Peter asked me to forward this to the group.
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To: Douglas Clark <[log in to unmask]>
From: Peter Quartermain <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Basil Bunting/Caddel and Flowers
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 21:12:45 -0700
Let me add my enthusiastic voice re Basil Bunting a Northern Life: this is
an impressively well-researched little book which unearthed an enormous
amount of information hitherto not known, obscured, or forgotten. And some
truly wonderful photographs. The book gives something of the flavour of that
Northern world -- no small task, especially in such restricted compass. As
for the notion that, as Douglas put it, "Bunting's war service is not
covered," well: first let me observe that it prints detailed and useful
(however brief) information about that service, and second, that this is
BB's NORTHERN life -- i.e. covering (if that is the word) his life in the
North. There is still a real need for a thorough biography -- how much of
the Persian years can actually be covered at all adequately is of course
moot, given the current political etc climate. There are BB publications (in
English) locked away in Persian newspaper and similar files, if such exist
at all, but we may have to wait until hell freezes before we can see these.
And as for his "complicated later love life," well, so what? None of my
business, I'd actually have thought. It seems to bear little if any at all
relation to the writing, no matter how gossipy speculators may wish so.
(And a propos the war &c service, I'm not sure what the rule is, anyway,
under the Official Secrets Act. Perhaps someone can enlighten this innocent
and ignorant Canuck.)
Peter
At 06:37 PM 10/18/97 BST, you wrote:
>Fred Beake, who borrowed my copy this afternoon, asks why Bunting's
>war service is not covered when the information should be available
>under either the Thirty-year rule or the Fifty-year rule.
>
>I note that Basil's complicated later love life is not mentioned.
>Only his changes of address.
>
>I knew Basil for a year or two in Newcastle around 1971 as a lovely
>old man. I made him the presiding spirit of my book `Disbanded'.
>His advice to me in poetry was `Never repeat yourself'.
>
>
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Peter Quartermain
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