|
Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Grady McMurtry
The Ridge, Hastings, Sussex. England.
7 May 45 E.V.
Dear Grady,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
I have just addressed an envelope to you when yours of Ap. 26th turned up. What you say about conditions where you are is very interesting. The trouble in this country, is of course, the Christians. They seem to think that if we give them all their food, and rebuild all their buildings by our own slave labor, Justice will be satisfied. It is just incredible that people like this do exist, but they do, and appear to be running the Country. There is one hopeful sign the Government are putting out in all the Cinemas, photographs of Buchenwald and other concentration camps.
I think that may do some good. I learnt long ago that it was practically impossible to get anything through people's thick skulls by means of the ear; but what they see does seem to have an effect. It was Tommy Burke of 'Broken Blossoms' that pointed that out to me. She had gave to me the private view of the film that they had made of it, and they showed on the screen the drunken ex-boxer beating up his daughter; and he told me that as he had written it there was no particular harm in it, but to see what he had written on the screen, even though they had toned it down considerable, was perfectly intolerable.
I am not surprised about what you tell me about Grant [Kenneth Grant]. He is the most idle and irresponsible of all human beings. You didn't scare him [illegible], he simply couldn't take the trouble to answer your letter or criticize your Paper as I had requested him to do.
What you say about Orson Welles sound slovenly, but I have heard nothing from him, as I expected to do a month or more ago. It would just about save my life if I got a cable from Jean [Jean Phillips] about it. I have gone into rather a flat spin, and need some kind of big pick-me up. I like your self-portrait very much. Quite as good as Steig himself.
I think your Ballad—'Bitterness' is one of the best you have written of that type. It is powerful and simple and everything in art that a Ballad should be.
There is no news this end except that I received the equivalent of $20 from the Guarantee Trust. Somehow or other I had got it into my head that it was pounds. It was rather a shock now that the German part of the War is over. I wonder what your prospects are. I do hope they are not going to shoot you out to the Wilds of Manchester. It would be much nicer for you to have an Occupation Job with some leave to come over and see me. Tell Ikey I said so, next time you're dining there.
Love is the law, love under will.
Yours
Aleister
P.S. Cad! You never told me that you had [illegible] Paris and [illegible] is a blow-out with [illegible]. And you sent me no snap of yourself—she did a good one. Very good. Cad!
Yours
A.C.
Lieut Grady L. McMurtry 1814th Ord A&M Co (Avn) A.P.O. 149 U.S. Army
|