Second letter dated 4 Feb 1998 from the poet Bill GRIFFITHS, the ERIC MOTTRAM Archivist at the King's College Hampstead Campus addressed to T. Wignesan in Paris

Eric Mottram Archive
King's College London, Hampstead Campus, Kidderpore Ave.,London NW3 7ST
4 Feb. 1998
Dear Dr. Wignesan,

Thank you for your letter of 28 January.

I am pleased to enclose for you copies of the letters you requested:that is, of 16.8.94 and 15.7.67.

I do not think there is anything remotely embarrasing in these texts, but, as I said before, you can have them placed on reserve, that is, only to be viewed with special permission, if you so wish.

I appreciate that many people will not want personal matters accessible in an archive. But please remember also, Eric was a most sensible and practical figure: he was aware that his collection would end up in an archive somewhere, and (such is my impression) did not keep the sort of intimate or personal material that might cause offence. Possibly he was less restrained in the letters he sent out, but the Archive contains only a few examples of this type of material so far.

John Whiting has visited the Archive on one occasion, but only to talk over the best way to process tape cassettes; he made no request to see any written material, and indeed if he asked for details of Eric's private life, I would be at a loss to know how to respond: the Archive most definitely stars C20th American Poets; he himself is the arranger of this display but only occasionally appears in person.

This does not mean we are not interested in further material on Eric. Indeed, I wonder if it might be useful for you to write your own recollections of Eric down, and ensure that an accurate account of your friendship is preserved. Clearly we should be happy to add to the Archive anything of this sort, including any correspondence (photocopies if necessary) if you decide to part with it in the future. For King's, certainly, it would be a useful and appreciated addition to the archive.

One point in particular: is there any chance of your sending me a photocopy of the publication 'T. Wignesan' Forum Academicum [italicised] (Heidelberg, 1958), which I have been unable to trace ? It would be most useful to have a copy of this early publication.

In the meantime, I shall certainly keep you informed of any further material emerging this end, concerning yourself.

Yours sincerely,

Bill Griffiths

(c) T. Wignesan - Paris, 1998-2023