#2716: Transcription of Letter from Willa Cather to Alfred A. Knopf, September 25, 1940

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Perm My dear Alfred1,

“Spanish Johnny”3 has several times been set to music4 and sung at various concerts, but I am glad to give permission to Mr. Sacco5 to use it again provided that he use the text as printed in APRIL TWILIGHTS6 and not the text used in Miss Harriet Monroe’s7 anthology8. There are several bad typographical errors in Miss Monroe’s book which make nonsense of the verses: for example, she prints for “moon-enchanted plain” “moon-enchanted lane”9. Of course there are no lanes in Southern Colorado10 which is the scene of the verses, and such errors make nonsense of the little poem.

I wish you would get an assurance from the young man that he will use the text as published by you and not the anthology.

Willa Cather 9:50 a.m. received the above over the
telephone, dictated by Miss Cather.
1 106 W