etc...).

I would like to confirm that your hotel accommodation, breakfast, luncheon - the latter to be taken in common with all the participants at the Kongresshalle - will be at the charge of the organizers of the meeting and that you will only be responsible for payment of extras, (such as drinks, private telephone calls, laundry, etc...).

000/1

104, Bd Haussmann, Paris 8, Tél. 387-37-59

Câbles : Culturcongrès-Paris

August 15, 1964

Dear Miss Dubuis:

I have contacted AIRFRANCE and arranged to leave New York on Sunday, September 20 for Paris, leaving Paris on Monday to arrive in Berlin on Flight 746 at 2:40 P.M. on the afternoon of September 21.

I would very much appreciate your arranging for a single room for me from September 21 through September 30, the extra days to be at my own expense.

I am to fly to Hamburg to receive from the Freie Akademie der Kunst the award of a plaque at the University on October 1.

Two books about me and including translations of my poems have just appeared in Europe. I suggest you ask the publishers to send you copies for display at the Berlin Festival: LANGSTON HUGHES
par Francois Dodat
Poetes d'Aujourd'hui
Pierre Seghers, Paris.

LANGSTON HUGHES ou L'Étoile NOIRE
par Raymond Quinot
Editions du C. E. L. F.
Bruxelles 5, Belgium.
Perhaps Seghers might send other books of mine, too, which he has published.

With cordial regards,

August 18, 1964

Dear Miss Dubuis:

Listed above are various translations of my works published in Europe which would make interesting additions to the Bio-bibliographical exhibition of my books at the Berliner Festwochen, so I suggest that you request the publishers to send you exhibition copies for display in Berlin.

I am sending two small boxes of books addressed to me at the Festival headquarters in Berlin c/o yourself. Kindly hold them for me, pending arrival on the 21 septembre.

Did the various packets of books and exhibition material I posted you in Paris arrive safely as yet? Please let me know. And do you have a list of the American and African poets expected at the Festival? If so, please send it to me, so I will know who my colleagues will be there.

Sincerely yours,

BERLINER FESTWOCHEN

BERLIN, 22-27 SEPTEMBRE 1964

Paris, September 4, 1964

COMITÉ DE PATRONAGE :

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, N.Y.

Dear Mr. Hughes,

* Enclosed you will find a list of participants as well as the programme of the International Meeting of Poets.

Except for the first day, when there will be two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, the sessions will be held in the morning only, thus giving the participants as much free time as possible for individual exchanges. However important the topics discussed during the sessions may be, the individual contacts and friendships emerging from these discussions will often be still more valuable.

You will receive a considerable number of papers. Most of them are short, and we would appreciate it if you would read them before they are presented at the meeting. The authors of the reports are respectfully requested, when presenting their papers, not to read them, but simply to comment on them briefly. This should serve to pave the way for examination of aspects which the reports themselves only touched upon briefly. A short commentary of about ten minutes for the reports presented Wednesday morning, and from fifteen to twenty minutes for subsequent reports will constitute an excellent point of departure for a fruitful discussion.

We look forward with great pleasure to meeting you in Berlin.

* under separate cover

LANGSTON HUGHES

20 EAST 127TH STREET
NEW YORK 35, N. Y.

September 15, 1964

Dear Miss Dubuis:

I have my ticket in hand and shall be
leaving New York Sunday evening, Sept.
20th, to arrive in Berlin on flight
746 from Paris at 11:45 a.m. reaching
Berlin at 2:45 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21st.

I understand that a room has been
reserved for me at Parkhotel Zellermayer.
If there are any packages or mail for me
at the Festival office, please be so
kind as to have them sent over to the
hotel.

With cordial regards to you,

BERLINER STADTKONTOR
- BANK VON GROSS-BERLIN -
Hauptfiliale

Herrn
Langston Hughes

20 C./27 th Street
New York 35, USA

FERNRUF: 20 05 01 /463

BANK-KENN-NR. 600 000

POSTSCHECKKTO. BERLIN 8

DRAHTWORT: STADTKONTOR

FERNSCHREIBER: 011 474/475

POSTANSCHRIFT: BERLIN N 4

POSTSCHLIESSFACH NR. 90

BERLIN W 8
Behrenstr. 35-39

Ihr Zeichen

Ihr Schreiben vom

Unsere Zeichen
La/Kö

Tag
12.6.1962

Innerdtsch. Zahlungsverkehr

Betr.: Konto Nr. 20/132 708 A/25

Die uns zugesandte Unterschriftenkarte geben wir anliegend zurück mit der Bitte, die Richtigkeit Ihrer Unterschrift öffentlich beglaubigen zu lassen. Dem Wiedereingang des Vordruckes sehen wir entgegen.

Hochachtungsvoll
BERLINER STADTKONTOR
- Bank von Groß-Berlin -
Innerdeutscher Zahlungsverkehr

1 Anlage

please have the enclosed card notarized and
returned to us

130 Bm 1186/62 5

November 25, 1961

Herr Anneliese Terf,
Kleiststrasse 6,
Leipzig N. 22, D.D.R.,
Germany,

Dear Mr. Terf-Ketz:

I am delighted you have set some of my poems to music, and you have hereby my permission to have them performed. If they are published, arrangements should be made with my representative:

Mrs. Ruth Liepman,
Hallerstrasse 5d,
Hamburg 13, Germany

who handles all my books in Germany. I am enclosing the three poems you request. And thank you deeply for your interest in my work.

With cordial regards,

Langston Hughes

ANNELIESE TERF

LEIPZIG N 22

Kleiststraße 6

Avril 1, 1962

Dear Mr. Hughes:

I thank you very much for your poems and your letter.

Excuse me please my retards thanks. I was much busy and occupied.

I write this letter without assistant and I make certainly
many mistakes. Excuse please.

Your news poems are very good. I will compose in music:

O GOD OF DUST......

Have you informations of Hamburg? I have seen horribles picturies
of this town.

P.s. I am not a "Mister", I am a woman, married and have a son of
14 years. My spouse is in the "Gewandhaus-orchetre". We do know
Mr. George B y r d. He is a con ductor very good and have con-
ductet the "Gewandhaus-Orchestre".

I do know the singer E l l a L e e. I will deduct each your po-
ems and then send to Missis Ella Lee to sing its.

With cordial regards

Anneliese Terf
Leipzig N 22
Kleiststr. 6

Leipzig, 17 march 64

My dear M. Hughes!

With agitation I have haert of the disaster
who had overtake M. Kenneth Spencer.
Certainly his spouse was also in the aircraft
who is cast down.

I have do know M.Spencer and his husband.

M.Spencer had with himself tow songs of me
with the texts of our, dear M.Hughes.

I had written these songs for the vote of
M.Spencer, thus more deep.

M.Spencer has sing very good and he had an groot
succes in the D D R (East - Germany).

(The songs were: "Prayer" and "Borderline")

We have the fortune to possess our book
"Trouble with the angels" (and another stories)
I do not know the english title.

I have read this book with very graet tention.

Unfortunately, we can buy only rare books of
you, here in the East-Germany.--

With cordial regards,
Sincerely yours,

Excuse me, please, the mistakes, while I have made.

July 9, 1964

Miss Anneliese Betz-Terf
Kleistrasse 6
Leipzig, N. 22
Germany

Dear Miss Betz-Terf:

Mr. Hughes sent you some time ago a copy
of his autobiography I WANDER AS I WANDER which
was returned to him from the Post Office in
Germany marked: "ZURUECK! Sendung wird wegen
Nichteinbarung der Geschenkverorderung vom
5.8. 1954 zurueckgewiesen."

Today, I have posted the book again via
boatmail and hope that this time you will
receive it.

RA:1

I go down to my river
and cry:
Iron curtains:
Black and blue---
Why aren't you one country
in my heart?

and this:

I like black
because it's european---
rough humbling nights:
Without cotton track.
Fights
in this gambling century...
I like black.
It's my poor river
in thee.

Black or white that really doesn't matter in mine eyes. I'm white-- and black too, not black skinned but perhaps just black sealed inspired when your soul is bright and sunny and clear and "white".

Dear Mr. Hughes, if I might ask you a question and you would give me a stort reply, I would be very glad. My lecturer, teaching at a teachers college here, is very interested in that paper I have to write, and I think it might be very useful to start or to end this paper by a poem of yours. I think of a poem that perhaps has recently been published in your country but is still unknown here in Germany. After World War II there have been published several volumes, but in most of them there is no date, when written. -

In the epilog of the volume "My dark hands" (Meine dunklen Hände, german title) published in the Nymphenburger Verlagsbuchhandlung 1953 there's said: "The strongest poetic talents of this epoch (the Renascence period) is Langston Hughes." I'm therefore very glad of having got the opportunity of writing this paper about your and your colored friends poetry--and still more I would enjoy receiving a news from you.

P.S. Would you please excuse my typically writing English-German, a bit unpolished and rough in its expressions

DEUTSCHE DEMOKRATISCHE REPUBLIK

DEUTSCHE AKADEMIE DER KUNSTE ZU BERLIN

Sektionen: Bildende Kunst · Darstellende Kunst · Dichtkunst und Sprachpflege · Musik

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, N. Y.

Absendende Sektion/Abteilung:

Paul Robeson Archives

Ihre Zeichen

Ihre Nachricht vom

Unsere Nachricht vom

Unsere Zeichen

104 Berlin · Robert-Koch-Platz 7

April 12th, 1967

Dear Mr. Hughes,

You may be interested to hear that some fascinating and valuable material relating to the career thus far of Paul Robeson has been gathering in our Paul Robeson Archives: old films, programs, photos and reviews of the earliest plays, important letters, and most important reminiscences on interesting episodes and important occasions by old friends and admirers.

While we are always grateful for contribution and loans, we hope to get as much as possible in time for our planned book and record honoring Paul Robeson's 70th birthday. The deadline is very close - April 30th; it will be very difficult to make changes after that date.

May we ask you to look through old files or photos again, or to jot down a few reminiscences. I am sure they would make our book or record completer.

Thank you for everything you can loan or contribute.

Telefon: 42 53 11 · Postscheckkonto: Berlin 300 69 · Bankverbindung: DN Berlin, Nr. 11 03 6700, Kenn-Nr. 100 000

LGB Afg. 504/120/67 2

DSV

DEUTSCHER SCHRIFTSTELLERVERBAND

Herrn
Langston Hughes

20 East 127 Street
New York 35, N.Y.
U S A

Berlin W 8, Friedrichstraße 169

Telefon: 2207 3116

Bankkonto: BSK Berlin Nr. 1/8034

Postscheckkonto: Berlin Nr. 5382

Telegramadresse: Deschriva Berlin

Berlin, 15. November 1962

Unser Zeichen
(bei Schriftwechsel bitte anzugeben)

Werter Herr Langston Hughes !

Leider war es Ihnen im Sommer dieses Jahres nicht möglich, während
Ihrer Reise durch einige Länder Afrikas und Europas auch die
Deutsche Demokratische Republik zu besuchen,

Wir würden uns freuen, wenn wir Sie im Laufe des nächsten Jahres
bei uns begrüßen könnten und laden Sie hiermit herzlich zu einem
zehntägigen Aufenthalt nach Berlin ein.
Lassen Sie uns bitte recht bald wissen, ob wir Sie erwarten können,

Mit besten Wünschen für Ihre literarische Arbeit und freundlichen
Grüßen verb leiben wir

(Otto Braun)
1. Sekretär

204 · Ag 706/60 - 15 - 01611

February 6, 1963

Dear Herr Braun,

Thank you very much for your kind
letter inviting me to be the guest of
the Deutscher Schriftstellerverband
in Berlin during the coming months.

At the moment, I have no plans to be in
Europe soon, but if I do cross the
Atlantic and find that it is possible
to accept your invitation, I shall do
so with pleasure. Now I have so much
urgent work to do here at home, I can-
not soon travel. But I am most grate-
ful to you and the other writers for
inviting me. With thanks,

February 11th 1967

Frau Erika Engen
Konradstrasse 12
Muenchen 13
Germany

Dear Frau Engen:

Thank you for your very lovely letter. I am very happy that you would like to translate some of my works into German. Some of my poems and prose have already been published in German editions.

These include:

SIMPEL SPRICHT SICH AUS

(Aufbau-Verlag Berlin 1964)

SIMPLE NIMMT NE FRAU

(Aufbau-Verlag Berlin 1965)

LACHEN UM NICHT ZU WEINEN

(Insel-Buecherei 1958)

SCHEREREI MIT DEN ENGELN

(Reclam 1963)

MEINE DUNKLEN HAENDE

(Nymphenburger Verlag 1953)

If you should like to try some of my other works, I would be most delighted. But, of course, if you wish to have these published, you must get permission from my agent:

Dr. Ruth Liepman

Niederdorfstrasse 43

Zurich, Switzerland

Sincerely yours,

Langston Hughes

July 14, 1964

Sekretariat,
Freie Akademie der Kunste,
Heilwigstrasse 39 II,
Hamburg 20, Germany.

Gentlemen:

I am honored indeed to accept the plaque which your letter of June 6 informs me I have been awarded by the Free Academy of Arts in Hamburg, together with Max Brod. I am delighted, too, to know that I have been nominated an honorary member of the academy.

In September I expect to be in Berlin to attend the Berliner Festwochen from September 23 to 27. Shortly after that, I would be happy to come to Hamburg to accept my plaque in person, so kindly hold it for me until that time. Under separate cover I am sending you today some photographs, in case you need them, and enclosed in this letter is biographical material and listings of my works.

I have also sent the same to Rolf Italiaander, at his request, as well as numerous programs, flyers, and other material related to my creative work. And in a few days I shall him requested poems and stories for the Iadatic in the Year Book.

I regret that I cannot decipher the signatures at the bottom of your letter, so I am addressing this note to the Sekretariat in general. But I hope I shall meet all of your officers when I come to Hamburg. And I would appreciate it, in your reply, you would type the names of the President, Vice-president, and Secretary, since German script writing style is a bit hard for me to read.

Again with my thanks to the Akademie, I am

Edith Froböse
Bielefeld
Sparrenstr. 3
West Germany

MANHATTANVILLE
STATION

RADIO CITY
STATION

Edith Froböse

Bielefeld, den 25. of June, 1962

Sparrenstr. 3
West-Germany

Dear Mr. Langston Hughes,

there are so few words to explain you how happy I have been when I received your books! Many, many thanks for your kindness! I should like to answer your gift with an equal though unconsiderable one. I am the author of books for children between 12 - 15 years in age. I suppose you can't read them but may be you know somebody who is able to do it and you can give to him a little joy.

Oh Langston Hughes: thanks again! I began first in reading 'Simple stakes a Claim'. It is so wonderful. Sometimes I laugh but most of the tales I am laughing with tears in my heart. Just in the very moment I am occupied with 'Jim Crow's Funeral' It is one of those novels which find my especial applause. But there are more, like Big round World, Duty is not Snooty, or Face and Race, Two sides not enough, With all deliberate Speed, or Puerto Ricans, Color on the Brain and always I must repeat that the white American view is so unintelligible narrow and stupid. European people can't understand it. To see or hear or read your artists is such a high Emolument (this word says my dictionary - is it correct?) for all people white or black - oh I think the more for white because it gives new views and suggestions. We have to be thankful. And so I do.

With my best greetings and thanks

yours

Edith Froböse

December 30, 1953

Prof. Dr. P. Gehring
George Washington Memorial Library
Charlottenplatz 17
Stuttgart, Germany

Dear Dr. Gehring:

Thank you very much for your kind letter, and the news that you gave me about the circulation of my books in the George Washington Memorial Library.

I have ordered sent to you directly from the publishers two copies of my latest book, SIMPLY TAKES A WIFE. I hope that your readers will find pleasure in it.

All my good wishes to you for a very happy New Year.

lh-hs

Karl Geyer

Jülich, den 7.2.62

Römerstr. 4
Germany

Herrn
James Langston Hughes
Schriftsteller
ü. Alfred Knopf
501 Madison Av.,

NEW YORK

Hochverehrter, lieber Herr Dokter Hughes'

Als leidenschaftlicher Leser und Literaturfreund
erlaube ich mir, Ihnen eine Bitte vorzutragen.

Wie Sie aus der beigefügten Bescheinigung er-
sehen, bin ich damit beschäftigt, eine Sammlung von Manuskripten und
und Handschriften zusammenzustellen, der alle bedeutenden Dichter
und Schriftsteller angehören sollen. Namhafte Persönlichkeiten wie:
Mann, Hauptmann, Hesse, Hamsun, Eliot, Maugham, Cocteau, Hausmann,
Schaper, Faulkner, Buck, Dos Passos, Sinclair, Maurios, Mauriac,
Silone und sehr viele andere haben bereits mit abgelegten Manuskrip-
ten und Bildautogrammen einen Beitrag für meine Sammlung gegeben. Es
liegt mir daran zu versichern, daß meine Sammlung nur rein histori-
sche Interessen verfolgt.

Heute darf ich Ihnen die herzliche Bitte vor-
tragen, ein abgelegtes Manuskript oder einige Skizzenblätter und
nach Möglichkeit ein Bildautogramm oder etwas Handschriftliches für
meine Sammlung genehmigen zu wollen.

In der Hoffnung, daß Sie mir diesen "unsch
erfüllen, übermittle ich Ihnen die Versicherung meines Dankes und
aufrichtige "ertschätzung.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Ihr sehr ergebener

Anlage: 1 amtliche Bescheinigung

Dear mr. Hughes

At first I beg you apology my writing,
then I beg you apology my bad English. But bad English
or not I have to write to you and tell you how mush
I love your poetries (and still, love is such a little
word for my feelings) I have write to you a tusen times
now, I guess, but I have never dare to send the letters
off. Now my English has improve so mush as I can - after
some trobles from the reader - make myself understand.
And you will not mind my writing, will you? May be bare-
faced, may be arrogant, but I have to.

I have only read one whole book by
you, yet (but it will not be the last) "The weary blues"
and the day I get it I was lost for the sourrounding
world. I will not try to give an expression of what I
felt when reading, because I cannot, not even on my own
langauge. I only want to say this: I never been so
struck by anything else.

SENT---October 22, 1960:

THE DREAM KEEPER
SORROW FOR A MIDGET

SIMPLY HEAVENLY
Carava photo

"CAUSE"

Deutsch-Amerikanischer Verein e.V.
German-American Society

Postscheck-Kto. München Nr. 164 696

American Express Kto. Nr. 51 40

München 8

Zweibrückenstr. 24

Tel. 22 75 71

16.6.60.

These children need your love too —
all of them

CONTRIBUTORS:

Eleanor Roosevelt

Rudolf Münemann

Raymond Brown

John K. Cross

L. R. McNally

Mayera Hutlabrik

Mayera Milz & Cie.

J. A. Seidl

Fa. Zechbauer

Piannwerk

Doris Sedlmaier

Pearl Baxter

Moe N. Gross

Tom Parker

Achim Zimmermann

Bill Ramsey

Louis Armstrong

Gerhard Metzner

Norma Larsen

Opel-Gesellschaft

Heinz Vetter

Barbara J. Slayton

Frau Richarz

Hella Hassel

Karl Bayer

Haus des Kindes

Beck am Rathauseck

Willy Bogner

Helmut Horten KG

Hans Glas KG

Deckel-Compur-Werk

Dr. v. Mangoldt-Reiboldt

Fa. Kustermann

Grete Blinne

Herbert Wiebe

Anna Nüsl

Ella Fitzgerald

Gertrud Kraus

R. Wertsch

Lore Herrmann

Karl Natter

Paul G. Melfert

C. Habersack

Annemarie Voigt

Erna Fisch

C. L. Hein

Dr. E. Moser

Frau Schmidt-Salzmann

Maria Beer

Emmy Schneider

Uwe Behrens

Georg Beyer

Horrigan Foundation, Inc.

Charles Merrill

James M. Cronin

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, New York
U. S. A.

Dear Mr. Langston Hughes,

For sometime now I have wanted to correspond with you
and in now doing so, I find myself very pleased and
happy indeed.

My main point is writing is to express my sincere appreciations for your having permitted, Mrs. Hesse-O'donnell, to dedicate your most recent translated book of poems, in my behalf, or in my honor, which ever puts it more correct!

Like many thousands of others, I suppose, I go my way
through life, very often uncertain and doubtful about
today and tomorrow. You have all the tendencies of a
peaceful man and you're God fearing; so, one day you are
sure you have found your place among men, and, your
CAUSE to serve. So it is with me and I shall serve it for
so long as strength is provided me.

I am indeed proud that Mrs. Hesse thought of me in this
respect and again I say, thank you, for concurring, I shall
only hope to prove my self worthy of the distinction!

Is it strange, or is it a fact! To me you are like a house-
hold word, and I've known of, and heard of you for many
many years. I am no old man, and today, either am I a
kid, still, you couldn't be but in your late forties or
early fifties --- yet I've known of you for a thousand
years. (smile) I'm just at (40)!

About the above titled organization, perhaps you have
heard something of us! We are endeavoring to reach a
point where we can, in a fatherly manner, assist every
GI-fathered child through life in a respect favorable
to his, or her, future life!

p.s.
What has been my hobby for twelve years....?
Writing poetry!!!!!!!!!!

God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son

Dear Langston,

Well excited as I am I send a couple along for
your viewing, and --- critic!

I always wanted to title my poems, "A MAN'S THINKING
IN POEMS"!

Also notice the "FOREWARD" (I think that's what
you call the introduction isn't it! And that's
typical me, getting many of the fine details of
a project finished, without, knowing how to go
about getting the really major details finished,
such as --- correcting and publishing. (smile)

This is two-parts of a three-part theatrical-brochure that I am preparing to send out to producers, directors and authors all over the world, hoping that it will at last, and at least, make me a "marked-man" when --- in my near I might get a call for "work"!

My agent will get the credit but
I have done all the work and spent
the money. The heavier brochure I
shall send to you later, it has
pictures out of 24 productions,
biography in Ger. English!

INSTITUT FÜR NEOAFRIKANISTISCHE FORSCHUNGEN

JANHEINZ JAHN · OFFENBACH AM MAIN · HOSPITALSTRASSE 8 · TELEFON 84246

Mr. Langston Hughes,
20 East 127th. St.
New York 35, N.Y.
USA

Offenbach/Main, September 7th. 1959

Dear Sir,

As you have granted us your kind help for several
times already, I dare turn to you with another request.

Herrn Jahn's book "Muntu" is being translated into
several languages, which makes it necessary for us to give
the quotations in their original form, in order to avoid
retranslations (English-German-English...)

Now Herr Jahn quoted a passage out of the German
translation of your autobiography "The Big Sea", the original
of which we did not obtain yet, unfortunately. Would you
therefore be so kind as to let us have the original text
(with indication of the page, editor, place and year of
edition) of the following quotation I am trying to give
you in a verbal translation from the German text?

"The breakdown of the banks rolled all, black and white,
down the mountain and into the trade unions"

Looking forward to your kind answer and hoping
my request will not cause you too much trouble, I am

P. S. Herr Jahn quoted, from a manuscript,
part of the poem: "To midnight Nan at Leopold
(Plent and wiffle) Shamalon fal
Wouldn't no food fellow I be your pal...
Wouldl you mind telling us, which page
in "The Dream Keeper" it is pricked on?
Thank you!"

October 13, 1959

Miss Rose Schubert
Institut fur Neoafrikanistische Forschungen
Hospitalstrasse 8
Offenbach Am Main, GERMANY

Dear Miss Schubert:

The correct translation for the passage from, "The Big Sea",
should read as follows...."before the *crash of 1929, the
crash that sent Negroes, white folks, and all rolling down
the hill towards the* Works Progress Administration."

* crash referred to the stock market crash of 1929; Works Progress Administration has nothing to do with trade unions but was a government work program organized to absorb some of the millions of unemployed, an aftermath of the stock market crash.

It appears on page 223 of THE BIG SEA in a chapter entitled,
WHEN THE NEGRO WAS IN VOGUE, published by Alfred A. Knopf, New
York, 1940.

TO MIDNIGHT NAN AT LEROY'S, appears on page 30, THE WEARY BLUES,
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1947.

I was out of the country when your letter arrived, hence the
delay in answering. Trust that this information has not delayed
your schedule.

INSTITUT FÜR NEOAFRIKANISTISCHE FORSCHUNGEN
JANHEINZ JAHN-OFFENBACH AM MAIN · HOSPITALSTRASSE 8 · TELEFON 84246

Mr. Langston Hughes,
20 East 227th Street,
New York 35, NY

Offenbach/Main, Oct. 19th. 1959

Dear Sir,

A few days ago I received your kind reply to my last letter. Thanks ever so much for taking the trouble and answering in detail all the questions!

It seems to me that I shall never be able to do without your help. This time we tried in vain to find out which of Jacques Roumain's collections of verses the following poem is from: ""C'est le long chemin de Guinée, la mort nous y conduit..."

Finally Herr Jahn remembered that he received the copy of this poem from you. Do you still remember which book you took it from, and could you please tell us the title, and the number of the page?

Looking forward to your kind reply, Isam

20 East 127th Street,
New York 35, N. Y.,
October 25, 1959

Miss Rose Schubert,
Offenbach am Main,
Hospitalstrasse 8.

Dear Miss Schubert:

In answer to your letter of October 19, I am sorry I cannot tell you from what book---if it ever appeared in a book---the poem of Jacques Roumain is. I myself translated it from a typescript of it which he himself gave me, and which I still have with his signature. But in looking through my Roumain file and his books that I possess, I find no listing of the original publication of this poem. It's title is GUINÉE in French as well as in my translation. Perhaps Madame Jacques Roumain, Port-au-Prince, Haiti (if you would care to write her) would be able to give you further information.

With cordial regards,

Herrn
Langston Hughes
c/o Alfred A. Knopf
501 Madison Avenue
New York City / NY

Junge Akademie
Studio für Junge und Außenseiter in der Kunst
Verbindung von Kunstfreunden
mit Kunstschaffenden: eine Aktion. E. V.
8 München 15, Maistraße 8
Telefon 53 44 45, Anruf zwischen 17.00 und 19.00 Uhr

München, den 2.Dez. 1964

Sehr verehrter Herr Hughes,

höflich erlauben wir uns, Sie zu einer Lesung aus Ihren Werken im Zusammenhang mit "Literarischen Wochen" in München einzuladen.

Die Lesungen sind in der Zeit von 11. - 25. Juni angesetzt.

Die Lesungen sollen der Förderung junger Autoren eines internationalen Forums dienen.

Gerne kommen wir Ihnen in Ihren Wünschen entgegen und bitten Sie, diesbezügliche Angaben zu machen.

Mit vorzüglicher Hochachtung
grüßt

Ihr sehr ergebener

gez. W.P. Schnetz

Postscheckkonto München 145 60
Volksbank München
Konto-Nr. 26 021 (Fil. Lindwurmstraße 5a)

9. Dezember 1964

Herrn W. P. Schnetz
Junge Akademie
8 Muenchen 15
Maistrasse 8
Deutschland

Sehr verehrter Herr Schnetz,

Ich habe Ihren Brief von 2. Dez. 1964 erhalten, und ich danke Ihnen vielmals fuer die Einladung um meine Gedichte waehrend "Literarischen Wochen" in Muenchen vorzulesen.

Momentan weiss ich noch nicht obwohl ich in der Zeit von 11. bis 25. Juni 1965 in Europa sein werde. Falls ich da bin, werde ich gerne Ihren Wuensch erfuehllen.

Ihr,

Langston Hughes

LH:r

I received your letter of Dec. 2 and thank you very much for the invitation to read my poetry during "Literary Week" in Munich. At the moment, I don't know if I shall be in Europe during the dates 11th to 25th of June 1965. In case that I am, I would like to accept your invitation.

Mr.
Langston Hughes
20 East 127 th street
New York 35, NY

Dear Mr. Hughes,

we were very glad to receive your letter from the 9 th of december.
And we thank you for your consent with our invitation on principle.
Certainly we do hope that some business might bring you to Europe
in June, so you can read your poems for our audience.

If so, please do not forget to let us know as soon as possible.

ELISABETH KAISER

Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt
Im Geiger 53
Germany

August 5, 1958

Mr.
Langston Hughes
20 East 127 Street
New York
USA

Dear Mr. Hughes,

Please, don't think me obstrusive when I write to you
but for each German who ever read a book you are not at
all a "stranger"x - but I think you know how high you are
esteemed in Germany.

Early in September I shall start for a trip to the South
of USA and in the end of October I shall return to New
York und stay there for two weeks. Would you allow me
then to meet you? I have to settle some "business" with
some publishing houses but besides I hope to find here
or there an encounter with a real "human-being"!

If you don't like such visits, please, let me know as
yet x as I am here for I should hate it to trouble you.

August 9, 1958

Miss Elizabeth Kaiser
Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt
Im Geiger 53
Germany

Dear Miss Kaiser:

It was certainly nice to receive your letter
with the kind words you say about my books
in Germany.

I would be delighted to see you when you are
in New York if I am in town. I will have
to leave New York in early October for a
lecture tour which will take me as far as
Los Angeles (3000 miles from New York) but
I will be returning certainly by the 10th of
November. I suggest you write me when you
arrive, letting me know your New York address,
or telephone ATWATER 9 - 6559. Then I shall
be able to contact you as soon as I am in
the city.

Mrs. Elisabeth Kaiser
Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt
Im Geiger 53
Germany

August 14, 1958

Dear Mr. Hughes,

I thank you so much for your kind letter and the generous
allowance to meet you. As I am not sure to be in New York
even so late as the loth of November I shall break my outward
journey to St. Louis for one or two days in New York; for I
we should be too sad not to see you. That's to say: I shall
arrive in New York airport at September 5 in the morning and
I shall have time for a meeting whenever you like it at September 5 or 6 (or later, as you like it). I shall telephone
ATWATER 9-6559 after my arriving. But please, be sensible of
my inability to phone in American! I translated many books
of Faulkner or Henry James into German, but never in life I
spoke an American word. For me this is only a kind of
funny situation but I don't hope to bore you with my stuttering.

ELISABETH KAISER
Im Geiger 53
Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt
Germany

October 24, 1961

Dear Mr. Hughes,

I should have written to you long ago but as you know a
writer's job eats yourself up!

By ships post you'll get an exemplar of my book "Tief im
Süden Dixies" (the title is the German translation of the
first line of your poem "Way down south in Dixie"). I think
you'd like to have this book for your "archives". In the
beginning of chapter four you'll find told my visit in your
house - I felt so honoured having met you and I'll never forget
it.

The other day we had tea with our good friend Janheinz Jahn
whom I think you know very well. And we talked about how
wonderful it would be if some day you could come to Europe.
Isn't there any possibility for a lecture tour?

Janheinz Jahn gave me the advice to write to you in another
concern. My husband, Helmut M. Braem, has to write the first
comprehensive American literary history, seen by a German.
But it is most difficult for him to get the exact dates for
the biographical index. Could you tell me _when_ and _where_
Joseph Seamon Cotter _died_? As for his birth we just know the
year 1861 _but not the day_. Of his son, Joseph Seamon Cotter
junior we would like to know the exact _day of his death_
(1919?) and _where_ he has died.

We would be so glad if you could help us. And would you
allow me to ask again if there should arouse any further
questions? As it is especially the dates of the Afro-american
poets are hard to find.

Wishing good luck to you-and greetings of my husband -

yours

October 31, 1961

Dear Elizabeth Kaleer:

How very nice to have your note! I had just lately been wondering if you still had the same address, as I wanted to send you my new book. Now that I know where you are, I am ordering it dispatched directly from the publishers, Knopf: ASK YOUR MAMA: 12 Moons for Jaza, poems of mine I have been reading with jazz music on lecture tours last season. This year I will probably read some of them in Africa as I am invited to Lagos for the Arts Festival in December. Last November I was there for Azikiwe's inauguration, as he was a classmate of mine in college. On the way home I had a few days in Rome, Paris, and London, but didn't get to Germany. And this trip, I will have even less time, flying to Africa on December 14th and back in New York on the 20th! Those jets really speed.

You know most American anthologies in their Biographical Notes do not give the days--just the years of birth and death of authors. I know in preparing my POETRY OF THE NEGRO, it was difficult enough to years, not to speak of exact days! I have looked through all the books of Negro poetry I have on my shelves (anthologies, I mean, a half dozen) and this is all I found:

JOSEPH SEAMON COTTER, SR., born in Hardstown, Kentucky, 1861. Probably died in Louisville, Kentucky, where he taught school for more than 50 years. His COLLECTED POEMS appeared in 1938.

JOSEPH SEAMON COTTER, JR., son of the above, was born in Louisville, Kentucky, September 2, 1895, and died in Louisville on February 3, 1919.

PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR born in Dayton, Ohio, June 27, 1872, and died there on February 10, 1906. (Another book gives his death date as February 9, 1906) (maybe he died at midnight, 9-10).

These anthologies have biographies of Negro poets: NEGRO CARAVAN, CAROLING DUSK, THE POETRY OF THE NEGRO, GOLDEN SLIPPERS, AMERICAN LITERATURE BY NEGRO AUTHORS; and of course there is THE DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY.

Let me know if there are any more questions--but before Dec. 10. And give my best regards to Janheinz Jahn, and tell him I may see his friend Ulli Heier in Nigeria.

ELISABETH KAISER

December 12, 1961

Dear Mr. Hughes,

thank you so much for your kind letter! Of course I am
very proud to get your new book (which, as I hope, will
have the right number of our house - it's 53, not 13!).
All the things you gave me when I visited you are in high
estem in our family, especially our favorite record: The
Weary Blues.

You certainly have an exciting life. Of course "these jets
really speed" but you must not forget that you are a
speeding character too! Surely the Arts Festival will be
a great success for you.

Many thanks for the informations. As it is, most American
anthologies give the exact days of birth but not of death.
This fact is tempting some European men of science to the
argument that Americans don't like to think of death.
However this may be: I'm afraid we are waiting in vain for
a better world without any prejudices!

I gave Janheinz John your letter which may interest him
too. As for my book my publisher sent it directly to you.

Have our best wishes for a happy X-mas and a new year
full of joy!

With cordial greetings

yours,

20 East 127 Street
New York 35, N. Y.
May 26, 1962

Dear Mrs. Kaiser:

I was delighted to receive a copy of your book, TIEF IM SUDEN DIXIES, in which you make mention of me and quote from two of my poems. Many thanks to you for having the book posted to me.

I have intended writing you before now, but my travel schedule has kept me away from home quite a bit this year and I hardly find time to attend the business correspondence and conferences that accumulate in my absence. I have been to Nigeria, Paris, California (twice) and made several trips not quite so far away, as a result of my travel, I am now trying to crowd three months work into a two week period as I leave on June fourth for Uganda to attend and participate in the African Writers Conference of English Expression, June 8 - 14, I am also scheduled to attend the Spoleto production of my gospel song-play, BLACK NATIVITY at the Festival of Two Worlds, June-July, and then back to Africa for the United States Information Service opening of a Library at Ghana in July. I have been invited by USIS to read some of my poems at the library opening.

I had two books published this past winter, ASK YOUR MAMA, a book-length poem (modern jazz idiom) and a compilation of the other "Simple" books, THE BEST OF SIMPLE. I have just received a copy of FIGHT FOR FREEDOM: The Story of the NAACP which I wrote this past winter, and now must post to my publishers an anthology of African poetry, POEMS FROM BLACK AFRICA, and an extension of my PICTORIAL HISTORY OF THE NEGRO which is being revised for the Centennial of the Black Man: A Declaration. So it seems that I have a very full and busy life....work, work and more work. I will return to the States the late-JULY to began working with the PHILADELPHIA BLACK DRUGGIES TO GLORY, which the Theatre Guild is producing on Broadway this Fall. I think this just about fill you in on my current activities.

Many thanks to you again for TIEF IM SUDEN DIXIES, and by very best wishes to you,

September 1 - 1962

Dear Mr. Hughes,

Thank you so much for your kind letter from May 26.
You certainly had a busy summer!

As you wrote you returned to the States in late July
I am keen enough to ask you a favour. My husband will
visit the United States as a guest of State Department
for about six weeks. He'll leave in September 4 and
will stay in New York from 14 - 19 October. Of course
he would be very happy to meet you then. You know he
is writing an American *kixkex* literary history and
there may be always some questions he could talk about
with you.

My husband (his name is not Kaiser but Helmut M.BRAEM)
will venture to call you up when he is in New York.
I remember from my own visit: Calls only in the afternoon!
If you should have another suggestion, please, let him
know. Beginning in September 4, he'll get his letters via

American Council on Education
1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington 6, D.C.

I really hope my husband will have the honour to meet you
and to see your charming house which I liked so much.

April 25, 1959

I am delighted that you have translated SIMPLE SPEAKS HIS MIND, and I am sure you have done a good job. Perhaps you might be interested in a possible translation of the play, too---SIMPLY HEAVENLY which has been performed in New York, Hollywood, and London, and is now being done by little theatre groups---in May at Howard University in Washington and at Kurfou Arend Theatre in Cleveland at any rate, I hope. Sending you a copy of the play by boat immediately so that it can be acted out and studied by the pupils of provincialism....The SIMPLE books have many such overtones as to your question, are hardly translatable. For example, in the U.S. a hypenated (-) name like Ira. Maxwell-Reeves has used pretension, affectedness, "putting on airs" in a play like LAWSON (p. 11); in also a famous minister in a play like REV. POWELL, DADDY AND THE SOCIETY;....A play like two little territories, one with lively singing choirs and very good gospel music, pretense, for example.

INGAGI (p. 81) was a famous baboon (ape) in Hollywood motion pictures. Now dead. To say that someone looks like Ingagi means "very big and ugly"---ape-like.

ti

REV. PATTERSON SMYTHE is a fictitious name (p. 89)---SMYTHE being regarded by Negroes as a rather pretentious and affected or snobbish way of spelling SMITH. In this chapter it is used to indicate high society or snobbishness on the part of the pretentious people giving the banquet.

OLD CHAIRMAN GEORGIA (p. 211) is a satirically fictitious name for such a Congressional chairman, since most such men are from the ignorant and backwoods portions of the South, Dixiecrats like the current Sen. Eastland. To Negroes any mention of states like Georgia, Alabama, or Mississippi immediately suggests stupidity, evil, and provincialism....The SIMPLE books have many such overtones which, of course, are hardly translatable. For example, in the U.S. a hypenated (-) name like Mrs. Maxwell-Reeves suggests pretension, affectedness, "putting on airs" in order to make people think one is "high Society."....A goatee (p. 173) or small pointed beard on the chin has the same overtones of intellectual pretense, for example.

If you have any more such problems, just list them, and let me know. I'm happy to help any way I can.....And thanks a lot for your translation.....With cordial regards,

Sincerely yours,

To: Langston Hughes

EXCERPT FROM A LETTER FROM Dr. Gunther Klotz, Berlin-Treptow
Kopenicker Landstrasse 38

Dated May 6, 1959

I thank you very much for sending me SIMPLY HEAVENLY. Of course, I
would like to translate this play but maybe the second Simple volume
is to come next - at least the Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin (of which I am
the English and American editor) is planning to continue the Simple
series. Before translating the play I would have to find a producer,
of course. Our TV-people e.g. are most likely to be interested in it,
I should think. But I am not sure whether I am entitled to offer
anybody anything from your pen because your interests in Germany are
represented by Frau Dr. Ruth Liepmann, via whom we (the Aufbau-Verlag)
forwarded the agreement on SIMPLE SPEAKS HIS MIND to you. I would be
happy to recommend your works outside the Aufbau-Verlag, but I do not
want to encroach on the rights of your German (or only West-German?)
agent. Would you be so kind as to make this point clear and tell me
how I should handle things for you and promote the play. - By the way,
when I recommended SIMPLE SPEAKS HIS MIND to a literary periodical
and to a magazine, under the secondary rights paragraph of the above
agreement, they jumped at it and want to print several chapters, after
your signed agreement will have come to hand.

I thank you again for your help and for your offer to help me any way.
With all the best wishes I remain

Dr. Günther Klotz
Berlin-Treptow
Köpenicker Landstraße 38

Berlin, December 7, 1960

Dear Mr. Hughes,

I thank you cordially for your kind appreciation of "Simpel spricht sich aus". I showed your letter to Bernhard Nast and to all those in our publishing house that had any part in the bringing out of the book. They were all very glad that you liked the German edition of your work.

The edition had been overscribed by the booksellers and was practically out of sale immediately after publication.

I thank you again for your musical SIMPLY HEAVENLY. You had sent it to me already a year or so ago. I had discussed it with a leading member of the Berliner Ensemble and with a member of the staff of the Maxim-Gorki-Theater, Berlin. They both enjoyed reading it but they objected that there were a lot of difficulties in staging it (as to the cast, for instance) and that it was essentially epic and not dramatic (though Brecht himself is epic rather than dramatic). The main reason, I believe, for rejecting it was the fact that our stage is wholly unfamiliar with the theatrical form of the musical. In West Germany musicals by Richard Rodgers and Cole Porter were tremendously successful. So the musical here is regarded as a form of entertainment typical of capitalist society (a very narrow-minded and pseudo-Marxist idea). "Messeschlager Gisela", an Operette by Gerd Natschinski (1960) and a big hit in the Metropol Theater, Berlin Friedrichstraße, is a step towards a more musical-like form of dramatic entertainment with music. But I fear it will be a long way for our stage-managers to grasp the possibilities of such a truly popular form of art.

Notwithstanding I - upon your sending me SIMPLY HEAVENLY a second time - had another talk with an acquaintance of mine at the Deutscher Fernsehfunk, Berlin-Adlershof. I sent her your musical together with a copy of "Simpel spricht sich aus". We will discuss my suggestion of staging a series of scenes around Simple. I wonder whether they could do it with music or not.

Many thanks for SORROW FOR A MIDGET. An unusual story - I like it very much. I know, some of your stories were published in West Germany, though I don't know which. Are there some more stories of yours which have not yet been published in German or which you are free to submit to a periodical of a publishing house in the German Democratic Republic? Could I, e.g., send SORROW FOR A MIDGET to a literary periodical like "Sinn und Form" Potsdam?

I will let you know any news from our television service immediately.

Cordial thanks again and all the best wishes for a

Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year!

October 27, 1960

Dr. Gunther Klotz,
Kopenicker Landstrasse 38,
Berlin-Treptow, Germany.

Dear Dr. Klotz:

Copies of the very handsome-looking SIMPEL SPRICHE SICH AUS have just reached me, and I am delighted with. Such an attractive book in format, and the drawings of Bernard Nast are charming, most sympathetic to the spirit of Harlem. Please tell Nast I am very grateful to him for his additions to our book.

German friends in New York tell us your translation is excellent. I read German very little, but I can tell you have rhymed the poetry quite amusingly. Thank you VERY, VERY much for this beautiful book!

Do you think perhaps the play SIMPLE TAKES A WIFE (in its musical version, SIMPLY HEAVENLY) might be translated and staged in Germany? It is now being performed in Prague where new songs were written there for it. I believe I sent you a copy of the play last year. But I am sending you another one of SIMPLY HEAVENLY just in case I did not do so before. My play, TANBOURINES TO GLORY (TROMMELN ZUR SELIGKEIT) was done this summer by the Theatre Guild in provincial theatre and is scheduled for Broadway in 1961.

Again with thanks to you for your work, and cordial regards ever,

AUFBAU-VERLAG BERLIN UND WEIMAR

Aufbau-Verlag · Berlin W8 · Französische Straße 32

Ihre Zeichen

Ihre Nachricht vom

Unsere Zeichen

Dr.K/ma

BERLIN W8

Französische Straße 32

20.4.1965

Betreff

Dear Langston Hughes,

it is only a few days that I am out of hospital where I spent
late winter and early spring. We have not even given you a note
that three books arrived from you months ago, and we politely
apologize. We thank you cordially for sending us "Famous Negro
Music Makers", "Something in Common" and "A Pictorial History of
the Negro in America". The latter, particularly, is an absorbing
book and we consider to translate and publish it. We will contact
your publisher.

The German edition of "Simple Takes A Wife" will come out in
May. Bernhard Nast did twenty odd illustrations for this volume.
Among them is a portrait gallery of Simple's women: Mabel, Cherie,
Isabel, Joyce, Zarita, the landlady, the girl from "Tickets and
Takers" and others. We all like his drawings very much and Mr. Pankey
approved them.

In your four collections of stories, including the "Reader",
there are now forty-five stories of yours. I enclose the complete
list. There might be others published only in magazines. As I told
you we would like to include all your stories written into one
volume, even those which, being first published more than thirty
years ago, might now appear to you outdated our no longer fully
valid. Such a volume would, of course, have a nearly historical
scope, and we could give the date (year) of the first publication
of each story. This collection would find great interest here.
Please give me your opinion on that point. Are there other stories,
old or new? Do you want to cancel any of those on the list? We
would like to start on such a volume immediately. A number of
these stories have been translated into German, chiefly by Paridam
von dem Knesebeck, some by Sigrid Klotz.

-2-

Fernruf: 22 54 21
(Für Presse/Werbung und Vertrieb: 20 01 51)

Telegramme:
Aufbauverlag Berlin

Postscheck:
Berlin 40 04

Bank: Berliner Stadtkontor, Berlin W 8,
Behrenstraße 35-39, Konto 1/1881

204 BmG 046/64 10 7273

July 30th 1965

Aufbau-Verlag
Franzoesische Strasse 32
Berlin W. 8
Germany

Sehr geehrter Herren!

Bitte, schicken Sie dem Herrn Hughes fuenf
(5) SIMPEL NIMMT NE FRAU mit gewoehnlicher
Post. Er wird Ihnen sofort bezahlen, dass
er die Rechnung bekommt.

Mit vielen Dank.

Hochachtungsvoll,

Raoul Abdul
Mitarbeiter

Aufbau-Verlag · Berlin W 8 · Französische Straße 32

Mr. Langston Hughes

Ihre Zeichen

Ihre Nachricht vom

Unsere Zeichen

Dr. Kl/Eg

BERLIN W 8

Französische Straße 32

8. 2. 1966

Betreff

Dear Mr. Hughes:

It is a long time since you have had any news from me. I had expected
that the Humboldt-University would not need so much time to prepare
a reception in honour for you. But now they will send you an invit-
ation. Since we, as you know, also want to invite you here I beg you
to tell us about your plans of travelling to Europe so that we all
could coordinate our dates for your prospective visit.

One of our best poets, Günter Kunert, is now taokling your poems as
a translator. Other projects that we dicussed are in preparation.

I did a radio program on your work with readings from Simple, in the
"Stunde der Weltliteratur". All our best wishes

Yours

AUFBAU-VERLAG
Lektorat Auslandsliteratur

Dr. Klotz

Fernruf: 2254 21
(Für Presse/Werbung und Vertrieb: 2001 51)

Postscheck:
Berlin 40 04

(669) 774/64.23

March 19th 1966

Dr. Klotz
Aufbau-Verlag
Franzoesische Strase 32
BERLIN W 8
Germany

Dear Dr. Klotz:

Your letter to Mr. Hughes arrived today in which you invited him to come to Berlin. Very shortly, he will be leaving for Dakar, Senegal to participate in the First World Festival of Negro Arts, staying in Africa two months. He does not plan to be in continental Europe in the near future, so he would not be able to attend the Humboldt-University reception at this time. I know that he would wish to thank you for your kind invitation and will be sorry not to be able to attend.

Sincerely,

Assistant

May 28, 1960

Mr. Jurgen Manthey
Konkret
Kaiser-Wilheim-Straße 76
Hamburg 36, Germany

Dear Mr. Manthey:

I am presently catching up on
commitments that went unattended while
I was away on lecture this year. I
will be very happy to write something
for your publication at a later date.
Meanwhile, I would very much appreciate
your sending me a sample copy of your
periodical.

Langewiesche-Brandt Verlag Ebenhausen bei München

4.12.1959

Mr. Langston Hughes, New York

Dear Mr. Hughes,

we got the included letter and picture. Mr. Reinwald's letter means
you may undersign the picture and give "Worte der Erinnerung",
words of remember - we think one or two lines of a poem of yours.
He likes the book "Harlem Story" which we have published. It is
"The sweet flypaper of life".

It would be very nice from you when you would return the picture-
card to Mr. Reinwald, Vienna (Austria).

With the best regards

Fernruf: Ebenhausen 613 · Postscheckkonto: München 613 · Bank: Münchener Industriebank, München

February 25, 1965

Edition Langewiesche-Brandt
Ebenhausen bei Muenchen
Deutschland

Gentlemen:

Would you please be so kind as to
send me 10 copies of my book HARLEM-
STORY (Der sussse Leim des Lebens).
Upon receipt of the books, I will send
you a Bank Draft to cover costs of
mailing and of the books.

Thank you.

HEINZ LIEPMAN

Ohlsiedter Stieg 1

HAMBURG-OHLSTEDT

Cable address: LITERAG

July 14th, 1955.

RL/GS.

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East, 127. Street
New York.

Dear Langston,

I feel very very bad that I never wrote to you and never thanked you for the really good afternoon which I had at your house during my stay in New York and for the nice Christmas card you sent us. I have told about this visit to my friends because it really was one of the best things of New York. And thank you for the marvellous record of the story of Jazz. We have already played it many times, and all our friends are very enthusiastic about it and want to know where they can buy it. There seems no chance in this country.

I am very sad that so far we still did not succeed in placing any of your books in the German speaking countries.

Ivan von Auw forwarded the request of Buchheim Verlag to us which are interested in THE FIRST BOOK OF JAZZ. I have just written to this publishing firm and to Mr. Paridam von dem Knesebeck as well, and I hope that something may develop from this.

Some time ago we had a request from a reviewer, Dr. Rogge, who asked us for a copy of THE BIG SEA which I couldn't send him as the only copy we had was under consideration with a German publishing house at that time. I have asked Hughes Massie to send us a copy - if possible - but so far did not receive one. Are they out of print?

You will perhaps have heard from Roswitha Riese that we have contacted her after my return from New York, and she sent us part of a translation which we are sending to publishers.

I should be very glad if you would now and then let us know what you are doing and how you are.

All best wishes,

SIMPLE PROGRAMS SENT:

BROADWAY
85th STREET
WASHINGTON
CLEVELAND

RUTH LIEPMAN

& Jazz Programs
Folkways folders

HAMBURG 13

HALLERSTRASSE 5d

TELEFON 451159

TELEGR. ADR: LITERAG

April 10, 1959

RL/GS

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127 Street
New York 35, N.Y.

Dear Langston,

I should have liked to hear and see IL MULATTO from Rome. However, it's impossible to tune in from Hamburg on an Italian television station. I am terribly sorry.

If I come across any newspaper reviews - as I think I will not as just nobody has heard IL MULATTO in this country - I shall send these reviews to you.

You will have heard by now that two contracts could be concluded in the meantime:

One for SIMPLE in East Berlin - this is a pocket edition, and one for TAMBOURINES TO GLORY with Kindler Verlag of Munich.

I hope that this publisher will go on publishing you in the Federal Republic.

Furthermore we are busy selling another anthology of stories and - this I think is the most interesting of all:

The Hamburg broadcasting station to whom I gave the theater play of SIMPLE will broadcast it. Details shall be discussed in the second half of May but it's definite that they want to do it.

Aren't you coming to Hamburg once? I should so very much like to see you again.

All the best,

May 13, 1959

Dear Ruth:

So nice to find your letter awaiting
me in New York between lecture trips. I've had
the BUSIEST season ever, two speaking tours all
the way to the California Coast and back, and
South as far as Tuskegee, North to Canada twice.
Last week I saw productions of SIMPLY HEAVENLY
in both Washington and Cleveland---the former
very funny, the latter very human in quality.
And tomorrow I fly to Bermuda for the final poetry
programs of my season. But I did want to write
you this hasty note to say how happy I am about
the SIMPLE and TAMBOURINES contracts, and very
pleased to hear the Hamburg radio may do the
SIMPLE play. I am sending you programs of the
various productions here that you might show them
in Hamburg.

The Italian reviews of the Rome radio's
IL MULATTO were excellent. The play MULATTO on-
which the opera is based, is now being done in
JAPAN, and an anthology of my SELECTED WORKS has
just been published in Tokyo, the 4th of my books
to come out in Japan recently, where I am for-
tunate in having an excellent translator, a poet
and writer himself.

I've no plans to come to Europe soon.
But I hope we'll meet again some day in the
not too distant future.

Cordial regards ever,

Sincerely,

October 27, 1960

Mrs. Ruth Liepman,
Hallerstrasse 5d,
Hamburg 13, Germany.

Dear Ruth:

I have been delighted with my various handsome looking books that have come out in Germany. But I am particularly pleased with the very charmingly printed SIMPEL SPRICHT SICH AUS that has just come. The line-drawings, I think, are most delightful and sympathetic to Harlem. If you know, or are in touch with Bernhard Nast, please give him my gratitude for such lovely illustrations. I am writing Gunther Klotz a note myself to thank him for his very good translation.

Do you think there is a possibility the play, SIMPLE TAKES A WIFE (musical version is the same but with songs, SIMPLY HEAVENLY) might be translated and staged in Germany? For the past year, it has been running in Prague and I have amusing pictures of that production, for which special songs were written there. A French translation of the play is now being done. Last winter it was performed 7 nights here on TV on the Play-of-the-Week series, and is being shown on TV now on local stations across the USA.

Thanks, dear Ruth, for all your most kind interest in my work in your country.

Cordial regards ever,

*Al Hoosman, the Negro actor in Hamburg, might make a good SIMPLE or BOYD or MELON.

December 8, 1960

Dear Ruth:

I am just back from Nigeria, via Rome, Paris, and London, and find a mountain of mail to answer, so this is just a quick reply to your kind note about SIMPLE TAKES A WIFE in play form.

The French translation is now being done (not finished yet) by Leo Sauvage of the New York staff of FIGARO. No theatre contacted as yet, but he has in mind a French speaking Negro cast---such as is now performing RAISIN AU SOLEIL in Paris.

There were quite wonderful reviews of the Prague production and interesting pictures which I think you might get by writing:

Mr. Josef Kalas,
DILLIA,
Vysehradska 28,
Prague 2, Nove Mesto,
Czechoslavka.

Unfortunately, I can't send them to you.

I did not make the TV Play of the Week adaptation of SIMPLY HEAVENLY but it followed very closely the play script. I don't have a copy.

Happy Holidays to you, and cordial regards,

Hastily, but

Sincerely,

Langston Hughes

PAUL LISTVERLAG

Munich, March 21, 1964

Dear Mr. Hughes,

Paul List-Verlag, Munich, is asking for your kind attention
through me for a moment.

Some years ago I published, in the pocket book series of
this publishing firm, several inquiries which were much
noticed in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and which
were answered by eighteen well-known German speaking
authors.

Now Paul List-Verlag is planning another anthology with
the same title

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CHRISTIANITY ?

in which a number of distinguished foreign authors shall
give their opinions. A contribution from you, for which
we ask you most obligingly, would be very welcome indeed.

You are entirely at liberty to chose the form, the attitude,
the aspect as you please for your article. You may also
send us in connection with this subject some material that
was published; however it must not yet have been published
in German language.

The manuscript should not be shorter than five and not
longer than ten typewritten pages, and the publisher
should have it in his hands end of August 1964 as the
latest, because it must be carefully translated into
German. The fee will be in each case DM 100,--.

In view of the relevance of the questioning, as especially,
however, in view of the interest which very many readers
will take precisely in your answer, dear Mr. Hughes, I
do hope to get your affirmative answer.

As to myself, the Editor of the volume in question, may
I give you the following details: I was born 1924; I am
the author of a literary pamphlet, of a critical
Ecclesiastical History and of two novels (published by
List, Munich; Albin Michel, Paris; Kosmas, Belgrade).

If you should have any questions, I shall answer them
with pleasure, and you would oblige me very much to give
me just a short notice.

With kind regards,

8 MÜNCHEN 15, GOETHESTR. 43 · RUF 53 03 61 · TELEGRAMM: LISTVERLAG · POSTSCHECK MÜNCHEN 150 15 · DEUTSCHE BANK A. G. MÜNCHEN, KONTO 516 960 · BANKHAUS GEBR. BETHMANN, FRANKFURT/M. KONTO 301 313 · SEKRETARIAT: 81 GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, PAUL-LIST-STRASSE 4

April 8, 1964

Dr. Karlheinz Deschner
Paul List Verlag
Geothestr. 43
Muenchen 15, Deutschland

Dear Dr. Deschner:

Mr. Hughes has asked me to write you
as he has just left on a lecture tour. He
appreciates your kind offer to write a piece
for WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CHRISTIANITY?

Unfortunately, however, Mr. Hughes has
so many writing commitments that he cannot
add anything new to his schedule at this
time.

Thank you so much.

Sincerely yours,

Raoul Abdul
Assistant to Mr. Hughes

RA:r

March 30, 1962

Ondra Lysohorsky,
Im Insel-Verlag,
Leipzig, Germany.

Dear Ondra Lysohorsky!

Thank you very much for sending me
your attractive-looking book, DANKSAGUNG,
containing the poem, *Am Langston Hughes*.
Certainly, I am most complimented to be
included in your book, and only regret
that I cannot read German, but I shall
have the poem translated for me.

With cordial regards and all good
wishes,

October 4, 1958

Miss Gisela Matthaei
116 Blanton Hall
Kirksville, Mo.

Dear Miss Matthaei;

I am terribly sorry that a crowded schedule of book deadlines and lectures forced me to neglect for a very long time answering a number of letters, including yours of March 14th. I am assuming that as a Fulbright scholar your stay in the States was for one year and that you are probably back at home in Germany so please accept my apology for the long delay.

Your letter was indeed interesting and perhaps if your stay in the United States had been of longer duration you might have witnessed events with reference to irrational attitudes of discrimination and prejudice which might indicate to you a closer analogy between the United States and the German expressions. Our political structure being different however, any official acts against minorities are exercised by individual states, rather than the national government. We are presently engaged in a struggle, perhaps as significant as the Civil War struggle, which will ultimately resolve the question of state versus federal power. Since I am not a politician I can only reflect on the times in my writings, trying to translate poetically and in prose what I am able to see and feel and hear. I try to do this faithfully and if some of this has been transferred to you as your letter indicates, I am delighted and compensated.

Please know that no greater compliment can be paid an artist than the knowledge that something he has created gives pleasure to a fellow human being. Perhaps one day in the near future, we will be able to make the giant strides in human relationships that we have already made in science and then it will no longer be necessary for us to dissipate thought and energy on such un-consequentials as race.

With all good wishes to you, and again my sincere thanks, I am

January 24, 1963

Dear Frau Muller-Lankorst:

I am so sorry to learn of the loss
of your sister, and you are most thought-
ful to write and tell me about it. Un-
fortunately, such sorrows come to all of
us, but we cannot help but grieve. I
extend to you my deepest sympathy. And I
myself feel as if I have lost a good
friend. Certainly, she was a charming
woman.

The address your request is:

Mr. Harry Belafonte,
300 West End Avenue,
New York 23, New York.

To you and your husband, my most
cordial regards,

Adolf Opel
%da Costa Franco
Bogenstrasse 4
Berlin-Zehlendorf

Oct. 20, 1964

Dear Mr. Hughes,

I was hoping so much to be in Paris by this time, but I had to change all my plans and this trip will have to be postponed until later on this year. It would have been wonderful to continue our conversations and our discovering the night life in big cities - especially in Paris, which I know and like so much better than Berlin! But as things are now I will have to stay on until the end of the month and only then I can start on a trip, going to Italy first, to Venice and perhaps Rome and return via France and Paris.

I enjoyed very much reading your books, especially the play. The German translation of SIMPLE SPEAKS HIS MIND is not too successful. I'm afraid, inventing a kind of non-existing German idiom which is rather hard to read. One can only guess vaguely what the original must be like. How I wish that we would meet again, now that I have read you and know so much more about you!

Did you see Mr. Schehadé again in Paris? He would be an excellent guide to this city. knowing all her beauties and secrets, but I think he wanted to return to Beirut as soon as possible.

What are your plans? Will you go to any other place in Europe before returning to the States?

Now I am so glad that this congress took place, although it didn't look too promising from the start. Having met you and having seen Mr. Schehadé again were the lucky results for me.

I hope the best for you and that you have a good time in Paris.

June 5, 1961

Dear Herr Philipp:

I am sorry I do not read German, so cannot fully understand your most interesting letter which arrived some weeks ago when I was away from New York on a long lecture tour all the way to California. But I appreciate hearing from you and thank you for your interest in my writing and in the Negro people and our problems in the United States....Yes, it is true that in the Deep South---states like Alabama---it is dangerous for a Negro to attempt to vote. Fear of physical violence such as beset the recent Freedom Riders, keeps most Negroes from even trying to register and vote. But this is, of course, not true in the North. There are Negro Congressmen from Detroit, New York, etc., and the President of Manhattan (New York) is a Negro. Conditions vary greatly for Negroes from North to South. Anyone committing rape in the North is punished. But in the South, a white man who rapes a Negro woman is not often punished---for the South has one law for whites and another (or none) for blacks. Federal laws, as they relate to Negroes, are often ignored in the Southern States.

Yes, I know about Al Hoosman, and I have had some letters from him about his work with the "war babies" over there.

I agree with you, it is bad for our soldiers to come to know mostly prostitutes---but I suppose it is like that with the men in any army in any country---Japan, Korea, Austria, anywhere---since they are the easiest women to know. Many young Negroes who have been in the American army in Germany speak very well of the German people when they come back to the United States. Many Negroes like Germany very much.

I am happy that several of my books have been published in Germany in recent years, and I have received many letters from your compatriots about my books. Next year my two suto-biographies (combined into one book) will be published in Germany: THE BIG SEA and I WANDER AS I WANDER.

If you write me again, you must write in English. I will forgive your mistakes.

Cordial regards to you,

Hans-Joachim Philipp

Hamm/Westf., 3.Sept.1961

Märkische Str.8

Dear Mr. Hughes,

thank you so much for your dear letter dated June 5th. You see, I give you the answer in English. I thought the other time that a good friend of you who understands German will have translated my first letter to you.

Thank you as well for the good and useful informations you sent me about yourself and your poetical work. I intend to write several articles on negro-literature. Of your books I possess already THE BOOK OF JAZZ, TAMBOURINES TO GLORY and a volume of short stories. I have read the story FATHER AND SON, and I began reading TAMBOURINES TO GLORY.

The first book of a negro have read was Richard Wright's novel FISHBELLY. I was very much impressed by the works I have read until now.

For the article I want to write next I have found out the following authors: you, Mr. Hughes and Richard Wright, Gwendolyn Brooks (what did she write ?), Countee Cullen (I only know that he wrote religious poetry), Sterling A. Cullen (what did he write ?), Paul Vesey, Jaques Roumain, Jan Carew, Adalberto Ortiz, Césaire Aimé - and of Africa: Leopold S. Senghor, Chinua Achebe and Mongo Beti.

In addition to this list of authors I have a little book, an anthology of negro-poems.

The most important man in Germany who writes on negro-poetry, is Janheinz Jahn.

Please, will you be so good and let me know, on what way I can inform myself on this said part of literature! Which is a good book on the question of the american negroes and their way to freedom?

"100 yrs. to Freedom" - Franklin, etc.

I return your cordial regards,
sincerely yours,

September 7, 1961

Dear Mr. Philipp:

Mr. Hughes is away finishing a book that was due August 1st, and
is not scheduled to return until late September, therefore, I
am acknowledging your letter for him.

I am enclosing a copy of 12 FAVOURITE POEMS selected by Mr. Hughes for United Asia magazine and a list of his currently available books indicating the books that will be of great importance in a study of Negro Literature. I think you should also acquire the use of:

FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM, John Hope Franklin,
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1947; this book
is the best history of the Negro People
available and was written by a Negro.

THE STORY OF THE NEGRO: Arna Bontemps,
Alfred A. Knopf, New York 1955

100 YEARS OF NEGRO FREEDOM, Arna Bontemps,
Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, 1961.

THE NEGRO CARAVAN, edited by Sterling Brown,
Arthur P. Davis, and Ulysses Lee; Citadel Press,
New York, 1941 -- This book is out of print, but
maybe the information service can acquire a copy
for you--it is well worth having. It contains
the work of all the outstanding Negro writers up
to 1940, who had received noteworthy literary acclaim.

Gwendolyn Brooks is known primarily as a poet. She has written four collections of poems: ANNIE ALLEN, for which she received The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, A STREET IN BRONZEVILLE, BRONZEVILLE BOYS AND GIRLS, THE BEAN EATERS, all published by Harper & Brothers, New York. She also has a novel, MAUD MARTHA also published by Harper Brothers. Countee Cullen and Claude McKay both wrote poetry and novels. A mentioning of their collections of poetry is included in POETRY OF THE NEGRO (See Hughes' book list). Sterling A. Brown is also included in POETRY OF THE NEGRO as is all poets of stature up to 1949 (Negro poets, that is). Paul Vesey is also Samuel Allen (Paul Vesey a pseudonym or pen name) he writes in America under the name of Samuel Allen, usually. He has a collection of poems published in Germany under the name of Paul Vesey, ELFENBEIN ZAHNE.

All my best wishes to you...

Sincerely yours,

Sec. to L Hughes

Gert Raeithel
8 München 25

Dankstraße 54

Tel. 53 73 06

Germany

Mr.
Langston Hughes
c/o A.A.Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York 22, N.Y.
USA

Munich, June 8, 1965

Dear Mr. Hughes,

may I remember you to the discussion we had on June 2nd in the
Amerika-Institute of Professor Friedmann in Munich? I happened
to be the one who asked you if the position of the American Negro-
intellectual has improved in the last decade.

Would you mind to answer me one more question? Do you know of any
prominent or famous negro (artist, writer, scholar, politician,
musician) who committed - in this or former centuries - suicide?
I am writing a doctor's dissertation about selfmurderers among
American artists and intellectuals (Jack London, Hart Crane, Robert
LaFollette, James Forrestal, to name but a few) who ended - in part -
their lifes in dissent to society but I cannot think of any coloured
gentleman or gentlewoman who did so.

Can you help me, please? There are still a lot of questions I should
like to ask you, especially about Vachel Lindsay, but I do not
want to be inpolite (?). Let me say thank you in advance and
assure you that we are still grateful for the charming two hours
you gave us in Professor Friedmann's seminar.

BLACK STAR

420 Lexington Ave.
New York 17, N. Y.

GRAND
UNION
STATION
NTRAL

MR. LANGSTON HUGHES.
20 EAST 127TH STREET
NEW YORK CITY

N.Y.

Herbert Roch

Eichhorsterweg 29/31

Berlin-Wittenau

March 4th 1949

Dear Langston Hughes,

I am sending you a copy of the February-
edition of "Ost und West" to-day. It contains my translation
of two chapters from THE BIG SEA: "AFRICA and WASHINGTON SOCIETY.
I wrote a short introduction to these, as far as I know, first
extracts from your autobiographie that have been published in
Germany. Perhaps somebody will translate it for you, and I do
hope you will approve of it. People here begin to realize who
Langston Hughes is, and just recently Peter Huchel, editor-in-
chief of "Sinn und Form", a new literary monthly, told me that
he, too, would like to publish a series of your poems and some
of your prose in his journal. If you agree, let me know at once,
and I'll arrange it. Too bad that SINGLE WAY TICKET was returned
to you. Can't you wrap it up, together with my SHAKESPEARE
IN HARLEM and your other lyrics, and camouflage it as a gift-
parcel. At present this seems the only way to me of ever getting
in possession of your books. And here another proposal, in order
to accelerate things: how'd it be if you sent me type-written
manuscripts of those poems that you would like to see translated?
That would be the still quicker way.

"Ost und West" goes under separate cover. May it find you well,
in good health and good working spirits.

Ever yours

March 31

1949

Mr. Herbert Roch
Eichhorsterweg 29/31
Berlin-Wittenau, Germany

Dear Herbert Roch:

I have just returned to the city for a day or so to attend the opening tonight of my opera, TROUBLED ISLAND, which premieres at the New York City Center. I found your letter here and before returning to Chicago, where I am serving as poet-in-residence at the University of Chicago, I wanted to get a word off to you.

Thanks so very much for the copy of OST UND WEST containing the chapters from THE BIG SEA. I had a friend of mine read and translate the chapters and find that you did a very fine job.

My publishers have told me that books are being returned regularly from Germany and that it is useless to send volumes just now. However, I shall send you some material in manuscript form, as you suggest.

I would be delighted, indeed, to have Peter Huchel, editor of SINN UND FORM, use my material. And I want you to feel free to use as much of my material as you desire and place it in such journals as you think wise.

I am off in a day or two for Chicago. Meanwhile, continued good wishes to you and best of luck in your work.

LH:HHS

Herbert Roch
Berlin-Wittenau
Eichhorsterweg 29/31

August 26th 1953

Dear Langston Hughes,

I had your letter yesterday in which you ask
me to send you a copy of Stefan Hermlin's anthology "Auch ich bin
Amerika." I don't quite understand why you ask me for that book again
because I did send you a copy of it long ago and told you that it
contained some of your work. On January 29th 1949 (!) I wrote the
following lines to you:

"Thank you so much for your letter and the autographed leaf, both
of which I received these days. Hearing that the book you sent me was
returned to you made me feel like murdering somebody. But if you
would commit murder for every official blunder in this world your
hands would soon be stained with blood. To-morrow I shall mail you
the copy of the anthology you asked for under separate cover. It is
my own copy but I guess I'll be able to get a new one etc."

What happened? Didn't you get this letter and didn't you receive the
book or did you forget all about it? I should like to know. The whole
thing puzzles me. If you insist I should, of course, try to procure
a new copy for you though that might be extremely difficult.

I hope to hear from you soon.

September 21, 1953

Dear Herbert Rochs

Thank you very much for your prompt answer to my letter. Not having heard from you for a long time, I have been wondering how and where you were.

No, I never did receive the *Auch ich bin Amerika*, by Stefan Hermlin. I just learned about it recently and would, of course, like to have a copy since it includes my poems. So, if you ever do come across a copy, please send it to me.

A note from Eva Hesse in Munich tells me that her anthology of Negro poetry has just been published and that she is sending me copies, but I have not received them yet.

There have been in the past year anthologies of Negro poetry (made from my *The Poetry of the Negro*) in Japan, China, and Czechoslovakia. And a book of my own poems came out in Buenos Aires, and a book of my short stories in Prague. My play, *Mulatto*, is being done in both Italy and the Argentine.

With my very best regards to you, I am as ever

LH/HS

Mr. Herbert Roch
Berlin-Wittenau
Eichhorsterweg 29/31
Germany

October 24th 1953

Dear Langston Hughes,

I have been lucky enough to procure another
copy of AUCH ICH BIN AMERIKA for you; it is on its way already, and
I hope very much that this time it will reach its destination.
I had to send it as Printed Matter, otherwise I would have been
obliged to go to the customs office which is quite out of my way
as I very seldom go into town. Please let me have a word as soon
as you get it. Looking through it again after so many years I found
the selection of the poems rather one-sided just like Stephan
Hermlin himself who, as you perhaps know, was awarded with the
National Prize of the Eastern German Government.

In the beginning of this year I was in Paris for a couple of
weeks, my first visit to this ever charming and beautiful city.
Montmartre, though, must have changed much since you wrote about
it - it is full of people from Arkansas and Missouri, drunken
soldiers hated by the French and you don't have to wait till dawn
to see the petals fall. But in all other respects it is incom-
parable, it still has the gracefulness of an old and clever cat
and there are spots where you can hear that old cat purr so
enchantingly that it makes you home-sick forever.

And that's just what I am - home-sick for Paris and still more
for Marseille and the Rue des petites Maries where we lived.

With my best wishes to you,

Sincerely yours

December 10, 1953

Mr. Herbert Roch,
Berlin-Wittenau,
Eichhorsterweg 29/31.

Dear Herbert Roch,

It was certainly kind of you to go
to all that trouble to find for me the
anthology,
AUCH ICH BIN AMERIKA, which arrived safely this time,
and I am indeed delighted to have it to add to my
shelf of translations. I am very grateful to you for
sending it to me.

I suppose you've seen the new
anthology, MEINE DUNKLEN HANDE, Moderne Negerlyrik,
published by Nymphenburger Verlagshandlung, Munchen?
It's a very attractive looking little book, I think.
And I hear there's still a third anthology of Negro
poetry in preparation in Germany.

How I envy you having a visit to
Paris! I've been only to California this year for
a few weeks, but not to any place as charming as
Paris. I think our only this in North America at
all like it even remotely is Mexico City.

Lately I've been making a play out
of SIMPLER TAKES A WIFE, but don't know when it will
be produced, if it is. Otherwise am writing children's
books, which is not unpleasant work.

Again my gratitude to you for the book,
and continued good wishes ever,

July 10, 1961

Traugott Krischke,
Rowohlt Theatre-Verlag,
Hamburger Strasse 17,
Reinbek bei Hamburh, Germany.

Dear Mr. Krischke:

I am sorry to be so long in answering your communication of March 24, but I have been away from New York almost continuously in recent months on long lecture tours---two all the way to California---so my correspondence has suffered. Only now am I able to give careful attention to it.

I have posted to you copies of 4 of my plays: SIMPLY HEAVENLY, TAMBOURINES TO GLORY (with the novel also), MULATTO, and a theatrical montage made from my poems (most of which are already translated into German) SHAKESPEARE IN HARLEM, the opera libretto, TROUBLED ISLAND, and various programs and comments on the plays. Should any of this material interest you, I would, of course, be pleased to see it published or produced in Germany.

Contractual arrangements must be made through my agents:

Mr. Ivan von Auw, Jr.,
Harold Ober Associates,
40 East 49th Street,
New York 17, New York

whose representative in Germany is:

Dr. Ruth Liepman,
Hallerstrasse 5d,
Hamburg 13, Germany.

You probably know that one of my SIMPLE books (on which a part of the play, SIMPLY HEAVENLY, is based) has been published in East Berlin by Aubau-Verlag: SIMPEL SPRICHT SICH AUS; TOMMELN ZUR SELIGKEIT by Kindler Verlag Munchen; VATER UND SOHN (on which MULATTO is based by Universum Verlag Zurich, and is also contained in the more recent volume of short stories, WEISSGEPUDERTE GESICHTER, Nymphenburger Verlagshandlung. The play, MULATTO, has been performed in the U.S.A. (everywhere), in Italy, Brazil, the Argentine, and Japan. SIMPLY HEAVENLY in U.S.A, London, and Prague, and on TV Play-of-the-Week across America. I would be delighted if one of my plays, perhaps MULATTO, or its opera version, THE BARRIER, could be produced in Germany. THE BARRIER has been sung on Radio Universum and Rome Radio with full symphonic orchestra, and is performed in New York again on July 21st and 24th at New York University.

I am grateful to Eva Hesse for putting you in touch with me, and I thank you for your interest in my work for the theatre. If I can give you any additional information, kindly let me know.

Sincerely yours,

Langston Hughes

Very honorable Mr. L. Hughes:

In all modesty I have allowed myself with this letter to ask you
a favor. For a long time I have collected autographs, I have
had much success with it, but there is a hole in my collection.
And I should like to closed this hole. May I then ask you for
an autographed picture and perhaps a manuscript in your own
handwriting with autograph or dedication. It would give me a
great deal of pleasure to have this material from you, to help
complete my collection.

Thank you,

Karl Schavier

A.C.Schlichting

Berlin-Pankow, October 30, 1962

Parkstr. 51

Dear Mr. Hughes,

I just received a letter from my friend Walter Lowenfels. I had talked with him during his stay here last year about the plan of our writers association of which I am a member to invite you to visit our country. He informed me now that you had unfortunately to return to the U.S. in order to revise a play. I am very sorry about this postponement. However I hope that we will have the honor to greet you next year in Berlin.

Being a writer myself and having lived for several years in the U.S. I am especially interested in American plays. In fact I have translated quite some for our TV station as well as for the stage (John Wexley, Alvah Bessie, John Bright, Barrie Stavis and others. I have also adapted Earl Robinson's opera "Sandhog" which is actually running at the Leipzig opera house with great success.)

I do not know if Mr. Lowenfels has told you that I like very much your poetic as well as your dramatic work. I suppose that you have finished in the meantime your new play and I would appreciate very much if you would send me a reading copy of this and also of some of your older plays. I liked very much your "Troubled Island". Has it ever been adapted for TV? I think this and some of your other plays like "Mulatto" would be received very favourably by our public.

Hoping to hear from you soon,

Yours sincerely,

Auszug aus den Satzungen.
1) Mitgliedschaft. Die Mitgliedschaft zu erwerben steht jedem frei. Die Mitgliedschaft gilt mit Einzahlung des ersten Jahresbeitrages als erworben. Die Mitgliedschaft gilt mit einem mehr als zwölfmonatigen Ausstand des Jahresbeitrages vom Tag der Einzahlung an gerechnet als erloschen. Sie kann jedoch neu erworben werden. Die Mitgliedschaft wird durch Ausscheiden oder durch Ausschließung beendigt.
2) Beiträge. Es wird ein jährlicher Mitgliedsbeitrag von 5,- DM als mindest erforderliche Grundsumme erhoben. Die Junge Akademie wirbt um Stiftungen in Form von Fördererträgen.
3) Die Vorstandschaft. Die Vorstandschaft besteht aus dem Leitenden Sprecher (Wolf Peter Schnetz), dem Stellvertretenden Sprecher (Wolfhart Eilers), dem Sekretär (B. Hildebrand), einem Rechtsberater (W. Döbereiner) und einem Arbitrium (H. Stroszeck, W. Tonner, P. Dilg). Die Vorstandschaft wird von der Mitgliederversammlung auf die Dauer von zwei Jahren gewählt. Wiederwahl ist möglich.
4) Mitgliederversammlungen. Mindestens einmal im Jahr findet eine ordentliche Mitgliederversammlung in Form einer Tagung statt.
5) Förderung. Bei einer Förderung entsteht keine Unterscheidung zwischen Mitglied und Nichtmitglied.

January 19th 1965

Herrn Wolf Peter Schnetz
RELIEF Verlag Eilers
Maistrasse 8
8 Muenchen 15
Germany

Dear Herr Schnetz:

Thank you so much for sending me a
copy of JE ELEMENTARER DER TOD DESTO HOEHER
DIE GESCHWINDIGKEIT co-authored by you and
Herren Vesper u. Meidner.

It is attractively presented and I am
very happy to have it to add to my growing
collection of German literature.

LH:r

B. SCHOTT'S SÖHNE
MAINZ

Telegramme: Scotson
Weihergarten 5 · Telefon 24341

Bühnen- und Konzertabteilung

Mainz, Sept. 2nd 1958

T/-/te

Dear Mr. Hughes,

under separate cover we are sending
you six copies of Hermann Reutter,
"Meine dunklen Hände" which he compos-
ed after your lyrics. We are very
glad about the fact that your beauti-
ful lyrics have been set to music by
an important German composer.

Three of the copies you are receiving
will be a present for you. For the
remaining three ones we have to charge
you with an amount of ≈ 3.--- altogether
which we would suggest to send us
enclosed in a letter.

We are very anxious to know how you
are pleased with the composition. If
possible, let us have a short note
about your opinion.

Looking forward to hearing from you
we are

★DR. DIETRICH SCHULZ-KOEHN

KÖLN-NIPPES
AUERSTRASSE
24

Cologne, 31st January 1958

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th St.,
New York 35, N.Y.

Dear Sir,

last year I was invited by the USA Government to visit
your country after completing an exhibition "Jazz In USA"
on their behalf, which is now running for two years all
over Germany.

When I was in Chicago at "Ebony" I enquired about your
New York address as I had the intention to pay you a
visit. But when I was in New York in August I was so
exhausted after two months of continuous traveling and
on account of the heat and the irregularity of food,
sleep, etc. that I did not accomplish very much in
New York. I had with me a newspaper clipping with an
article which I wrote Christmas before last, and which
I wanted to give you. I think this clipping is of
interest to you as it mentions the German edition of
your "Jazz Book For Children" and as it shows some of
the drawings of your edition.

We both, my wife and myself, are admirers of your poems,
and as we are both in radio and my wife a trained actress,
we have brought your poems to the knowledge of German
audiences. In case you should come to Germany, I should
be very glad to make your acquaintance, and may be I
will come to New York in about three or four years,
and I shall be glad to pay you a visit.

I beg to remain, with best regards,

Enc.

August 30, 1960

Dr. Dietrich Schulz-Koehn,
Auerstrasse 24,
Koln-Nippes, Germany.

Dear Dr. Schulz-Koehn:

Mr. Hughes is tied up in the rehearsals of his new play, TAMBOURINES TO GLORY, which will open September 5, for pre-broadway tryouts, for one week run. It is necessary that he be at every rehearsal in order to make the cuts and changes that seemingly never cease, until opening night. He has asked that I acknowledge his mail during this overloaded period.

Mr. Hughes sends his thanks and appreciation for your letter and the clippings.

I am enclosing clippings on the Newport Jazz Festival, and a paper on Mr. Hughes written as a student project by one of his fans—me.

Best wishes,

★DR. DIETRICH SCHULZ-KOEHN

KÖLN-NIPPES
AUERSTRASSE
24

March 12, 1962.

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York, 35, N.Y.

Dear Mr. Hughes,

when I was in New York in August and September
last year, I had looked forward so much to
meeting you, with the kind help of my good
friend Gary Kramer. Unfortunately this did not
come off.

I have hopes to be invited to another trip to
the USA by the PRESIDENT'S MUSIC COMMITTEE
(Of The People To The People Programme) which
sponsors an international jazz concert in
Washington from May 31 to June 6, and it might
be that I go there. I definitely hope to meet
you then.

Enclosed please find a clipping from my weekly
column on jazz in "Kölnische Rundschau" in
which I have published your photo with a short
bio. I should be very grateful to stay in
contact with you and beg to remain,

Enc.

April 3, 1962

Dear Dr. Schulz-Koehn:

I appreciate your kindness in sending me a copy of your column in which you published my photo with a short bio. I regret that we were unable to meet when you were here, but will be delighted to see you on your next visit.

My gospel song-play, BLACK NATIVITY, for which Gary Kramer is a producer (with three other persons), is scheduled to go to the Festival of Two Worlds at Spoleto, Italy, in June. Gary has been sick, but he is back at work now, and just might go over to Spoleto with the show.

With cordial regards,

★DR. DIETRICH SCHULZ-KOEHN

KÖLN-NIPPES
AUERSTRASSE
24

July 10, 1962.

Mr. Langston Hughes,
20 East 127th St.,
New York 35, N.Y.

Dear Mr. Hughes,

enclosed please find three clippings from
my weekly jazz-column in "Kölnische Rund-
schau" in which I have mentioned you.

In October I will broadcast a review which
I have taped last year at the VOICE OF
AMERICA in New York in which you are also
mentioned, and my wife will read a few of
your poems

Feet of Jesus
Minstrel Man
The Negro Speaks Of Rivers
and a few others.

I wished I could have gone to the FESTIVAL
OF TWO WORLDS at Spoleto, but unfortunately
I was unable to do so.

I hope that your gospelsong play BLACK
NATIVITY was a success. I can also imagine
that such a thing could be a success on
the German TV screen as well.

I hope we shall stay in contact and beg
to remain, with best regards,

Yours sincerely,

P.S.

Please remember
me to Gary Kramer.

Encs.

March 27, 1962

Seven Seas Publishers
Glinkastrasse 13-15
Berlin, W. 8, Germany

Gentlemen:

Richard Rive of Cape Town, South Africa, has asked me to write you regarding the use of my poem, OUR LAND, in his forthcoming book of short stories.

I am happy to grant to Seven Seas Publishers the right to reprint this poem. The credit line should read:

Reprinted by permission of the author
from his book, THE DREAM KEEPER, Alfred A.
Knopf, New York, 1932.

I would very much appreciate your sending me a copy of the book when it is published.

SEVEN SEAS PUBLISHERS

SEVEN SEAS PUBLISHERS · BERLIN W 8 · GLINKASTRASSE 13-15

October 4, 1962

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, N. Y.
U.S.A.

Dear Langston:

I have just received "Fight for Freedom" and can't wait until I get into it. I'm sure that it is a wonderful book and it has come out at a time when it is much needed. The events in Mississippi have certainly shocked the world. It is hard for Europeans to understand how such a thing can happen today and it is our task over here to explain it to them. The comparison with which they can most easily identify the situation in the States is the persecution of the Jews under Hitler but even then they tend to believe that all that lies in the past. I'm not referring to people here who of course know the score but to people in general. But you must have found in your travels through Africa that it is the Africans who can best understand the American brand of segregation. We have many African friends here and they do know the score.

I talked with Aufbau Verlag and they tell me that they are bringing out two books in the Simple series. Congratulations!

I'm sending you a copy of one of our new titles which I think will be of interest. "Immortal Lieder - 800 Years of German Poetry." It has had a fine translation by E. Louise Mally, the American poet and novelist. Do you have a copy of "Down Second Avenue" by Ezekiel Mphahlele? If you don't and would like it I will send it to you.

With warmest regards from Aubrey and myself and many, many thanks for the book,

Sincerely,

TELEPHONE: BERLIN 225361 CABLE ADDRESS: SEVENSEASBERLIN

239 Nus 1963 35

Hans-L. Spegg
Assistant to
ROLF ITALIAANDER

Permanent address:
Hamburg 20/Germany
Heilwigstraße 39
Telefon: 47 34 35

5.4.1962

Visiting Professor
in African History and Civilization
Hope College, Holland, Mich., USA

Editor-in-chief: Our World Library
Prentice-Hall International Inc.,
Englewood Cliffs, N. J., USA

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, N.Y.
USA

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Would you please be so kind as to allow me a special
request.

In February 1963 Rolf Italiaander will have his fiftieth
anniversary. Since a long time his readers and students
ask for a biography and bibliography about Rolf Italia-
ander. For the time being he does not intend to publish
his autobiography. For this reason his publishers and
the universities at which he is teaching proposed me to
publish a book about Professor Rolf Italiaander, his per-
sonality and his work. Enclosed you find a list with the
personalities who have promised already their contribu-
tion.

Those works either have been written especially for this
book "Unterwegs mit Rolf Italiaander" ("On the way with
Rolf Italiaander") or have been published already some
time ago. Could you perhaps contribute to this book, too,
with some lines about your personal meeting with Rolf
Italiaander or about one of his books. The manuscript
is due to be printed already this summer.

I would be very grateful indeed if I would get your
kind reply soon.

Thanking you in advance I remain

Yours sincerely

April 9, 1962

Dear Herr Spegg:

I am sorry I cannot contribute to
the proposed UNTERWEGS MIT ROLF ITALIAAN-
DER, since I have had the pleasure of
seeing him only once, and do not know
him or his work well enough to write an
article. But thank you for thinking of
me in connection with his 50th anniver-
sary.

STADT JÜLICH
DER STADTDIREKTOR

I a

Abt. _________________

(22c) JULICH, den 20. Febr. 1962

Postanschrift: Stadtverwaltung Jülich

Bescheinigung

Herr Karl Geyer, Jülich, Römerstraße Nr. 4, ist seit einigen Jahren damit beschäftigt, eine Manuskript- und Handschriftensammlung aller bedeutenden Persönlichkeiten des In- und Auslandes zusammenzustellen.

Wegen des geschichtlichen Wertes dieser Sammlung empfehle ich,
der Bitte des Herrn Geyer zu entsprechen.

In Vertretung:

(Rademächers)
I.Beigeordneter

Kreis- und Stadtsparkasse Jülich - Landeszentralbank Jülich - Postscheckkonto Köln 7310 - Fernruf-Sammel-Nr. 2001

November 1, 1965

Mr. Werner Steltzer
Informationszentrum Berlin
Hardenberastrasse 20
1 Berlin 12
Deutschland

Dear Mr. Steltzer:

Because I have been on a tour of parts of
Europe participating in student seminars
and trying to complete heavy writing commitments,
I am just now able to thank you for your most
interesting letter of May 11th. I am happy
that my column reached you in Berlin and that
you were concerned enough to write me. I also
appreciated receiving the articles by Hans
Rothfels and Willi Brandt.

Should I write another column on Berlin, I
shall certainly take your suggestions into
consideration.

RANDOLPH SYMONETTE

ERSTER HELDENBARITON
OPERNHAUS DÜSSELDORF

DÜSSELDORF, January 23rd, 1956

BUNSENSTRASSE 10
TEL. 24060

Dear Mr. Hughes:

we were really deeply touched when your wonderful Christmas Greeting reached us! We just love having your charming book and you may be pleased to know that your books are finding quite an audience here in Germany, also on the radio we often hear some of your poems read!

WE guess that Lenya has told you all about the "Street Scene" production here and it was wonderful having her here. Are you coming to Europe possibly one of these days? Since Lenya left there is a definite offer by the Stadttheater Basel to do Street Scene next. Also most recently, just a couple of days ago, Covent Garden London expressed an interest in the work and let us keep our fingers crossed that it might be given there! (I don't think Lenya knows this as yet).

I do hope that Chappell's will put a little work into publicizing the success of the first German production because even though some of the reactionary (former Nazi-) press panned the life out of it, there were enough first rate papers to give glowing reports, and most of all, the audiences love it. Düsseldorf is a very snobbish town and the audiences rarely go out of their way to express enthusiasm. But Street Scene gets more curtains and scenic applause than Boheme, Butterfly or Carmen! So here goes to hoping for more and more European as well as American productions! Many, many thanks again for your thoughtfulness, with all our best wishes,

C O P Y

RANDOLPH SYMONETTE
Erster Heldenbariton
OPERNHAUS DUSSELDORF

C O P Y

DUSSELDORF, January 23rd, 1956
Bunsenstrasse 10
Tel. 24060

Dear Mr. Hughes:

We were really deeply touched when your wonderful Christmas Greeting reached us! We just love having your charming book and you may be pleased to know that your books are finding quite an audience here in Germany, also on the radio we often hear some of your poems read!

We guess that Lenya has told you all about the "Street Scene" production here and it was wonderful having her here. Are you coming to Europe possibly one of these days? Since Lenya left there is a definite offer by the Stadtheatre Basel to do "Street Scene" next. Also most recently, just a couple of days ago, Covent Garden, London, expressed an interest in the work and let us keep our fingers crossed that it might be given there! (I don't think Lenya knows this as yet).

I do hope that Chappell's will put a little work into publicizing the success of the first German production, because even though some of the reactionary (former Nazi) press panned the life out of it, there were enough first rate papers to give glowing reports, and most of all, the audiences love it. Dusseldorf is a very snobbish town and the audiences rarely go out of their way to express enthusiasm. But Street Scene gets more curtains and scene applause than Boheme, Butterfly or Carmen! So here goes to hoping for more and more European as well as American productions! Many, many thanks again for your thoughtfulness. Will all our best wishes,

SYMONETTE

201 WEST 77TH STREET - APT. 10 E

NEW YORK, N. Y. 10024

SUSQUEHANNA 7-6661

April 3rd, 1967

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Doubtlessly you will be surprised to be hearing from me
after so many years.

The fact is, that ever since "Street Scene" was done in Düsseldorf,
Germany, I have tried to awaken interest in the work, however I
found a great deal of resistance in Germany, despite of the great
public success in Düsseldorf. Mainly probably due to the fact,
that the Germans -or rather the German music critics - don't
want to accept the "American" Weill.

However I finally have succeeded in promoting a German-British
TV production of the work. But also here the dealings with the
BBC-who sincerely want to do it-have been painfully slow
(negotiations have been going on for over a year!) and as yet
there are several union problems to be cleared.

My husband and I have just recently moved back to New York
and it has occurred to me-with the great efforts that are being
made to bring film productions on N.Y. subjects to New York -
to try for an American Co-Producer.

If you have any time at all I would very much appreciate
hearing from you, so we could possibly discuss the matter.
It would especially interest me to know, whether you may be
interested in helping to write a TV script. So far I have done
a script alone, however I feel, that for US TV there should be
a major contribution by one of the authors.

I have acquired the rights from Chappell and they have been
most patient and co-operative.

I do so hope that this will find you in the best of health.
In looking forward to hearing from you, I remain with very
best regards, also from my husband,

sincerely yours,

STADTISCHE BUHNEN
DUSSELDORF

ABT. ....................................................................
(IN DER ANTWORT BITTE ANGEBEN)

27. Oktober

5

DUSSELDORF, DEN ................................. 195....
FERNRUF: SAMMELNUMMER 26441
OPERNHAUS

Herrn
Langston Hughes
c/o Playwrights Company
1545 Broadway
New York

Sehr geehrter Herr Hughes !

Am Samstag, 26. November 1955 findet in unserem "Theater am Worringerplatz" die deutsche Erstaufführung von

"Street Scene"

statt.

Wir würden es ausserordentlich begrüssen, wenn Sie als Verfasser derLyrics der Premiere, die unter dem Protektorat des U.S.A.-Generalkonsuls Herrn Patrick Malin stattfindet, beiwohnen würden.

Mit ausgezeichneter Hochachtung !

Die General intendanz

Professor Szenkar

Direktor Schoppmann

Dr. Landsittel

Greetings Mr. Hughes !

On Saturday, November 26, 1955, the first German performance of STREET SCENE opens in our Theatre-on-Worringerplatz.

We wish it the extraordinary reception which the excellence of the lyrics warrant at the premiere which bows under the patronage of the United States Consul-General Mr. Patrick Mallan.

With our best wishes

The General Staff

February 6, 1963

Dear Herr Czollek:

In answer to your recent letter, I regret
that I can give you no information about the
original French version of Lumumba's WEEP,
BELOVED BLACK BROTHERS. The two translations
I saw are both in English, one from a Bombay
newspaper and the other from, I believe,
MASSES here in New York. I have never seen the
poem in French.

This Spring an anthology which I collected
and edited, POEMS FROM BLACK AFRICA, will be
published by INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS,
Bloomington, Indiana. If your firm might be
interested in this book, you might write
Mr. Bernard Perry at the Indiana University
Press for a set of proofs in advance, as the
book is already in preparation and galley proof
should be available soon.

I am sorry I cannot be more helpful.

PHILOSOPHISCHE FAKULTÄT
DER HUMBOLDT-UNIVERSITÄT ZU BERLIN

Der Dekan

108 Berlin, den 18.1.1967
Unter den Linden 6

Telefon 22 01 41, App. 301/302

Bankverbindung: Deutsche Notenbank Berlin
Kto.-Nr. 11 27 600/1

Prof.Wi/Lo.

Mr.
Langston Hughes
20 East 127 th Street
New York 35, N.Y.

Sehr verehrter Herr Langston Hughes!

Es ist mir eine Ehre, Ihnen mitzuteilen, daß der Rat der
Philosophischen Fakultät der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
auf Vorschlag der Leitung des Aufbau-Verlages beschlossen
hat, Ihnen in Würdigung Ihrer Verdienste als Dichter, Schrift-
steller, Historiker und Publizist die Würde eines Dr.phil.
ehrenhalber zu verleihen.

Ich darf Sie fragen, ob Sie diese akademische Ehrung annehmen
werden und verbinde damit die Bitte, wenn es Ihre Pläne irgend-
wie gestatten, der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin im Anfang
September dieses Jahres einen Besuch abzustatten, um die Ehren-
doktorwürde entgegen zu nehmen.

Mit dem Ausdruck vorzüglicher
Hochachtung

(Prof.Dr. K.-H.Wirzberger)
Dekan

Accept +
as far as
he knows now -
he can attend,

(92) Bm G 049-65 1

May 4, 1962

Dear Sir:

The two copies of the April 21 issue of your paper which contained the German translation of Mr. Hughes' story, LITTLE OLD SPY were received today. Mr. Hughes is away, but I am sure that he will be pleased to find the papers here on his return. Many thanks to you on his behalf.

You might be interested in knowing that Mr. Hughes' song-play, BLACK NATIVITY, is scheduled for the Festival of Two Worlds at Spoletto, this summer, beginning June 24th. Mr. Hughes plans to go over for the production, and I am sure, would be delighted to meet you, if it is convenient for you to go down.

Editor

Zieitungsdrucksache

Berliner Vrag

Abstazbtellung, Berlin