21 June 2008

Letter 2.14

Though it's possible some Sartre, Beauvoir, Camus, etc., has not been translated into English, I would think it unlikely. You can check on this very easily by consulting the large catalogue of books in print, which is certainly in the library. Then you can let me know if any of the books are still untranslated in which case I will have to write only to the French publishers asking permission to quote and provide translations -- for the relevant passages. Then, if you can get copies from the Library of Congress of the books which are translated but not in the Detroit Public Library or the Wayne State library, that would be all that is needed. Even if you can't get the books from the Library of Congress, though, you can get the publisher's data from the catalogue. I have copies of the French books, so there is no need to obtain these.

The typewriter we have now is an ancient Royal which is very difficult to use and which I use only for things that must be typed (besides which any typing is most unwelcome; hence the handwritten letter).

The dentist is one of the regular dāyakās of the Island, and does his work on us for free. He is the one who extracted my wisdom tooth last year and who gave me the lift to Galle last December when I went out walking.

Four sheets of plywood -- one of them seven-ply-were delivered today, with which I will build a desk, which will meet my needs. It will be 12 inches high, no legs, so I can sit crosslegged at it. (I find high furniture affects my thinking, and much prefer staying at ground level.) The desk will fit into a corner of the kuti. I made a cardboard model, 1/6 scale, which is quite satisfactory. Probably, though, it will take a long time to get built. The plywood will be attached to a frame and the 7-ply piece will be large enough for the top and for the bottom of a storage box. (The sheets are 4' X 4'.) Eventually, I expect, there will be some remodeling of the kuti, as well. Perhaps, by it falling down.

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