Mina Loy - Stories and Essays of Mina Loy

“ ‘Not for anything.’ ” was “ ‘Not for anything on earth.’ ”

After “ ‘spleen induced’ ” reads “(?)” —ed .

The letter, in the French original, reads as follows:

Homme unique,

Tu ira a la guerre, des maintenant je suis hors de ta vie— reduit aux elements primitives de l’offense et de l’attack. Et si la nuit [sans] sous les etoiles sur la terre dur tu te souviendras jamais de quelques heures divinement vo- luptueuses à Florence; ce serait pour te reprendre pour ta faiblesse. Avec la guerre la femme la femme n’a rien à faire — cependant il y aurait pu être quelque chose pour moi à faire, j’aurais pu, maintenant que la moitie du po- pulation mâle sera exterminée j’aurais pu avoir un fils de toi mais Mafarka me l’a interdit.

L’instruct à beau crier.

Je t’envoie mon amie dans un baiser parce’que tout comprendre est toute pardonner.

Amant parfait, estce qu’on t’en leverai tes — non mes “riccioli”?

Tuo —

Pazzarella—

PAGE 77

“this advantage: it effaces” reads “this advantage it effaces” —ed .

The French original reads:

“Amour j’ai medité pendant trois jours entiers — je t’adore et je me sens trop vide de toi. Je m’en fiche du futurism. L’enfant de nous deux est celui dont l’avenir à besoin tu ne me donnerai pas raison mais moi j’ai raison. Si tu peut eparguer une demi heure de ton inébriante vie interieur a cette travaille importante, je viendrai à toi n’importe ou tu te trouve— ”

PAGE 78

“two of us — you won’t” reads “two of us you won’t” —ed .

The second portion is as follows:

– — “si tu me preterai l’argent pour le voyage nous aûtres sont tous sans le son pour le moment si tu est du même je vais le mendier quelque part. Dis moi si ou non — si non ca m’importe peu— je peut me passer aussi d’être la bien- faitrice de l’humanité.

Tu n’a pas besoin de discuter ceci avec tes compa- gnions debonnaires — c’est une chose je prends trés aux serieux .”

“ ‘journey — we are’ ” reads “ ‘journey we are’ ” —ed .

The last letter, as rendered in French:

Geronimo,

Tu est le seul homme assez [fort] homme pour me do- miner absolument le seul assez fort pour me tenir entie- rement pour soi-même — le seul Helas — qui est assez dur pour m’écraser—

Tuo Pazzarella

A l’amant absent — au fraicheur de ta salive.

Salut.

After “Salut.” the remaining two thirds of the page is left blank; a long line is drawn crossways through it —ed .

Typescript resumes with “She had right on her side”

“no money. That” reads “no money, that” —ed .

PAGE 79

Below “inspiring” reads “find word for sucking in” —ed .

“silken gown” was “silk gown”

PAGE 80

“ podere ” reads “Podere” —ed .

PAGE 81

“spread about us” was “thread about us”

“shrill surprise, had not split up” reads “shrill surprise, split up” —ed .

PAGE 83

“ ‘irritate you; to the point’ ” was “ ‘irritate you to the point’ ”

“ ‘I could imagine’ ” was “ ‘I could image’ ”

PAGE 84

“ ‘only an intellect—’ ” reads “ ‘only an intellect—.’ ” —ed .

“ ‘your animator’ ” was “ ‘your animation’ ”

“ ‘enjoy me — in’ ” reads “ ‘enjoy me, — in’ ” —ed .

In margin, next to “newborn seraphim” reads “? plural?”; above the same reads “a? or s”—the “m” of “seraphim” is underlined — ed .

PAGE 85

“ ‘when you are suffused’ ” reads “ ‘when you, suffused’ ” —ed .

PAGE 87

“ ‘super-refinements’ ” reads “ ‘superrefinements’ ” —ed .

“ ‘your tastes’ ” was “ ‘your faster’ ”

PAGE 88

“ ‘I observe’ ” reads “ ‘I observed’ ” —ed .

PAGE 90

“preciously bound” was “precisely bound”

“ ‘Listen—’ And the word” reads “ ‘Listen—.’ and the word” — ed.

“eternal non-impartation” was “eternal silence” and “incommuni- cativeness” as well as two other unclear words, possibly “intrans- lation” and “unimparting?”; in the margin reads “? frustration” —ed.

“secret she imagined she had” was “secret she had”

“ ‘it to you—’ ” reads “ ‘it to you—.’ ” —ed .

PAGE 91

“ ‘Woman—’ ” reads “ ‘Woman—.’ ” —ed .

“Of every instinct” was “Every instinct”

Above “petrified humanity” reads “humaneness?” —ed .

PAGE 92

“ ‘don’t know—’ ” reads “ ‘don’t know—.’ ” —ed .

“ ‘Maybe that is your life?’ ” was “ ‘May that is your life?’ ”

“I admired” was “and I admired”

“compromises of my lips” was “compromising of my lips”

PAGE 94

“litterateurs” reads “ ‘litterateurs’ ” —ed .

“ Pazzarella de le Scala di Pietra ” reads “ ‘Pazzarella De Le Scala Di Pietra’ ” —ed .

PAGE 95

“ laisser aller ” reads “ ‘laisser aller’ ” and was “laisser aller” —ed .

PAGE 96

In the margin next to the paragraph beginning, “In the divine manner” Loy has pencilled: “Something missing here before the end” —ed .

“inspiration. At once” was “inspiration at [ possibly “it”] once”

“begotten of it” was “begotten it”

“ ‘everything,’ partakes” was “ ‘everything,’ she partakes”

PAGE97

“my heart—” reads “my heart—.” —ed .

“However that may be” was “However, that may be”

PIERO & ELIZA.

(6:173)

“Piero and Eliza.” is a manuscript that consists of five typed and two handwritten pages, and concludes with Loy’s signature. A title page reads “Piero and Eliza,” and offers a compact, blunt plot summary (“florentine old maid & fairy”), as well as the name “Gino Sensani”. The same sheet includes a reference to “The Stomach” (1921) which may be a companion piece to “Piero and Eliza”—both stories involve an artist, his beleaguered “muse,” and an unusual focus on the abdomen.

Burke reads this short story as fact, and describes how Loy knew the openly gay Italian artist, Gino Carlo Sensani, between 1907 and 1910—the first years she spent in Florence. According to Burke, Florence was then a refuge for expatriate American and British artists and homosexuals; many of the latter were escaping the backlash after the well-publicised Oscar Wilde trials of 1895 ( BM 108–09).

PAGE 98

“vermouth” may be “vermouths” —ed .

“a greenish white” was “the palest green”

“insolent interrogation” was “absolute interrogation”

“an arrogant crimson blot, and” was “a stain of arrogant [ unclear word ] crimson, and”

PAGE 99

After “ ambiente ” reads, in pencil, “(or setting)” —ed .

“inhibitions” was “complexes”

“palazzo” reads “Pallazzo” in all instances —ed .

“Gradually” was “Slowly”

PAGE 100

“While” was “And”

“one foot in society and one in Fairyland” was “one foot in [wonderland] society and one in wonderland”

“palazzo; together” was “palazzo, and together”