Autograph letter signed to Tom Maschler

To his friend the illustrious proprietor of Jonathan Cape publishers: "Dear Tom, How very sad about William [Plomer - the Cape author who had died two days before] - I had a charming letter from him on 7th Sep. saying he did not feel up to coming to the publisher's party for my book of essays [`The Evening Colonnade']". Connolly goes on to discuss a [presumably abortive] publishing project for a book entitled "The Face of Genius" and suggests he hand over the existing material and photos to Martin Seymour-Smith, whose monumental "The Guide to Modern World Literature" (Wolfe Publishing, London, 1973) Connolly had recently reviewed in `The Sunday Times'. "He is a literary polymath, rather left wing, likes the same kind of writers." "He would not be as grand as George Steiner, John Gross, or other professors." Folded for mailing and in very good condition.