BR TO CONSTANCE MALLESON, [2 SEPT. 1920]
BRACERS 19697. ALS. McMaster
Edited by S. Turcon. Reviewed by K. Blackwell

<Paris>
Thursday1^, 2^,3

My Beloved

It is very exciting about Genée and the wordless play4 — I do hope it will happen — Thank you a thousand times for the sonnets — they are very beautiful — I don’t know about Louise Labé5 — who was she? and how did you come across her? — These days are tremendously busy — I shall be thankful for the quiet of the ship — Yesterday a Chinaman who is a professor at Pekin6 came to call — he was interesting. He says the war turned people of his sort away from Europeanizing back to native ideals — evidently he only admires among Europeans those who were against the war —  He was very modern and advanced, and at the same time modest and nice — If the other professors are like him it will be delightful. He says Social Reconstruction7 has been translated into Chinese, which I didn’t know.

My book on Russia8 is done, except odds and ends of tidying up — I shall send it off before leaving here. We go to Marseilles Sunday and sail Monday, arriving Shanghai about Oct. 12 or a little later.

My dear dear Love, your letters have never been “selfish”,9 not one atom — You have been quite wonderful — but I felt your sadness —  Dear One, I love you, and nothing could ever take you out of my heart — When I get to sea I shall be able to write real letters — I long for what you will have made in the way of a book of letters10 — I hope I shall get it soon after I get to Peking.  Bless you, my Heart’s Love — I send you my heart and many many tender kisses —

B

• 1

  [document] Document 200698.

• 2

  [envelope] Miss Colette O’Niel | 6 Mecklenburgh Square | London W.C.1 | Angleterre. Pmk: PARIS 1 | PL DELA BOURSE | 15 30 | 2 - IX | 1920

• 3

  [date] The date is taken from the envelope’s postmark.

• 4

  Genée and the wordless play Colette had been offered a role by Dame Adeline Genée (1878–1970), a former ballerina. In 1920 she became the first president of the Association of Operatic Dancing. The mime play was to run for six weeks in the West End and then go to Paris. In the end Colette turned down the offer because her agent did not want her to do it (BRACERS 116415).

• 5

  the sonnets ... Louise Labé Louise Labé (1526?–1566), French poet. Her book Euvres de Louize Labe Lionnoize containing all her writing, including her sonnets, was first published in 1555. Colette replied that she had been introduced to Labé through a Dr. Cox, a friend of her uncle, Sir Charles Hagberg Wright. She also notes that Lytton Strachey mentions Labé in his Landmarks in French Literature (Russell’s Library, no. 699), and she provides BR with a brief biographical sketch of her (10 Nov., BRACERS 116424).

• 6

  a Chinaman who is a professor at Pekin  Not identified.

• 7

  Social ReconstructionPrinciples of Social Reconstruction (1916, B&R A25).

• 8

  My book on RussiaThe Practice and Theory of Bolshevism (1920, B&R A34).

• 9

  “selfish” In her letter of 29 August 1920, Colette had written: “I do hope my scraps of letters haven’t seemed selfish and depressing. I can’t help being sad at such a very long separation ...” (BRACERS 116413).

• 10

  book of letters BR first proposed this on 22 November 1919. For information, see BRACERS 19585, n.6.