Dearest Warren and Maggie,
Your lovely letter arrived today and cheered me immensely. How
often I have thought of you both! I have been through the most
incredible hell for six months, influenza, the lot, and amazingly
enough, now. ..to have something definite. ..the release in my
energy is enormous. ..

The one thing I retain is love for and admiration of [Ted's] writing.
I know he is a genius, and for a genius there are no bonds and no
bounds. ...It is hurtful to be ditched. ..but thank God I have
my own work. If I did not have that I do not know what I would do. I
have a considerable reputation over here and am writing from dawn
to when the babes wake, a poem a day, and they are terrific.

So glad you are behind me on the nanny, Warren. I am and have
been an intelligent woman, and this year of country life has been, for
me, a cultural death. No plays, films, art shows, books, people! ...
Now I am stuck; but not for long. I plan to go to Ireland to a lovely cot-
tage by the sea from December to February to recover my health and
my heart, then return here for spring and summer, see you and Maggie
I hope and pray, my good friends, the Alan Sillitoes (now, alas, in
Tangier for a year), and Marty and Mike Plumer if they come. The
loneliness here now is appalling. Then I shall fight for a London
flat. ..I shall be able to do free-lance broadcasting, reviewing, and
have a circle of intellectual friends in London. I loved living there and
never wanted to leave. You can imagine how ironic it is to me that
Ted is now living there, after he said it was "death" to him. ..I
will try to finish my novel and a second book of poems by Christmas.
I think 1'11 be a pretty good novelist, very funny-my stuff makes me
laugh and laugh, and if I can laugh now it must be hellishly funny
stuff.
weeks, and you could begin and end your stay here. I would be very
cheerful and entertaining by then, I promise you.
Just now I am a bit of a wreck, bones literally sticking out all over
and great, black shadows under my eyes from sleeping pills, A
smoker's hack (1 actually took up smoking the past month out of
desperation-my solicitor started it by offering me a cigarette, and I
practically burned off all my eyebrows, I was so upset and forgot it
was lit! But now I've stopped). I do hope Dotty isn't going to snub me
because of the divorce, although I know Catholics think it's a sin. Her
support has been marvelous for me. I hope you can tactfully convey
to mother, Warren, that we should not meet for at least a year ...
when I am happy in my new London life. After this summer, I just
could not bear to see her; it would be too painful and recall too much.
So you and dear Maggie, whom I already love, come in~tead.
Tell me you'll consider taking (I mean escorting! I'll have money!)
me to Austria with you, even if you don't, so I'll have that to look
forward to. I've had nothing to look forward to for so long! The half
year ahead seems like a lifetime, and the half behind an endless helL
Your letters are like gluhwein to me. (I must really learn German. I
want above all to speak it.) Do write me again. So proud of your
Chicago speech, Warren! I want both you and Maggie henceforth to
consider yourselves godparents to both Frieda and Nick. Lord knows,
they need as many as they can have, and the best! Lots of love to you
both.

Sivvy