Uys Krige and the South African afterlife of Fernando Pessoa

Uys  Krige   and  the  South  African  afterlife  of  Fernando  Pessoa     Stefan  Helgesson*       Keywords     Fernando  Pessoa,  Roy  Campbell,  Armand  Guibert,  Hubert  Jennings,  Uys  Krige,  Afrikaans,   the  world  republic  of  letters     Abstract     Three  letters  to  Hubert  Jennings—two  of  them  from  the  Afrikaans  poet  Uys  Krige,  one  from   the  French  poet  Armand  Guibert—prompt  a  reconsideration  of  the  South  African  reception   of  Fernando  Pessoa.  Although  this  reception  was  and  is  clearly  limited,  Krige  emerges  here   as   a   key   individual   connecting   Jennings,   Guibert,   Roy   Campbell   and—by   extension— Fernando   Pessoa   in   a   transnational   literary   network   structured   according   to   the   logic   of   what   Pascale   Casonova   has   called   “the   world   republic   of   letters”   (La République Mondiale des Lettres).   As   such,   however,   this   historical   network   has   limited   purchase   on   the   contemporary  concerns  of  South  African  literature. The  letters  alert  us,  thereby,  not  just  to   the  inherent  transnationalism  of  South  African  literature,  but  also  to  largely  forgotten  and,   to  some  extent,  compromised  aspects  of  South  African  literary  history.     Palavras-­‐‑chave     Fernando  Pessoa,  Roy  Campbell,  Armand  Guibert,  Hubert  Jennings,  Uys  Krige,  Afrikaans,   a  república  mundial  das  letras     Resumo     Três   cartas   a   Hubert   Jennings   –   duas   delas   do   poeta   afrikaans   Uys   Krige,   uma   do   poeta   francês  Armand  Guibert  –  incitam  uma  reconsideração  da  recepção  de  Fernando  Pessoa  na   África  do  Sul.  Embora  essa  recepção  tenha  sido  e  ainda  seja  claramente  limitada,  Krige  aqui   emerge  como  indivíduo  chave  a  conectar  Jennings,  Guibert,  Roy  Campbell  e  –  por  extensão   –   Fernando   Pessoa,   numa   rede   transnacional   estruturada   segundo   a   lógica   que   Pascale   Casanova   nomeou   “república   mundial   das   letras”   (La République Mondiale des Lettres).   Como   tal,   porém,   essa   rede   histórica   tem   recebido   limitada   atenção   nas   preocupações   contemporâneas   da   literatura   sul-­‐‑africana.     As   cartas   alertam-­‐‑nos,   pois,   não   só   para   o   transnacionalismo   da   literatura   sul-­‐‑africana,   mas   também   para   aspectos   grandemente   esquecidos  e,  de  certo  modo,  comprometidos  da  história  literária  da  África  do  Sul.       *  Stockholm  University.   Helgesson Uys Krige We   have   here   three   letters   that   allow   us   to   glimpse   the   effective   life   of   a   remarkably   extensive   literary   network.   All   deal   with   Fernando   Pessoa   in   a   roundabout  way,  and  Hubert  Jennings  himself—as  the  addressee—is  their  absent   centre.  My  focus  in  this  brief  comment  will  however  be  on  Uys  Krige.  It  is  Krige’s   voice   we   hear   in   two   of   these   letters,   and,   more   importantly,   Krige   is   the   one   individual  connecting  Jennings,  Roy  Campbell,  and  Armand  Guibert.  In  this  way,   the  letters  provide  us  with  a  partly  new  picture  of  the  South  African  reception  of   Fernando  Pessoa.  As  such,  they  alert  us  not  just  to  the  inherent  transnationalism  of   South   African   letters,   but   also   to   largely   forgotten   and,   to   some   extent,   compromised   aspects   of   South   African   literary   history,   the   relevance   of   which   in   our   present   moment   is   far   from   self-­‐‑evident.   I   will   soon   explain   what   I   mean   by   that.   In   a   recent   article,   I   claimed   that   Pessoa   has   had   an   extremely   limited   readership  in  South  Africa,  and  mentioned  Campbell,  Jennings,  Stephen  Gray  and   Charles  Beaumont  Eglington  as  some  of  the  select  few  who  had  brought  Pessoa’s   work  to  the  attention  of  Anglophone  readers  in  South  Africa  (HELGESSON,  2015).  I   have   no   reason   to   revise   my   assessment   of   the   paucity   of   Pessoa-­‐‑reception,   but   Krige’s  letters  show  that  his  name  should  have  been  added  to  my  list.   This  is  not  so  very  surprising.  Conventional  literary  historiography  will  tell   us   that   Uys   Krige   (1910-­‐‑1987)   belonged   to   the   Dertigers   (the   generation   of   the   1930s),  a  group  of  writers  who  revitalised  and  consolidated  Afrikaans  literature  in   the   1930s   and   subsequent   decades   (OLIVIER,   2012:   308-­‐‑315).   As   a   Creole   derived   from  Dutch,  Afrikaans  only  became  standardised  and  accepted  as  a  language  in  its   own  right  around  1900.  Following  the  defeat  of  the  Boers  in  the  second  Anglo-­‐‑Boer   war,   the   language   itself—and   thereby,   in   Herderian   fashion,   the   creation   of   an   Afrikaans   literature—became   a   rallying   cause   for   Afrikaner   nationalism,   which   reached  its  political  apotheosis  with  the  electoral  victory  for  the  Nationalist  Party   in  1948  and  the  subsequent  dark  half  century  of  apartheid  in  South  Africa.     The   Dertigers   were   inevitably   absorbed   into   this   nationalistic   endeavour,   but  adopted  individually  distinct  attitudes  towards  the  politics  of  volksnasionalisme.   N.   P.   van   Wyk   Louw   (1906-­‐‑1970),   the   intellectual   leader   of   the   Dertigers,   developed   during   the   apartheid   era   an   increasingly   ambiguous   policy   of   “lojale   verset”,  or  “loyal  resistance”,  as  has  been  discussed  by  Mark  Sanders  (2003:  57-­‐‑92).   Uys  Krige  was  always  more  sceptical  of  nationalism  but  also  more  marginal  in  the   Dertigers  group.  Instead,  he  cultivated  an  atypical  interest  in  the  romance  cultures,   especially  Spanish  poetry,  which  is  what  enables  his  affinities  with  Roy  Campbell   (1901-­‐‑1957),  Armand  Guibert  and  Pessoa.   Campbell,   of   course,   is   the   renegade   cause   celèbre   of   Anglophone   South   African—and   Durban-­‐‑based—modernism.   Together   with   William   Plomer,   he   entered   the   literary   scene   as   the   driving   force   behind   the   short-­‐‑lived   journal   Voorslag   (“Whiplash”)   in   1926.   In   the   1930s   he   enjoyed   a   short   period   of   high   Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 266 Helgesson Uys Krige celebrity  among  London’s  literary  society,  the  afterlife  of  which  is  evident  from  the   roll   call   of   contributors   to   the   memorial   volume   mentioned   by   Krige.   The   problem—and   this   is   a   problem   that   implicates   also   Pessoa—is   that   Campbell   disgraced   himself   politically   (much   like   Ezra   Pound)   by   veering   towards   fascism   and  becoming  a  vocal  supporter  of  Franco  and  Salazar.  Towards  the  end  of  his  life,   when  he  had  settled  in  Portugal,  he  had  even  “begun  to  regard  apartheid  as  a  balm   against  the  decline  of  the  West”  (CHAPMAN,  1996:  182).  To  say  that  some  aspects  of   Pessoa’s   oeuvre—the   rhetoric   of   imperial   grandeur   in   Mensagem,   for   example— could   be   made   to   resonate   with   such   sentiments   is,   I   hope,   not   completely   reductive,  and  deserves  to  be  explored  further  by  Pessoa  critics.  My  point  is  not  to   moralise  over  Pessoa’s  poetry.  It  is  rather  that  the  often  contradictory  intersections   between   his   poetry   and   an   imperial   (western)   distribution   of   power   can   convey   critical   insights   concerning,   not   least,   the   changing   structure   of   what   Pascale   Casanova  (1999)  has  called  the  world  republic  of  letters.   As   I   mention   in   my   previous   article,   Campbell   is   the   first   and   strongest   connection  between  Pessoa  and  South  African  literary  circles.  He  had  been  to  the   same  Durban  school  as  Pessoa;  he  translated  a  number  of  Pessoa’s  poems;  he  wrote   about   Pessoa   in   his   later   prose   works.   Above   all—let’s   give   him   his   due—being   such   a   gifted,   erudite   and   linguistically   versatile   lyrical   poet   himself,   Campbell   was  able  to  appreciate  Pessoa  precisely  as  a  poet,  through  the  medium  of  poetry.   This,  in  turn,  is  how  Krige  connects  with  Campbell.  In  the  letter  from  1960,  Krige   alludes   to   an   article   published   in   English   Studies   in   Africa   in   1958,   where   he   examines  closely  the  qualities  of  some  of  Campbell’s  poems  but  skirts  completely   Campbell’s  politics.   One  way  of  reading  these  three  letters  is  to  see  how  they  afford  a  glimpse  of   a   small,   Europe-­‐‑centred—and   conspicuously   male   and   white   –   literary   culture   in   South   Africa   that   would   be   swept   away   by   the   tidal   wave   of   history.   Paris,   represented   by   Armand   Guibert,   still   enjoys   here   the   centrality   that   Casanova   accords   it,   and   Pessoa   is   largely   mediated   via   this   version   of   Paris.   At   the   same   time,   the   local   names   and   institutions   that   are   invoked   in   the   letters   –   Jennings,   Jack   Cope,   the   publisher   Balkema,   Wits   University—testify   to   a   national   public   sphere   that   is   inescapably   marked   by   the   racialised   citizen-­‐‑subject   split   (see   MAMDANI,   1996)   of   apartheid   society,   which   in   colonial   fashion   privileges   European  and  Europe-­‐‑derived  culture  as  the  norm.   The  narrative  of  South  African  literary  history  has  always  been  fraught  and   fragmented,  conceived  as  an  archipelago  (GRAY,  1979),  a  condition  of  mutual  non-­‐‑ influence  (VAN  WYK  SMITH,  1996)  or  as  a  seam  (DE  KOCK,  2001).  The  three  letters  in   question  issue  from  one  of  the  islands  in  Gray’s  “archipelago”  and  hardly  engage   with   the   “seam”,   in   De   Kock’s   sense,   which   is   the   local   site   of   contestation   and   difference—other  than  the  gap  between  the  English  and  the  Afrikaners,  in  respect   of   which   the   letters   show   that   Krige   clearly   was   a   bridge-­‐‑builder.   (Although   Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 267 Helgesson Uys Krige Guibert’s  postscriptum  is  a  striking  indication  of  another,  African  literary  domain   in  the  making.)    The   letters   resonate   instead   most   powerfully   with   Van   Wyk   Smith’s   unhappy   notion   of   non-­‐‑influence.   They   confront   us   with   a   past   that   closes   in   on   itself,   at   least   when   viewed   from   a   contemporary   South   African   vantage   point.   If   we   want   to   see   where   Pessoa’s   poetry   might   conceivably   connect   with   a   lyrical   voice   and   a   literary   scene   that   is   relevant   also   in   the   post-­‐‑apartheid   present,   we   should  focus  on  the  moment  of  Krige’s  second  letter,  i.  e.  1973,  and  on  the  singular   work  of  a  poet  who  isn’t  mentioned  here,  Wopko  Jensma.  As  a  bilingual  (Afrikaans   and  English)  avant-­‐‑garde  poet  whose  work  engaged  in  striking  and  unprecedented   ways   with   the   conflictual   nature   of   South   African   society,   he   worked   in   a   lyrical   register   far   removed   from   Krige   or   Campbell.   It   is   not   evident   that   Jensma   had   read   Pessoa—but   it   is   clearly   possible,   given   his   sojourns   in   Mozambique,   his   knowledge  of  Portuguese,  his  friendship  with  the  erudite  Mozambican  modernist   Rui  Knopfli  and  his  familiarity  with  Brazilian  modernist  poetry  (GRAY,  2014).  It  is   also   the   case   that   the   ventriloquising   practice   of   Jensma’s   poetry,   in   which   the   speaking  subject  is  frequently  split  as  well  as  multiplied,  bears  an  affinity  with,  if   not  necessarily  the  influence  of,  Pessoan  heteronymism.1   I   need   to   be   clear   about   what   I   am   saying   here:   connecting   Jensma   with   Pessoa   is   speculation   and   lies   beyond   the   purview   of   the   three   letters.   Still,   it   should   be   seen   as   an   invitation   to   continue   exploring   the   afterlife   of   Pessoa   in   Southern   Africa.   More   obvious   cases   to   be   investigated   would   be   Charles   Beaumont   Eglington   (as   I   have   discussed   elsewhere),   Breyten   Breytenbach2  and   Douglas   Livingstone.   What   Jensma   enables,   perhaps,   is   a   bridge   between   the   lyrical   universe   of   Pessoa   and   more   contemporary   concerns   of   South   African   writers.      See  for  example  the  traversing  “I”  in  I  Must  Show  You  My  Clippings  (JENSMA,  1977).   1  The  author  thanks  Louise  Viljoen  for  drawing  Breytenbach  to  his  attention.   2 Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 268 Helgesson Uys Krige Bibliography     BELL,   Aubrey   F.   G.   &   VIDIGAL,   B.   (Editors).   (1952).   The   Oxford   Book   of   Portuguese   Verse.   Oxford:   Oxford  University  Press.   CAMPBELL,  Roy  (1960).  The  Collected  Poems  of  Roy  Campbell,  Vol.  III.  London:  The  Bodley  Head.   ____   (1957).  Portugal.  London:  Max  Reinhardt.   CASANOVA,  Pascale  (1999).  La  République  Mondiale  des  Lettres.  Paris:  Seuil.   CHAPMAN,  Michael  (1996).  Southern  African  Literatures.  London:  Longman.   COPE,  Jack  (1960).  The  Tame  Ox:  Stories.  London:  Heinemann.   DE   KOCK,   Leon   (2001).   “South   Africa   in   the   Global   Imaginary:   An   Introduction”,   in   Poetics   Today,   pp.  263-­‐‑298.     GRAY,   Stephen   (2014).   “Losing   His   Head:   The   Poetry   of   Wopko   Jensma   and   His   Reputation”,   in   Current  Writing,  pp.  29-­‐‑40.     ____   (1979).  Southern  African  Literature:  An  Introduction.  Cape  Town:  David  Philip.   HELGESSON,  Stefan  (2015).  “Pessoa,  Anon  and  the  Natal  Colony:  Retracing  an  Imperial  Matrix”,  in   Portuguese  Literary  and  Cultural  Studies,  pp.  30-­‐‑46.   JENSMA,  Wopko  (1977).  I  Must  Show  You  My  Clippings.  Johannesburg:  Ravan.     KRIGE,   Uys   (1966).   Ballade   van   die   groot   Begeer   en   ander   gedigte.   Kaapstad   (Cape   Town):   Human   &   Rousseau.   MAMDANI,   Mahmood   (1996).   Citizen   and   Subject:   Contemporary   Africa   and   the   Legacy   of   Late   Colonialism.  Princeton:  Princeton  University  Press.     OLIVIER,   Gerrit   (2012).   “The   Dertigers   and   the   Plaasroman:   Two   Brief   Perspectives   on   Afrikaans   Literature”,  in  The  Cambridge  History  of  South  African  Literature.  D.  Attridge  and  D.  Attwell,   Cambridge:  Cambridge  University  Press,  pp.  308-­‐‑324.   SANDERS,  Mark  (2002).  Complicities:  The  Intellectual  and  Apartheid.  Durham:  Duke  University  Press.   SIMÕES,  João  Gaspar  (1950).  Vida  e  Obra  de  Fernando  Pessoa  -­‐‑  História  Duma  Geração:  Vol.  1,  Infância  e   Adolescência;  Vol.  2,  Maturidade  e  Morte.  Amadora:  Bertrand.   VAN  WYK  SMITH,  Malvern  (1990).  “White  Writing  /  Writing  Black:  the  Anxiety  of  Non-­‐‑Influence”,  in   Re-­‐‑Thinking  South  African  Literary  History.  J.  A.  Smit,  J.  van  Wyk  and  J-­‐‑P.  Wade,  Durban:  Y   Press,  pp.  72-­‐‑83.       Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 269 Helgesson Uys Krige Documents     I.   Unpublished.   Twelve   numbered   pages   (six   leaves   written   on   both   sides)   of   a   letter   handwritten   by   Uys   Krige   and   sent   to   Hubert   Jennings,   found   inside   the   folder   “F— FAMILY   HISTORY/Correspondence   etc.”   in   the   Jennings   literary   estate   (re-­‐‑filed   by   us   under  “L—Letters”).  Dated  October  24th,  1960.             Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 270 Helgesson Uys Krige                   Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 271 Helgesson Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) Uys Krige           272 Helgesson Uys Krige 24/10/60       Sea-­‐‑Point,             Second  Beach           Clifton  –  Cape  Town       Dear  Mr.  Jennings,     I   was   delighted   to   receive   your   letter   of   September   16.   Please   forgive   this   delay—but  I’ve  been  caught  up  in  a  web  of  lectures,  talks  &  other  commitments.  I   am  glad  you  liked  my  article  on  Roy  Campbell.  [2]  Use  as  much  of  it  as  you  like.  It   was  translated  into  French  and  appeared  in  a  book  in  memory  of  Roy,  Hommage  à   Roy  Campbell,  which  appeared  in  France  <in>  [↑  towards  the  end  of]  1958.  Hommage   contains  a  number  of  articles  &  essays  on  Roy  by  leading  French  &  English  poets  &   [3]  writers  –  including  such  people  as  Richard  Aldington,  Lawrence  Dürrell,  Alan   Paton,   Edith3  Sitwell,   Wyndham   Lewis   etc.   There   was   also   in   the   same   year   a   smaller   book   in   Spanish,   HOMENAJE   a   Roy   Campbell,   also   dedicated   to   the   work   &   life  of  our  friend.     [4]   When   the   French   poet,   Armand   GUIBERT,   was   here   in   1946   he   &   I   tried   our  best  to  contact  people  who  had  known  the  famous  poet,  Pessoa,  when  he  was   still  a  school  boy  in  Durban.  We  asked  for  information  in  several  newspapers  but   there   was   no  reply.   While   lecturing  [5]   at   the   Witwatersrand  University   in   1956   I   met   there   a   certain   Dr   □4  (I   have   forgotten   his   name)   but   he   is   in   charge   of   the   Portuguese  section  of  the  Wits  University  donated  by  the  Oppenheimer  family.  He   gave  me  a  biography  of  Pessoa  in  2  volumes  [6]  which  had  [↑  recently]  appeared  in   Lisbon5.  I  had  it  in  my  possession  for  some  time—and  then  sent  it  back  to  Wits—I   think  you  would  be  able  to  get  it  from  him.  But  can  you  read  Portuguese?   Pessoa’s  fame  is  spreading  all  the  time.  When  I  was  in  Paris  [7]  in  November   of   last   year   ARMAND   <Guibert>   GUIBERT   told   me   [↑   he]   had   become   the   great   authority  on  Pessoa  in  France,  lecturing  on  him  frequently  &  giving  a  whole  series   of   talks   on   his   work   &   life   over   the   French   radio,   writing   for   various   French   journals  on  [8]  him,  etc.  etc.  They  had  even  had  [↑  several]  special  Pessoa  evenings   in  Paris—and  a  <new>  volume  of  Pessoa’s  poems  translated  into  French  was  about   to  be  published  by  a  leading  Parisian  editeur.  Armand’s  address  is:     80  QUAI  <*d>D’ANJOU   ILE  SAINT  LOUIS     PARIS    “Édith”  in  the  letter,  with  a  French  stress,  although  the  poetess  was  British.        We  were  not  able  to  identify  the  professor  of  Portuguese  mentioned  by  Krige.    SIMÕES,  João  Gaspar  (1950).  Vida  e  Obra  de  Fernando  Pessoa  -­‐‑  História  Duma  Geração:  Vol.  1,  Infância   3 4 5 e  Adolescência;  Vol.  2,  Maturidade  e  Morte.  Amadora:  Bertrand.   Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 273 Helgesson Uys Krige   [9]  You  could  write  to  <him>  [↑  Armand].  He  is  an  old  friend.  And  speaks  &   writes  fluent  English,  was  at  Cambridge.  Just  mention  my  name.   In   the   recent   Oxford   Book   of   Portuguese   Verse6  Pessoa’<*c>/s\   contribution   is   only  second  in  length  to  <th>  one  of  the  greatest  epic  poets  in  literature,  [10]  Luis   de  Camões.     Of  course,  in  Roy’s  prose  work,  Portugal7,  he  writes  about  Pessoa.  Roy  often   spoke   about   Bill   Payn8  to   me—so   I   was   glad   to   get   his   article.   May   I   keep   the   2   papers  on  Pessoa  a  little  longer?  Want  to  read  them  again.   If   you   liked   my   Klopsdans9,   you   might   be   interested   in   my   new   book   of   verse,  Ballade  van  die  Groot  Begeer10  which  has  just  [11]  been  published  by  Balkema  in   Cape   Town.   Your   library   should   have   it   …   It   contains   about   25   <co>   “Coloured”   poems.   The   best   of   luck   with   your   story   of   the  Durban  High  School.   Jack   Cope   was   also   a   scholar   there.   We   share   a   bungalow.     [12]   Have   you   read   his   new   book   of   short  stories,  The  Tame  Ox11?  I  consider  it  one  of  the  very  best  collections  of  short   stories  by  a  S.  African.  I  think  there  should  certainly  be  a  mention  of  him  in  your   “history”,  since  I  am  confident  Jack  will  be  going  from  strength  to  strength       alles  van  die  beste         Yours,     I am not sure of Armand’s address. That so worries me. Will get his address from a mutual friend, [→ the French consul, here, over the week-end.]    BELL,   Aubrey   F.   G.   &   VIDIGAL,   B.   (Editors).   (1952).   The   Oxford   Book   of   Portuguese   Verse.   Oxford:   6 Oxford  University  Press.    CAMPBELL,  Roy  (1957).  Portugal.  London:  Max  Reinhardt.    Bill  Payn  was  a  well-­‐‑loved  headmaster  of  the  Durban  High  School,  as  chronicles  Hubert  Jennings   7 8 in   the   chapter   20   of   the   book   The   D.H.S.   Story   (Durban:   The   Durban   High   School   &   Old   Boy'ʹs   Memorial  Trust,  1966,  pp.  195-­‐‑209),  a  book  which  is  dedicated  “To  Bill.”    A  poem  by  Krige  dedicated  to  the  dance  of  the  Klopse  (“clubs”  in  Afrikaans),  which  takes  place   9 annually  on  January  2nd,  in  Cape  Town,  South  Africa;  the  poem  was  published  in  Ballade  van  die   groot  Begeer  en  ander  gedigte,  pp.  64-­‐‑68  (see  note  #9).    KRIGE,  Uys  (1966).  Ballade  van  die  groot  Begeer  en  ander  gedigte.  Kaapstad  (Cape  Town):  Human  &   10 Rousseau.    COPE,  Jack  (1960).  The  Tame  Ox:  Stories.  London:  Heinemann.   11 Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 274 Helgesson Uys Krige II.  Unpublished.  Two  pages  (one  leaf  typed  on  both  sides,  with  handwritten  signature  and   postscriptum)  of  a  letter  from  Armand  Guibert  to  Hubert  Jennings,  found  inside  the  folder   “F—FAMILY  HISTORY/Correspondence  etc.”  in  the  Jennings  literary  estate  (re-­‐‑filed  by  us   under  “L—Letters”.    Dated  March  16th,  1961.           Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 275 Helgesson Uys Krige   Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 276 Helgesson Uys Krige Armand  Guibert                     16  March  ’61   as  if  from:  5,  Quai  d’Anjou                              [→  I  79] Paris  –  4º   France       Dear  Mr  Jennings,     In  spite  of  a  ve<f>/r\y  poor  health  and  the  terrific  burden  of  correspondence   I  have  to  face,  I  am  only  too  pleased,  as  a  personal  friend  of  the  late  Roy  Campbell   and  Uys  Krige,  to  answer  your  query  about  Fernando  Pessoa—only  regretting  that   lack   of   time   should   prevent   me   from   tackling   suc[h]   a   vast   subject   with   the   accuracy  it  calls  for.   It   is   a   pity   yo<y>/u\   cannot   read   Portuguese—otherwise   I   should   have   directed   you   to   <J>/M\r.   João   Gaspar   Simões’s   book:   VIDA   E   OBRA   DE   FERNANDO  PESSOA,  2  vol.,  Livraria  Bertrand,  Lisbon12,  in  which  you  could  have   found   (Vol.   1,   pp.   47-­‐‑54   and   63-­‐‑70)   valuable   particulars   of   young   Pessoa’s   early   years  in  Durban.   It  appears  to  me,  though,  that  you  are  in  a  better  position  than  anybody  else   in   Europe   to   apply   locally   to   the   respective   Registrars   of   the   hereafter   schools:   West   Street   Convent   School—that   was   run   in   the   late   nineties   <par>/by\   a   community   of   Irish   nuns;   Durban   High   School;   and   Durban   Commercial   School.   You  may  be  fortunate  enough  to  be  shown  the  records  of  Pessoa’s  achievements— which   I   was   unable   to   secure   when   I   visited   Durban   in   1946.   I   understan[d]   that   one  Mr  Ormond,  who  was  young  Fernando’s  contemporary,  may  be  still  alive,  but   I  don’t  know  either  his  Christian  name  or  address.   In   Lisbon’s   F.P.’s   half-­‐‑sister’s   home   I   remember   seein[g]   the   various   prize-­‐‑ books   won   by   F.   P.   when   he   studied   at   the   Durban   High   School—among   w<g>/h\ich  the  Queen  Victoria  Memorial  Award.  Incidentally,  I  have  never  been   able  to  make  ou[t]  whether  Fernando  <F>/P\essoa  ever  actually  attended  the  Cape   University—which,   owing   to   the   age   of   17   at   w<g>/h\ich   he   left   South   Africa—I   am  disinclined  to  think  he  ever  did.   Apart  from  Roy  Campbell’s  few  translations  you  have  seen  –  presumably  in   his   book   PORTUGAL13,   The   Bodley   Head,   two   introductory   pages   156-­‐‑157   and   four  poems,  two  of  which  were  reprinted  in  his  COLLECTED  POEMS,  Vol.  III14—I   do  not  know  of  any  other  English  translation  of  F.P.  Mrs  Mary  Campbell  –  Roy’s   widow—Casa   da   Serra,   Linhó,   Sintra,   Portugal,   may   be   of   greater   help   to   you   in   this  particular  field:  I  seem  to  reme<r>/m\ber  she  is  on  friendly  terms  with  an  old    See  note  #5.    See  note  #7;  Guibert  indicates  the  publishing  house  of  the  complete  works  of  Campbell.    CAMPBELL,  Roy  (1960).  The  Collected  Poems  of  Roy  Campbell,  Vol.  III.  London:  The  Bodley  Head.   12 13 14 Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 277 Helgesson Uys Krige teacher   of   the   British   council   in   Portugal   whose   name   I   forget,   who   may   <lo>/ha\ve  done  some  further  translation  work.   [2]   As   regards   the   French   language,   it   so   happens   that   I   know   everything   that  h<o>/a\s  been  done  for  the  furtherance  of  Pessoa’s  fame—which  is  entirely15   ascribable  t[o]  my  humble  self.  In  the  last  few  years,  apart  from  a  doze[n]  lectures   delivered   on   the   topic—in   Nice,   Strasbourg,   et[c.],   and,   only   last   month,   at   the   “Collège  Philosophique”—and  various  broadcasts,  I  have  published  a  good  many   poems   of   <F>/P\essoa’s   penmanship   in   literary   weeklies   and   monthlies,   in   addition  to  the  following  books:   ODE  MARITIME  (Editions  Seghers,  228,  Boulevard  Raspail,  Paris—14)   BUREAU  DE  TABAC  (Ed.  Caracteres)—out  of  print.   ODE  TRIOMPHALE  (Ed  P.  J.  Oswald,  13,  Rue  Charles  V,  Paris[)]   LE   GARDEUR   DE   TROUPEAUX   (E.   Gallimard,   5,   Rue   Sébastie[n]   Bottin,   Paris—7)   and   Armand  Guibert:  FERNANDO  PESSOA  (Ed.  Seghers),  this  being  an  essay— biographical   and   critical—followed   by   a   selection   of   F.P.’s  poetical  work.   Let   me   add   that   each   of   the   above   includes   an   intr[o]duction   or   preface.   Having  given  away  all  the  copies  at  my  disposal,  the  only  one  I  have  pleasure  in   forwarding  to  you  this  day  i<d>/s\  the  ODE  TRIOMPHALE,  a  comparatively  small   but  not  unimportant  collection  of  texts.   Last   November   I   set   up   a   so-­‐‑called   Fernando   P.   week   which   seems   to   have   created   quite   a   sensation:   over   100   articles   came   out   in   the   press   and   a   score   of   broa[d]cast[→s]—to   say   nothing   of   the   batches   of   lett<r>ers   I   got   from   every   quarter.   An   authorisation   to   translate   has   been   asked   by   the   Blind   People’s   Association,  and  from  Italy,  Germany,  Sweden  and  Bulgaria.   But   I   am   trying   to   break   away   from   work   whic[→h]   has   proved   as   overwhelming   as   it   was   engrossing   and   I   am   now   engaged   in   quite   a   different   book.   Trusting  this  scanty  information  may  be  of  some  help  to  you,   I  am   Yours  sincerely,       PS.  I  shall  be  tomorrow,  for  a  month  or  [so,  on]  your  continent,  where  my  address  will  [be]     c/o  President  SENGHOR   Palais  de  la  République   DAKAR  [S]éne[gal]    “enterely“  in  the  manuscript,  as  a  typo.   15 Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 278 Helgesson Uys Krige III.   Unpublished.   Six   numbered   pages   (three   leaves   written   on   both   sides)   of   a   letter   handwritten   by   Uys   Krige   and   sent   to   Hubert   Jennings,   found   inside   the   folder   “F— FAMILY   HISTORY/Correspondence   etc.”   in   the   Jennings   literary   estate   (re-­‐‑filed   by   us   under  “L—Letters”.    Dated  August  21st,  1973.               Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 279 Helgesson Uys Krige       21/8/73   P.O.  Box  25,  Onrust;  (C.  P.)  16     Dear  Hubert        —        You  must  please  forgive  me  for  not  answering  your  2  letters  of   April   24   &   June   23   sooner.   But   I   have   been   away   from   Onrust   for   long   spells   on   several  occasions—&  there  have  been  times  when  I  haven’t  felt  well  at  all.  In  any   case,   I   am   one   the   world’s   worst   correspondents.   You   know,   I   am   not   a   great   believer  in  forewords  for  (to?)  books—and  I’ve  already  been  unwilling  to  write  a   foreword  for  quite  a  number  of  my  writer  friends  over  the  years.  But  I  gave  your   request   a   great   deal   of   thought—&   I   eventually   decided   that   you   more   than   deserved  it  although  I  am  no  authority  on  Pessoa,  and  my  Portugue<u>se  is  very   poor  indeed.  (About  10  years  ago  [2]  I  could  just  about  read  Port.  poetry,  but  since   then   I’ve   been   very   remiss—to   my   shame—&   now   I   read   P.   only   with   great   difficulty.   I   intend   learning   the   language   properly   in   my   old   age…)   So   perhaps   I   should  just  write  a  few  hundred  words.  Will  that  be  all  right?  17   I   must   also   tell   you   that   I   am   passing   thru   a   very   bad   time.   I   find   it   extremely  difficult  to  write  anything  at  all.  Recently  it  took  me  an  entire  month  to   write   a   2500   <†>   word   article   [↑  in   Afrikaans]   on   the   University   of   Natal   for   a   forthcoming  publication  of  their  Afrikaans  faculty.  So  let’s  just  hope  for  the  best  as   far   as   my   own   writing   ability   is   concerned…   And   don’t,   dear   *friend,   [3]   expect   much  from  me.  I  will  do  my  best—with  the  knowledge  I  have.      A  seaside  village  in  the  Cape  Province  (C.  P.).       This   would   probably   be   the   preface   of   The   Poet   With   Many   Faces,   a   book   by   Hubert   Jennings,   16 17 which,  although  intended  for  publication  in  1974,  still  remains  unpublished.   Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 280 Helgesson Uys Krige You   know   I   am   very   hazy   about   my   journey   with   Armand   Guibert   to   Durban   in   1946?   Did   we   come   down   with   Geof[frey]   Long 18 ?   I   thought   I   took   Armand   [↑   in   1946]   to   the   Star   people   in   Joh-­‐‑burg   to   try   to   get   some   information   about  Pessoa  thru  their  columns.  But  perhaps  it  was  the  Natal  Daily  News  that  we   went  to?  But  I  can’t  remember  Armand  in  my  company  in  Durban  [↑  in  1946]  at  all.   More  details  please,  if  you  have  any.  When  did  I  put  you  in  touch  with  Armand?   All   I   know   is   that   Armand   [↓ P.   T.   O.]19   must   [4]   have   spoken   quite   often   to   me   about  Pes.  when  I  met  him  frequently  in  Rome  in  1944  [↑ 1944].  And  during  those   last  five  months  of  the  war  in  1945  Roy  Campbell  must  have  spoken  about  him  to   me  too  [↑  in  London]—as  by  that  time  Roy  knew  Portuguese  quite  well.  And  they   had   been   at   the   same   school!   Roy   wrote   about   him,   if   I   remember   rightly,   in   his   book,  Portugal20.   Yes,  Octavio  Paz  is  a  fine  poet  and  critic.  Lo,  I  am  <absolutely>  certain  that   in   1946   Armand   had   no   access   whatsoever   to   Pessoa’s   papers.   At   that   stage   he   knew,  I  am  sure,  very  little  about  him.  [5]   Congratulations   on   your   <exc>   article   in   Contrast   being   translated   into   Portuguese   and   then   published   in   Tribuna.   I   remember   that   article   well   and   thought  it  excellent.  I  have  known  Colin  Du  Plessis21  for  years.  Very  intelligent  and   muy  simpático…     What   have   you   heard   from   David   Philip22?   I   hope   this   letter   makes   you   forgive  my  long  silence.  And  give  me  a  few  details  on  how  you  started  taking  an   interest   in   Pessoa,   when   you   learnt   Portuguese,   how   long   you   stayed   [6]   in   Portugal,  etc.  etc.  It  all  helps.   Do   you   know   that   Guibert   has   become   the   great   authority   on   FP?   That   when  I  last  saw  him  [↑  in  1968]  he  had  already  given  more  than  20  long  talks  on  F.   P.   over   the   French   radio,   that   Breton 23  before   his   death   had   become   deeply   interested  in  Armand’s  translations?     But  enough.  Forgive  me  this  scrawl  &  sprawling  [↑  clumsy]  letter.  My  love   to  Jenny  &  you                       Possibly  captain  Geoffrey  Kellet  Long  (1916-­‐‑1961),  who  was  appointed  as  an  official  war  artist  of   18 South  Africa  in  1941.      “P.T.O.” stands for P[lease] T[urn] O[ver].      See  note  #7.       Perhaps   Colin   Du   Plessis   who   worked   at   the   South   African   Broadcasting   Company   (S.A.B.C.);   19 20 21 the  Du  Plessis  family  goes  far  back  into  the  13th  century.      David  Philip  Publishers  was  established  in  1971,  with  the  aim  of  publishing  “books  that  matter  for   22 Southern  Africa”.      André  Breton  (1896-­‐‑1966),  best  known  as  father  of  Surrealism  in  France.   23 Pessoa Plural: 8 (O./Fall 2015) 281