I want to thank Tim Materer for his "review" of I CEASE NOT TO YOWL. I, of
course, agree with his assessment of the importance of the correspondence,
and must humbly agree that his emendations are almost certainly correct--and
our annotations on those points in error. I can only say in our defence that
the task of annotation for this edition was enormous--and note that not
everyone possesses Tim's amazing erudition.
        I would cavil a bit at his characterization of Olivia Rossetti
Agresti as "a fervent and entirely unrepentant Fascist." Though Tim notes
correctly that she was not an anti-Semite, it should also be noted that she
was in her youth an anarchist, and retained throughout her life a charitable
and generous spirit toward all men and women, and especially her Italian
co-citizens. I think it would be more accurate to characterize her as an
Italian patriot and political conservative. She showed no sorrow at the fall
of Mussolini, but had been a supporter of the regime, and was disturbed by
the economic sufferings of herself and others in Italy during the liberation
(AFTER Italy had signed a cease fire with the Allies) and in the early post
war years. Agrestic, of course, is not of primary interest to Poundians, but
I grew quite fond of her in editing this correspondence, and want to defend
her memory.
        Tim also wrote: "... the Pound on display here is monomaniacal on
the subject of the Jews: a gibbering paranoiac with a mouth full of antisemitic
cliches."  I would like to be able to say that this is too strong. Certainly
it is harsher than anything I have, or would be innclined, to write.
However, I have to admit that Pound comes off very badly in many of these
letters. It is a credit to Mary de Rachewiltz that she permitted us to
publish these letters without any elisions--except for lists of addresses
and the like. As Tim concedes, the "letters demonstrate that Pound did
continue to read and think and
grow while he was in St. Elizabeths." Alas his agenda was set and it
remained founded on a paranoid committment to the existence of a Zionist
conspiracy. My forthcoming book from Illinois UP, POUND IN PURGATORY traces
how Pound sunk into that slough of despond, and (I hope) will redeem
somewhat his humanity--though not his wisdom.
        Perhaps this is enought to be said. As I said at the outset, Tim's
assessment of the correspondence is very much in line with my own--and more
accurate on some points!