The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University

MERTON'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH:
Harris, John P. (John Peene), 1923-2003

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Descriptive Summary

Record Group: Section A - Correspondence

Dates of materials: 1958-1968, 1972-1984, 2010

Volume: 51 item(s); 89 pg(s)

Scope and Content

John Harris was in contact with Boris Pasternak in the late fifties, and Pasternak suggested that he get in touch with Merton and relay a message. Besides his own messages to Pasternak, Harris could covertly get messages to Pasternak without attracting the attention of the Soviet authorities. (Merton's direct correspondence with Pasternak was also intercepted and kept on file with the CIA, see "FBI Materials and CIA Materials" file.) This file contains original letters between Merton and John Harris, as well as transcripts of Harris's correspondence with Boris Pasternak. Original letters from Merton to Harris were donated by his daughter Anne.

Biography

Born in London, John Harris was best known as an Francophile author and later for his broadcast about life in France for the BBC. He began his working life as schoolteacher in language, first in Devonshire and later in Cornwall. He spent much time in France and wrote about French culture. (Source: "John P. Harris." Times Online Obituary: The Times [of London]. 26 Nov. 2003. Accessed 5 Oct. 2010. Bellarmine University Library. ‹http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1026218.ece›.))

Usage Guidelines and Restrictions

Related Information and Links

See also Cold War Letters #83 and other letters published in The Hidden Ground of Love, pp. 384-401.

Other Finding Aids

If the person in correspondence with Merton has full text records in the Merton Center Digital Collections, there will be a numeric link to them below.
   

Series List

This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.

Container List

SeriesDateTypeTo/FromFirst LinesPubFull TextNotes
 1958/09/26 transcriptfrom Pasternak, BorisI do not intend to open a long interchange of thanksgivings of both our mutual signs. But,  [sent by Harris to Merton in letter of January 20, 1967 - see "Six Letters of Boris Paternak" under the letter of 1967/January/20]
 1958/11/07 transcriptfrom Pasternak, BorisI catch you at your willingness to make me a pleasure but I don't need book presents. I thank you  [Pasternak asks Harris to write to Merton and thank him for his letters - sent by Harris to Merton in letter of January 20, 1967 - see "Six Letters of Boris Paternak" under the letter of 1967/January/20]
 1958/11/18 TLS[x]to MertonMr. Boris Pasternak wished me to pass a message to you. I quote his own English: Write if possible   
 1958/12/04 TLSfrom MertonYour letter was a wonderful and welcome surprise. The message from Pasternak was a joy and a reliefYes  
 1958/12/12 transcriptfrom Pasternak, BorisRavishing and dearest pair. I thank you boundless dear friend for having written to Tom, Bob and so  [mentions Merton as "Tom" - sent by Harris to Merton in letter of January 20, 1967 - see "Six Letters of Boris Paternak" under the letter of 1967/January/20]
 1959/01/31 TALSfrom MertonIt is a long time since your letter of Dec. 11th. As a matter of fact it took a little time to getYes  
 1959/02/21 TLS[x]to Merton(I hope that is a correct way to address you. "Mr. Merton" is beginning to sound a bit odd to me by   
 1959/02/26 HNS[x]to MertonA P.S. to my letter of the other day -- I heard from Pasternak this morning a letter dated 16 Feb.  [note states that it is from "U. of Lexington Library" (University of Kentucky in Lexington?)]
 1959/03/14 TALSfrom MertonI am sure that you are doing the right thing, and I say this not because by some kind of reflexYes  
 1959/05/05 TLSfrom MertonI should have sprung to arms immediately at your last letter, but as you said the whole thing wouldYes  
 1959/06/22 TLSfrom MertonThere is a great long backlog of things to thank you for, and the greatest of them isYes [see also "Fox, James" Series 29 for a photocopy of the letter in which Dom James highlights a section about following one's inner truth]
 1959/08/14 transcriptfrom Pasternak, BorisGo to Rome dear friend and don't think of the other journey. I find myself in the state  [sent by Harris to Merton in letter of January 20, 1967 - see "Six Letters of Boris Paternak" under the letter of 1967/January/20]
 1959/09/12 TLSfrom MertonI wonder how long it is since I last wrote to you? I have been busy with some work, and have fallenYes  
 1960/02/09 transcriptfrom Pasternak, BorisPlease transmit to your lady and to your children my lovely thanks for their being so nice and  [sent by Harris to Merton in letter of January 20, 1967 - see "Six Letters of Boris Paternak" under the letter of 1967/January/20]
 1960/02/18 TLSfrom MertonFirst, thanks for the fabulous photograph of the great embracings which take place on topYes  
 1960/05/13 TLSfrom MertonThe French trip sounded very interesting and I was waiting to hear from you about it. I am gladYes  
 1960/06/17 TLSfrom MertonThank you for your letter about Pasternak and for the other ones too, and for all the postcardsYes  
 1960/09/07 TALSfrom MertonYour letter came yesterday and I was glad to hear from you. In particular I had been lookingYes  
 1962/06/08 (#01)TLSfrom MertonI suppose it was really rather foolish of me to send you the CW Letters as a present on your entryYes [Cold War Letters # 83]
 1962/06/08 (#02)transcriptfrom MertonI suppose it was really rather foolish of me to send you the CW Letters as a present on your entryYes [Cold War Letters # 83 - from bound set]
 1963/05/15 TLSfrom MertonI don't think the publication of the letters is a good idea. It would be difficult and complicated,Yes  
 1963/06/11 TALSto MertonMany thanks for the bomb book and the others. I read the former quickly and have passed it on  [contains note of the 13th same page]
 1963/06/13 TNSto MertonThe above seems very chaotic. The books coincided with a new barrel of cider -- the poor man's  [see 1963/June/11 - note dated 13th appears on the bottom of the same page]
 1963/06/29 TLSfrom MertonI bless the day you got the cider. That was a good letter. I forget if it was in that one you sentYes  
 1966/05/24 HLSto MertonAre you still there? We have grown used to your portrait on the wall and suddenly realized how long   
 1966/10/no? HNSfrom MertonI was so happy with your letter in May- but had just got out of the hospital and wasn't writing much  [handwritten note on the cover page of Merton's essay "Prophetic Ambiguities: Milton and Camus" (dated October 1966) for <u>The Saturday Review</u> ("Can we survive nihilism?: Satan, Milton, and Camus") - note on part of one page, ditto of essay on ten double-sided pages]
 1967/01/20 (#01)HALSto MertonIt was a delight to hear from you again. We hope that your hut in the woods is a real all-American  [Harris encloses letters he received from Boris Pasternak - descriptions of these letters are included under their date in this listing: 1958/09/26, 1958/11/07, 1958/12/12, 1959/08/14 and 1960/02/09]
 1967/01/20 (#02)other <u>SIX LETTERS OF BORIS PASTERNAK</u> [-] <u>Important:</u> these letters,   
 1967/04/10 TAL[c]from MertonHere are more stamps for our trusty secret agent in Cornwall. And by the way, speaking of Cornwall:Yes  
 1967/12/19 HLSto MertonSuddenly in the middle of dinner we both said: "We have not sent a Christmas card to Thomas Merton!"   
 1967/12/31 TL[c]from MertonI am contemplating the great man and progeny: photo lies before me on work -and-dinner table of myYes  
 1968/01/09 HLSto MertonA day of wrath and gloom (1st day of term: cuts and squeezes have hamstrung, emasculated and   
 1972/10/20 TALSto Center from Harris, JohnThank you for your cyclostyled letter of August 7th, which arrived here today (I imagine it would   
 1972/10/31 TL[c]from Center to Harris, JohnThank you for your response of October 20 to our general letter to correspondents of Thomas Merton.   
 1973/01/02 HLS[x]to Center from Harris, JohnIt's been shockingly lazy of me not to have replied to your letter of 31st Oct. before now.   
 1973/03/02 TL[x]from Center to Harris, JohnThank you for your letter of January 2, and for the accompanying Merton correspondence. We are very   
 1977/01/25 TALS[x] from Harris, John / to Patrick HartGod bless you! Bis dat qui cito dat... I was delighted to receive your parcel this morning   
 1980/07/10 (#01)TLS[x] from Harris, John / to Patrick HartIt seems a long time since 1977, when we were exchanging letters; rummaging in my Kentuckian   
 1980/07/10 (#02)HNS[x] from Harris, John / to Patrick HartYou might like this one.. what an egoist I am! "Pastis" is Pernod (or Ricard, or whatever) - costs  [includes samples of his published writing in French periodical <u>Le Monde</u>]
 1983/01/24 TLS[x] from Shannon, William / to John HarrisI am a professor at Nazareth College of Rochester and also the Roman Catholic chaplain to the   
 1983/01/31 TALS from Harris, John / to William ShannonIt is very kind of you to have consulted me about the Merton letters. I am so glad that I am here   
 1983/02/07 TALS[x] from Shannon, William / to John HarrisI remember in my days of devotion to GK. Chesterton that people were writing books to identify  [addresses the letter to "Peter Smith", Harris' suggested pseudonym for publication purposes]
 1983/02/15 (#01)TALS from Harris, John / to William ShannonI congratulate myself on exchanging letters with a monsignor, epspecially [sic] as I have just read   
 1983/02/15 (#02)other <u>ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL</u> [-] H: me; P: H's first wife; S: his 2nd wife. [-] H, on R.A.F.  [enclosure to 1983/02/15 letter explaining the background of Harris' marriages and difficulties with the Catholic Church over divorce and remarriage]
 1983/03/02 TLS[x] from Shannon, William / to John HarrisI hope you don't mind my addressing you in this more familiar way. It is becoming a bit much   
 1983/03/10 (#01)TALS from Harris, John / to William ShannonI am wholly in favour of your addressing me as John. I hope you will permit me to continue to call   
 1983/03/10 (#02)HN from Harris, John / to William Shannon("Saint-Fulcran" - name of imaginary village, remarkably like the one I live in. The TV people got  [includes piece of writing by Harris - "Semaine fulcrano-anglaise"]
 1984/12/20 TLS[x] from Shannon, William / to John HarrisI am sure that by now you are thinking that "your" monsignor (I hope I am still the only   
 2010/09/24 HLSto Center from Bedish, AnneEnclosed the letters I found from Thomas Merton to my father as we discussed over email.   
 undated/no/no other 2. Pasternak was offered the Nobel Prize for literature on Oct 23, 1958. At first he accepted;  [William Shannon's handwritten notes on Harris letters]
 undated/no/no other John Harris was the man who was instrumental in putting Merton in contact with Boris Pasternak.  [typed notes containing all letters marked "transcript" between Merton and Harris and between Harris and Pasternak]
        

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