Universitätsverlag WINTER Gmbh

Defending Hurston against Her Legend: Two Previously Unpublished Letters

Author(s): Carla Cappetti and Zora Neale Hurston
Source: Amerikastudien / American Studies, Vol. 55, No. 4, African American Literary Studies:
New Texts, New Approaches, New Challenges (2010), pp. 602-614
Published by: Universitätsverlag WINTER Gmbh
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 HurstonagainstHer Legend:
Defending
TwoPreviously
UnpublishedLetters1

Carla Cappetti

A numberofyearsago,I inadvertently cameacrosstwolettersbyZora Neale

Hurston.To myknowledge theyhaveneverbeenpublished.I had beenrummag-
ingthrough theUniversity ofChicagoarchivesto readthepapersoftheChicago
urbansociologists.2 1 was not"lookingforZora." However,herlettersfoundme,
andwiththeirterrific styleandpolyphonic theycaughtmyattention.
personality,
In theseletters, Zora Neale Hurstonis an astutepolitician, a soothingpreacher,
anda persuasive salesperson. She is also a sophisticatedfighterandanything buta
rusticninny. The twolettersrecently resurfaced fromtheabyssofmyfilecabinet
andofmyforgetfulness, and theyare reproduced hereforthefirsttime.3
Bothletterswerewritten the
during 1930s, Hurston'smost productive decade.
She hadjustpublishedMulesand Men(1935),whichhadgivenherlegitimacy and
recognition as a serious folklorecollector. In 1936,shehad secured a Guggenheim
fellowship, renewedin 1937,tocollectfolklore intheWestIndies.Duringherfield
tripsto theBahamas,Jamaica,and Haiti she had collectedfolkloreforTellMy
Horse(1938).She had also written TheirEyesWereWatching God (1937),which
hadbrought herliterary fame.
The twoletters lendvividsupporttotheideaofa more'complicated' Hurston.4
Notsurprisingly, Hurstonscholarsareincreasingly usingthe words 'complicated,'
'complex,' and'contradictory' tohighlight aspectsofHurston's knotty personality
thathavebeenobscuredoraredifficult topindown.In Zora NealeHurston: A Life
in Letters(2002),Carla Kaplanhas expressedthehopethatHurston'sletterswill
"restoremuch-needed complexity to a writerwhohas oftenbeen lovedtoo sim-
ply."5 GlendaR. Carpioand WernerSollors,whoare hererepublishing five'lost'
Hurstonstoriesthatare setin NewYorkCity,are exhorting scholarsto embrace
"Hurston's engagement withurbanblacklife"andtomakeroomfor"cosmicZora
[.. .] [who]existedbetwixt andbetween, andevenfullyoutside"the"protofeminist,
politicalconservative, Southern folkwriter" bywhichsheis known.6
identity
The lettersalso bringintofocusHurston'sinstitutional involvement withfolk-
lorescholars.Theyhighlight herintimacy withpeople who,like her,werepath
breakersand whobecamemajorfigures in thefieldsofanthropology, ethnogra-
phy,ethnomusicology, and folklore studies.
In thefirst letter, Hurstonwritesto RobertRedfieldfromKingston, Jamaica,
on September17,1936.RobertRedfield(1897-1958)was a pioneerin thefieldof
folkculturestudiesand a classicproductofthefamedChicagoSchool,thefirst
schoolofAmericansociology. Theirworld-renowned ethnographies assistedChi-
cagowriters likeRichardWright, JamesT. Farrell,andNelsonAlgrentellstories
ofimmigrants andmigrants whowereleavingthepeasantsocietiesofEuropeand

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 Hurston
Defending HerLegend
against 603

theSouthforthedislocating modernity ofChicago.7In thesecondletter, Hurston

writesfromPort-au-Prince, Haiti, to Alan Lomax, on June 4, 1937. The son of
musicologist John A. Lomax (1867-1948), Alan Lomax (1915-2002), was another
pioneerin thefieldsof ethnomusicology and oral historywhosename became
synonymous withfolkmusic.8
Kaplan's observationthatHurston"was famouslyJanus-faced" and "per-
formed suchdifferent selvesforhervariouscorrespondents thatherletterssome-
timesseemwritten bydifferent people"9perfectly characterizes thetwoletters.
The firstletter,to "Dear Dr. Redfield,"is obsequious,gossipy, slanderous,and
nakedlyself-promoting. The secondletter,to "My dear Mr. Lomax,"is fuming,
ferocious, and caustically corrosive.10
An outsider bygender, race,politics,andregion,Hurstonsuccessfully compet-
ed forprivatepatronageand fellowship supportin thebrutally competitive world
of theartsof Harlemand New YorkCityin the 1920sand 1930s.Her political
andrhetorical talentswereessentialto hersuccess.The lettersdiscloseHurston's
fearlessaudacityin courtingpotentialfriends-like Redfield-and disparaging
enemies(or friends-turned-enemies)- liketheprofessor ofEnglishand folklore
expertMaryElizabethBarnicle(1891-1978),11 likethedancer,choreographer, and
anthropologist KatherineDunham(1909-2006),12 and liketheColumbia-trained
anthropologist and Africanist MelvilleHerskovits (1895-1963).13
Hurstonwas an intellectual, an artistand a performer, and herlettersshould
be readas theperformances ofa masterful artist.In heradulatoryletterto Red-
field,she speaksin theintimatetoneand colloquialstyleofan old friendto ad-
vanceherselfand undermine hercompetitors. She writeson behalfofAlan Lo-
she
max; sings her own she
praise; brings herown folklorecollectingto Redfield's
attention;she shares confidences intended to undermine thework ofher competi-
torsMelvilleHerskovits and KatherineDunham;she also hintsat herabilityto
provideaccessnotjustforLomaxbutalso forRedfield.
In herblistering letterto Lomax,Hurston'slanguageis contentious and vi-
tuperative, a veritable tornado of accusations aimed at Lomax and his eminent
father.Crackling withburningrage,itis thesamelanguagethatsetsherfictional
dialogues and characters ablaze:
youknewno moreaboutcollectingfolk-lore thana hogknowsabout a holiday[.. .] you
toldenoughstupidlies to sinka battleship[.. .] And therewas Barnacle[MaryElizabeth
Barnicle],lookinglikea mammywalruswitha sunburnednose [...] It wasjusttoo funny
assumingthatwhiteskincouldfoolblackbrains[.. .] I feltifI neversaw eitherone ofyou
againuntildayafterjudgment, itwouldbe too soon [...] So I feltmaybeyouwouldbe all
rightifyouhad somebodyto thinkforyouuntilyoutook up thatfunctionyourself[.. .]
In all civilizedcommunities itis axiomaticthatyoudonteat a man'ssaltand slanderhim
[...] youcan lock doors butthereis no protectionagainsta liar.
againsta th[ie]f,
Thisis thevoiceofmyfavorite Hurston:themudslinging wordwarrior.
SayingthatHurstonis 'complicated'is becominga tightgarment, forit fails
to accommodate Hurston'smultitudinous rolesandvoices.Thereis theself-made
heroinewhobecamea centralfigureof theHarlemRenaissance.
rags-to-riches
womanwho broughtthe pungentsimilesof the Southto
Thereis the frontier
Morningside Heights.Thereis thefawning, unscrupulous
sycophantic, operator

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604 CarlaCappetti

whoused all thetricksnecessaryto competeforpublicattention and privatepa-

tronage.There is thesensationalwoman of And
genius. ofcourse there is Hurston
theforgotten victim,even thoughvictimhoodsuitsherlike a tutusuitsa tiger.14
By imagining her as a of or
victim, poverty politics, we have made Hurston's
rage and duplicity disappear, bothof which contributedto her artisticsuccess
andtohersolitary withdrawal. Victimization
hashelpedtoconcealHurston's less
admirablequalities:herrageat people whocrossedher;heradulationof those
whosefavorsshe courted;herideologicalsympathy forEuropeanfascismand
Americanimperialism; and her malevolentred-baitinglong beforeit became
fashionable.15
politically Blindedby hersparklinghumor, byour nostalgiafora
fictional
Eatonvilleofour own,and bya desireto castheras theunderdog, we
haveropedoffhergiftsbutforgotten thewholeperson.Hurston'sdeceptionsand
manipulations weresurvivalmechanisms. Theygavehermanyenemiesand few
friends.
ThismakesHurstonbotha victimand a victimizer, and a farmoreinter-
estinghumanbeingthanwe allowherto be. Perhapssomemorediggingin her
gardenis in order.16

Notes
1 HurstonfromKingston,Jamaica,to RobertRedfield,September17,1936,and Hurstonfrom
Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to Alan Lomax, June4, 1937;bothat the University of Chicago Li-
brary.RobertRedfieldPapers,Box 14,Folder14.
2 This archivalresearchis reflectedin mybook Writing Chicago:Modernism,Ethnography,
and theNovel.New York:ColumbiaUP, 1993.Print.
3 My gratitudeto WernerSollorsforinvitingme to publishtheletters,forinspiringmybook
on thewritersand sociologistsofChicago,and formuchhelpand supportbetweenthetwo.
4 Carpio, Glenda R., and WernerSollors. "The NewlyComplicatedZora Neale Hurston."
ChronicleofHigherEducation57.18(2011):B6-B9. Web. Accordingto RobertHemenway,
"Hurston'scomplexity surfacesin almosteveryletter"(Foreword.Zora Neale Hurston:A
Lifein Letters.Ed. Carla Kaplan. New York:Doubleday,2002. Print.2). For a morecompli-
catedand broaderunderstanding ofethnicmodernism, see Sollors,Werner.EthnicModern-
ism.Boston:HarvardUP, 2008. Print.
5 Kaplan,Carla,ed. Zora Neale Hurston:A Lifein Letters.NewYork:Doubleday,2002. Print.
30.
6 Carpio,Glenda R., and WernerSollors."The NewlyComplicatedZora Neale Hurston"B9.
In WritingChicago and in "History,Mythology, and the Proletarianin TheirEyes Were
WatchingGod" I discussHurston'scomplexview of the ruralproletariatand the urban
blackmigrants, as wellas heruse ofa layeredpointofviewthatcombinestheSouthernpetite
bourgeoisie,theurbanbourgeoisieofHarlemand New YorkCity,and theethnographers of
theearlytwentieth century. See WritingChicagoand "History,Mythology, and theProletar-
ian in TheirEyes WereWatchingGod." Approachesto TeachingHurston'sTheirEyes Were
WatchingGod and OtherWorks.Ed. JohnLowe. NewYork:ModernLanguageAssociation,
2009. 37-53.Print.On Hurston'surbanshortstories,see Lester,Neale A. "Sounds of Si-
lentPerformances: Homoeroticism in Zora Neale Hurston's'Storyin HarlemSlangs:Jelly's
Tale'" SouthernQuarterly36.3 (1998): 10-20.Print.
7 RobertRedfield(1897-1958)pioneeredthestudyoftraditional peasantsocietiesfocusingon
theirconflictedevolutiontowardsmodernization.Withencouragement and supportfrom
his wife,the daughterof RobertPark,and fromPark himself,one of the foundersof the
Chicago School of urbansociology,Redfieldundertookextensivefieldstudiesin Mexico

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 Hurston
Defending againstHerLegend 605

andauthored classicslikeTepoztlán:
ethnographic A MexicanVillage(1930),ChanКот: А
Maya Village(1934),TheFolk CultureofYucatan(1941).See Wilcox,Clifford.
RobertRed-
fieldand theDevelopmentof AmericanAnthropology. Lanham, MD: LexingtonBooks,
2006.Print.
8 Foradditional on andbyAlanLomax,see Cohen,RonaldD., ed. AlanLomax,
readings
Assistantin Charge:The LibraryofCongressLetters,1935-1945.Jackson:UP ofMississip-
1934-1997.Ed. Ronald D. Cohen. New
pi,2011.Print;and Alan Lomax: SelectedWritings,
York:Routledge, 2003.Print;See alsoSwezd,John. AlanLomax:TheManWhoRecorded
theWorld. NewYork:RandomHouse,2010.Print.
9 Kaplan13;21.
10 Howdida letteraddressed to Alan Lomaxendup amongRobertRedfield's correspon-
dence?Wedo notknowatthistime.However, wemayassumethatsending itto Redfield
wouldhavebeenfoolish ofLomax,andmean-spirited ofHurston.
11 MaryElizabethBarnicle(1891-1978) wasa medievalist In thesummer
anda folklorist. of
1935Hurston hadjoinedAlanLomaxandMaryElizabethBarnicle, whowerecollecting
musicfortheLibrary ofCongress inthesouth.Hurston's dislikeforBarnicleis re-
strong
ina letter
flected toJohnLomaxdatedSep 16,1935,inwhichHurston accusesBarnicleof
beinga communist andoftrying toseduceAlanLomaxsexually andpoliticallyawayfrom
hisfatherandintobecoming a 'Red' (Kaplan359-61,
778).
12 Katherine Dunham(1909-2006)was,in the1930s,a youngAfricanAmericandancer
andfolklorecollector fromChicagowhobecamethemostprominent pioneerofAfrican
danceintheUnitedStates.See Aschenbrenner, Joyce.KatherineDunham:Dancinga Life.
Champaign, IL: U ofIllinoisP,2002.Print.
13 MelvilleHerskovits (1895-1963) whohadstudiedwithrranzBoas
wasan anthropologist
andpioneered thestudyofAfricanAmerican culture.
See Gershenhorn, Jerry.Melville
J. Herskovitsand theRacial Politicsof Knowledge.Lincoln,NE: U of NebraskaP, 2004.
Print.
14 KaplanstatesthatHurston "[rlefusledl
everythingthatsmacked ofvictimization"
(25).
15 On Hurston's see Sollors,Werner.
politicalconservatism, "Modernizationas Adultery:
RichardWright, Zora Neale Hurston, and AmericanCultureof the1930sand 1940s."
LookingInward/Looking Outward. Ed. SteveIckingrill.
Amsterdam: EuropeanContri-
butionsto American Studies,1990.105-55.Print;and"OfMulesandMaresin a Landof
Difference;or,Quadrupeds All?"American Quarterly Print.
42.2(1990):167-90.
See alsoSailer,Steve."TheSecretZoraNealeHurston." NationalReview47.6(1995):58-
60. Print;Thompson, MarkChristian."NationalSocialismand Blood-Sacrifice in Zora
Neale Hurston'sMoses,Man oftheMountain."AfricanAmericanReview38.3 (2004): 395-
415.Print;andTrefzer, Annette. "'Letusall be Kissing- ZoraNealeHurston
Friends?' and
RacePolitics inDixie."Journal ofAmerican Studies31.1(1997):69-78.Print.
16 As RobertHemenway (4) andCarlaKaplan(31)predicted, Hurston
additional are
letters
likelyto resurfacein thecomingyears.Theseletters willencouragea morenuancedun-
derstanding and a moreroundedviewofHurston's Threesuchun-
lifeandpersonality.
published written
letters, by Hurston to Alan Lomax on June7, 1936,on November 25,
1936,andon February 4, 1956,are availableat: <http://www.culturalequity.org/currents/
ce_currents_znh_index.php>. Thiswebsite-whichbelongstotheAssociation forCultural
Equity-also reproduces twoarticles, oneofthembyAlan Lomax,thatdiscussin detail
theLomax-Hurston's connection, competition,andcooperation duringthe1930s,andtheir
workfortheWPA.
folklore-collecting

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606

Kingston,Jamaica
Sept. 1936
17,

Dr. Redfield,
ChicagoUniv.
Chicago,111.
Dear Dr. Redfield,
I dontknow,butperhapsyouhaveheardthatI am outherein theWestIndies
on a Guggenheim Well,I am getting
fellowship. lotsofmaterialherein Jamaica,
butI regretthatI havenotenoughtimeto do itas itshouldbe done.I knowthat
severalthingshavebeen written aboutJamaica,butDr. Redfield,I assureyou
thatit has been verysuperficial
so far.Not fromintention,
butthedifficultyof
gettingunder the skin.
Now Alan Lomax tellsme thathe is comingto you and he could do some
wonderful workhere.I listthesubjectsthatI knowcouldbe donewithprofit to
yourdept.
1. Primitivereligion.Hardlybelievable!
2. Pushmedicinewithattendant "balmyards"
3. Folk-music
4. Obeah
I knowthatothershavemadea stabatmusic,AnansistoriesandObeah,butnone
ofthemhavebeen doneas I knowthatAlan can do them.He has a sympathetic
touchwithNegroesthatwillcarryhimto greatsuccesshere.Oh, yes,thereis the
East Indianinfluence hereto be dealtwithand itis considerable.
I could furnishyouwiththe places and personsto see and securehimthe
properreception. PleasebelievemewhenI saythatthereis plentyheretosecure.
And youknow,Dr. Redfield,thereis need to amassthisNegromaterial.There
is a worldofmaterialloose butinsufficient at anyUniv.foranythinglikea com-
prehensive study.Dr. Herskovits1has somematerialbutI knowthathe has the
week-end methodofcoveringareas.ForinstancehereinJamaica,he onlystayed
8 days,thatis fromshipsailingtos[h]ipsailingandtoldmethattherewasnothing
heretosee. He hadsentMissDunham2heretocollectdancesandshehadvisited
onlyone community and was in theIslandonlya monthand theypulledherleg
properly and are nowlaughingaboutit.Imaginecomingouthereto collectthe
quadrille!She paidthemto puton thewardanceand theydidsomething without
evenputting on costumes.I havebeen herenowforfivemonthsand realizehow
muchI mustleavebehindme forI mustgo on to Haitiin a fewdays.Alan could
do a monumental workhere.
In Haitithereis oneJulesFaine,3a savantwhohasmadean analyticalstudyof
theHaiti[a]ndialectandtracedeverywordtoitssourcebesidesincluding Haiti[a]n
folk-tales. I wantedto tellhimto sendtheworkon to you,foryourperusalbutI
thought I shouldwriteyoufirst.Dr. Boas is nowretiredandyouwouldbe thenext
personto consult.I wouldwishthatsomecollegewoulddo forNegromaterial
whathe has donefortheIndian.

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 607

Please pardonmyseizingyoubythelapelsthiswaybutmyenthusiasm forthe

materialherehas mademebold.And I do so hopethatAlan willbe withyouand
He is theswellestpersonin theworldto workamong
thatyouwillbe interested.
thesepeople,besidesbeinggrandgenerally.
Mybestto Alan and hisfather whenyoudo writehim.And pleaseforgive my
thrustingmyviewson youso.

Sincerely,
Zora Neale Hurston
***

Used withthepermission oftheZora Neale HurstonTrustand reproduced in

facsimile
and transcription bypermissionof theSpecial Research
Collections
ofChicagoLibrary.
Center,University
ofChicagoLibrary,
The letteris locatedat theUniversity RobertRedfield
Box
Papers, 14,Folder 14.

Notes

1 See endnote13inCappetti's Hurston."

"Defending
2 See endnote12inCappetti's Hurston."
"Defending
3 JulesFaine(1880-1958) wasa merchantandscholar[whojwasworking
ona French/Creole
Faine'sillegitimate
dictionary. SimoneOvide,married
daughter, Haitiandictator
François
'PapaDoc' Duvalier"(Kaplan372).

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608

oí1

Kingston, Jamaica
Sept. 17, 1936

Dr. Re df i e Id,
Chicago Univ,
Chicago, 111.

Dear Dr. Redfield,

I dont knov:, but perhaps you have heard that I am

out here in the West Indies on a Guggenheim fellowship. Wall,
I am getting lots of material here in Jamaica, but I regret
that I have not enough tine to do it as it should Ъе done. I
knov; that several things have been written about Jamaica, but Dr.
Redfield, I assure you that it has been very superficial so far.
Not fron intention, but the difficulty of getting under the skin.
Now Alan Lomax teals me that he is coming to you and
he could do some wonderful work here. I list the subjects that
I knov/ could be done with profit' to your dept.
1. Primitive religion.Hardly believable!
2. Bush medicine with attendant "balm yards"
3. Po Ik-music
4. Obeah
I know that others have made a stab at music, Anansi stories
and Cbeah, but none of them have been done as I know that Alan
can do them. He has a sympathetic touch vtth Negroes that will
carry him to great success here. Oh, yes, there is t:e East
Indian influence here to be dealt with and it is considerable.
I could furnish you with the places and persons to see
and secure him the proper reception. Please believe me vJhen I
say that there is plenty here to secure. And you know, Dr. Red-
field, there is need to amass this Negro material. There is a
world of material loose but insufficient at any Univ. for any
thing like a comprehensive study. Dr. Herskovits has some mater-
ial but I know that he has the week-end method of covering areas.
For instance here in Jamaica, he only stayed 8 days, that is t
from ship sailing to shaip sailing and told me that there was
nothing here to see .île haé sent Hiss Dunham here to collect
dances and she had visited only one community and was in the
Island only a month and they pulled her leg properly and are
now laughing about it. Imagine coming out here to collect the
quadrille! 3he paid them to put on the war" dance and they did
something without even putting on costumes. I have been here
now for five months and realize how much I must leave behind
me for I muct go on to Haiti in a few days. Alan could do a
monumental work here.
In Haiti there is one Jules Faine, a savant who has
made an analytical study of the Haitien dialect and traced
every word to its source besides including Haitien folk- tales.
I wanted to tell him to send the work on to you, for your
perusal but I thought I should write you firét. Dr. Boas is
now retired and you would be the next person to consult. I
would wish that some college would do for Negro material
what he has done for the ¿Indian.
Please pardon my seizing you by the lapels this way
but my enthusiasm for tne язя material here has made me bold.
And I do so hope that Alan will be with you and that you will
be interested. He is the sv/eliest person in tne world to work
among these people, besides being grand generally.

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 609

My best to Alan and his father when you do write him. And please
forgive my thrusting my views on you so.

Sincerely,

Zora Neale Kurston

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610

Haiti
Port-au-Prince,
June4, 1937

Mr.Alan Lomax
D. C.
Washington,

MydearMr.Lomax,
It seemsthatyouhaveach[ie]veda newlow.I thought thatyouhad touched
bottomin Floridaand Nassau,whenknowingthatyouknewno moreaboutcol-
lectingfolk-lore thana hogknowsabouta holiday, youwerecontent tohavemedo
itforyou,butcontrive to haveitappearI didntdeserveanycredit.1
Butyouhaveoutdoneyourself atlast.I hearonmyreturn toPort-au-Prince that
youexplainedmykeepingaway from youduringmylastweekshereon thegrounds
thatI expectedyoutomarry meandI wasupsetwhenyougotmarried. I cantimag-
ine anything worsethanthatno matter whichwayyouturnit.Seemsto me ifyou
wanttoclaimanyintelligence atall,youcouldhavethought upa betteronethanthat.
Sinceyoucantsee itforyourself, I'll tellyou.You wereable to enterHaition
myprestige andyouwerenotonlypermitted towork,butyouwereactuallyhelped
to all thatyoudidthrough thesame.Everyconnection youmadewas directly or
indirectly due to me. All I asked in return was a fewdrumming records, and inyour
greatgratitude andgenerosity ofspirit,youtoldenoughstupidliestosinka battle-
ship,tokeepfromdoingas youhadpromisedinthatrespect.I knowthatyousent
one recordover,butnotto me.You oweditto me and manyothers,butyoutried
[.. .]tosenditovermyheadtoMr.Lippincott as ifYOU weremakinghima present
to curryfavorwithhim.Notthatithelpedyouany,youcan be sureofthat.I had
alreadytoldMr.Lippincott aboutthatarrangement, so he saw through it.Never
havinghadoccasiontodoubtmyword,he naturally hasfaithinme.
I haveneverregretted a generousgestureso muchin all mylife.You see,when
I leftFloridamycrawwasjustas fullofpettinessand trickery and liesas itcould
be. Therewas youwithyourlies abouteverything thatI showedyou.One day
youhad neverheardofit.Nextday,youor yourpapa had founditin Texas.The
children's criesis a case inpoint.You notonlyhadheardnothing ofit,I hadto go
toa greatdeal oftroubletomakeyouunderstand. Huntedup somelittleboysand
demonstrated and youweredelighted. Butblessme gawda weeklater,youwere
an authority on it.You andyourpapa had founditin Texas.I see youtellthatlie
againinyourbook.2AndtherewasBarnacle,3 lookinglikea mammy walruswith
a sunburned nosewhohadheardtheidenticalthingin a medievalmiracleplayor
something ofthesort.It wasjusttoo funnyassumingthatwhiteskincouldfool
blackbrains.Butto getbackto mypoint:I feltthatI had lostso muchandgained
justnothing fromtheassociation, thatI feltifI neversaweitherone ofyouagain
untildayafterjudgment, itwouldbe too soon. But youcame to see me in New
Yorkand expressedcontrition. So I feltmaybeyouwouldbe all rightifyouhad
somebodyto thinkforyouuntilyoutookup thatfunction yourself.At firstwhen
I listenedtofirst Barnacleandthenyoutelloftheterrible dealsyougotfromyour
father, I reallywas sorryforyou.But laterI came to see it was nothingbutthe

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 611

resultofemotionalunbalanceandurgedyoutogo homebecauseI feltyouneeded

protection. So youwenttogetyourdegreeand I feltthatI hadrestored a father to
hissonand a sonto hisfather and all waswell.You wrotemeand at first I didnot
answerbecauseI feltso through. Butfinally I came to feelashamedfortakingit
seriously and decided to it
forget and be friendly. So whenyouremindedme that
you had gone home and taken on
yourdegree mysuggestion and nowyouhad
nothing to do,I feltresponsibility, notlove. Since you let me see that youregretted
yourstep,especially.So I setoutto showyouthatyourdegreeand yourfather's
connectionwereno hindranceto you.Whenyou thoughtyou had a chancein
Mexico,youneverevensaid one wordone wayor anotheruntilthatfellthrough.
I had evenwritten Dr. Redfieldat Chicagoto tryto makea place foryoubutyou
neverwrotehimeither.WhenI nextheardfromyou,I had talkedto Reiser4here
and gotenthusedoverthedrumming and wanteda fewrecordsforlecturepur-
poses and decidedto payyourwaydownhereto getthem.But at thesame time
arranging itso thatyoucoulddo something foryourself. Sinceyourdistastefor
yourfather seemedbiggerand moreenduring thanI couldconceiveof,I decided
tonevermention itor to urgefurther reconciliation, andjustforget it.
Nowitseemsthatmyoffer gotyouthechancewithDr. Herzog.5Thatwasvery
fine.I begrudgeyounothing. Butsinceyouhad goneto theTIMES and madear-
rangements forarticles,etc.in otherwords,youcalledyourself stealingtheshow
fromme,itwasonlydecentforyoutohaveannouncedthatfromWashington, and
to haverefusedto comehereundermyprestige. In all civilizedcommunities itis
axiomaticthatyoudonteat a man'ssaltand slanderhim.But I can see thatyou
calledyourself putting itoveron all whotrustedyou.Yourfatherfought forthe
for
money you,according your to own statements, yethe still
was a monster toyou,
because[H]aiti[e]ns herehavespokentomeaboutyourfather's persecution ofyou,
so youmusthavetoldthem.Dr. Herzoggaveyoua chancebuthereyouweretelling
meyoudidntintendtojustbe getting stuffforHerzogto writeup. Ifyoufeltthat
way, the time to say itwas when you stood before himand refusedto comeunder
theterms.I havenofearofyoureverout-doing meinanything, butthatiswhatyou
conceivedofas a properreturn forgetting you here and pavingthewayforyouin
variousways,evento loaningyoumoney, besidesslander.The momentI landed,
a well-known doctorsaid,"WellLomaxis goneand everyone is glad.He saidbad
things about Reiser and everybody else before he left.The man simply hasnograti-
tude,norconscience."Thatseemsparticularwretched foryouknowas wellas I
do thatyouhavenotcollectedone thingin Haiti.You havemerelyrecordedwhat
Reisercollectedforyou.Andwhata return he got!!He treatedyoulikea father.
So now,youknowwhyI wentoutofmywayto havenothing to do withyoube-
foreI lefthere.Thatandthefactthatyourpersonaluntidiness wasone ofthecity-
widescandalsand everyone whoknewyoubecameembarrassed to be seenwith
you.You can lockdoorsagainsta th[ie]f, butthereis no protection againsta liar.
Yourstruly,
Zora Neale Hurston
***

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612

Used withthepermission oftheZora Neale HurstonTrustandreproduced in

facsimile
and transcription bypermissionof theSpecialCollections
Research
ofChicagoLibrary.
Center,University
The letteris locatedat theUniversity
ofChicagoLibrary, RobertRedfield
Box
Papers, 14,Folder 14.

Notes
1 In theoriginal,thetextis overlapping
here.It mightread: "The blindarea in yourhead told
youthatyouhad."
2 At thispoint,thereis x-edovertextthatis hardto decipher.Perhaps:"But to getback to my
point,I was."
3 See endnote11 in Cappetti's"DefendingHurston."
4 S. H. Reiserwas accordingto Cohenan "Americanexpatriateand a former ship'spharmacist
who ran the Haitian NationalInsane Asylum"(Cohen, Ronald D., ed. Alan Lomax, As-
sistantin Charge:The Libraryof CongressLetters,1935-1945.Jackson:UP of Mississippi,
2011.Print.376n20).
5 GeorgeHerzog (1901-1983)was a German-Jewishlinguistand ethnologist whohad studied
in Budapestand Berlinbeforemovingto the UnitedStates,wherehe became a studentof
anthropology underFranz Boas, and one of the foundersof ethnomusicology. See Netti,
Bruno. "The Dual Natureof Ethnomusicology in NorthAmerica: The Contributions of
CharlesSeegerand GeorgeHerzog."ComparativeMusicologyand Anthropology ofMusic.
Ed. BrunoNettleand PhilipBohlman.Chicago:U ofChicagoP, 1991.Print.

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 613

Port-au-Prince, Haiti
June 4f 1937

lfr« Alan Lomax

Washington, D.C«

My dear Mr. Lomax,

It seems that you have acheived a new low« I thought that
you had touched bottom in Florida and Nassau 9when knowing that you
knew no more about collecting folk-lore than a hog knows about a hol-
iday, you were content to have me do ifhtfORLaeiarTA ÎSDi^¥ehtêdb^Sfa

But you have outdone yourself at last. I hear on my return

to Port-au-Prince that you explained my keeping away from you during
my laßt weeks here on the grounds that I expected you to marry mé and
I v.as upset «hen you got married« I cant imagine anything >oree than
that no matter vhich way you turn it« Seems to me if you want to claim
any intelligence at all, you could have thou#it up a better one than
that.
Since you cant see it for yourself, I «11 tell you«, tfeu were
able to enter Haiti on myprestige and you were not only permitted
to work, but you were actually helped to all that you did ibhrough*
the same. Kvery connection you made was directly oř indir ее tly due
to me. All I asked In return was a few drummingrecords, and in your
great ¿ratitude and generosity of spirit, you told enough stupid lies
to sink a battleship, to keep from doing as you had promised in that
respect« I know that you sent one record over, but not to me«You owed
it to me and many others, but you tried to send to send it over my
Lead to l¿r. Lippincott as if YOU were making him a present to curry
favor v.ith him. i;ot that it helped you any, you can be sure of that«
I had already told ТЛг. Lippincott about the arrangement, so he saw
t rough it« Never having had occasion to doubt myword, he naturally
bas faith in me.
I have never regretted a generous gesture so much in all my
life. You see, vhen I left Florida my craw was just as full of pett-
iness and trickery and lies as it could be. There was you with your
lies about everything that I showed you. One day you had never heard
of it. bext day, you or your papa had found it in Texas. The children's
cries is a case in point. You not only had heard nothing of it, I had
to go to a great deal of trouble to make you understand .Hunted up
some little boys and demonstrated and you were delighted« But bless
me gawd a week later, you vere an authority on it« You and your papa
hed found it i*i Texas. I see you tell that lie again in your book«
And there was Barnacle, looking
4Hx^^ccgwty1wifidřytgxoqDc^±ictxxiyrarmxK
like a mammy walrus with a sunburned nose ¥?hohad heard the identical
thing in a medieval miracle play o* something of the sort. It was just
too funny assuming that white skin could fool black brains. But to get
back to my points I felt th£t I had lost so much end gained just nothing
from the association, that felt if I never sa*' either one of you
a¿jein until day after judgment, it would be too soon« Put you came to
so*, me in Lew York and expressed contrition. So I felt maybe you would
be all ri¿ht if you had somebody to think for you until you took up

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 614

m& ftmctionyowselí #At fir«t wbenI netened to firet Bernacle and

: . ' tb«n you ten tìf the terrible deals you got fr«B your father, I really ' ^
r : ume sorry for Уош. But later I ciase to *ee it wae ©othlag but the »g ; ;:;;
' ' remÚX0t emotionalunbalance and urged yoo to go homeЪесаоаа I felt ' :■-;.
...^^^.,
■

^ .
i

' j jj^ ree^I^¿ a ^а^ег ' ^ bi0' ^jj g^yja eon to hie father and all <v . :
r was well.lou wroteme and ' at first I did not answerbecause I felt ее -'
" through.But finally I саше to feel ashamedfor taking it eeriously ::;: ::
and decided to forget it and be friendly. So i*en you re^ftded me that
you had gone hoáe and taken your degree щщon иу soggestiAö and now v ,:
;. you had nothingto do. I felt responsibility, not love#S4n5eyou let .:
: me see that you regretted
' your step, especially. So I set out to show ,
: . ' 'you that your degree and your father1s connection'were no hindranceto Л v:
; you. Whenyou thou^it you had a chance in Mexico, you never • vea ■-^ : :
«aid one wordone wayor anotheruntil that fell through,I had even
written Dr. Redfield at Chica®öto try V> makea place for ytrahartyou , /
,' ..- never wrotehi» either» WhenI next heaM fro« you, I had talked to ; ;.-
: Reiser here and got enthused
" over the dronming and wanteda few records ' -r:. ;■
:■ for lecture
' purposes and de cided ;-
to ; ■■
pay yourway downhere to get them. ..
r-
Is.- But at the ssae time arranging it so that you could do sometbiagfor - ;/;

*
: o£' to urge;;£tajf$li^^ ::|^ЦЕ11ЖД|Ш№1яр^ v. >
'^'
ì - ; Nowit seems that иу offer got y«u the chance with Dr, Her»g,
; That was very fiat. I begrudgeyou nothing. But since you had gone to ;;:..
'
: the ТВШ5-and «аДе arrangementsfor articles, etc« in other word»,you r ;,:":";,
Î called yourselifstealing the showfromme, it was only decent for yo^i П^Ш
to have а!шошм:еа that fromWashington,and to have refused 1x>co«e
' . hei^ ш^ег V Pi^etige. In all civilised co»ranitiee it is axiomatic .,::.^
: ;:that you dont eit a man's salt sikl slander hi». But I ¿^ see t^ you v; ;:;.:
...
' Го}ф,г for ^^mSekij for yùnfWLCcorůiixg to your ownstatements,yet ;:Щ;
■
'> л ' he still was a monsterto you, because haïtiens here have sicken to »e f;
^':. about your father's persecution of you, so you muethave told them.Dr,
■ -■■ ■;vHiyie^ :;iiwv:|^ v:
"
; .. way, the time о say it was whenyou stood before himand refused t© :.;.;
'
:.:;:'' anything,but that is whatyou <»nceiiwd of as a proî^erret^ ;'
' -'- getting you here and :i>avingthe «ay for you in various ways, even to ;:^: -^
-; loaning you mone*,besides slander. The leementI landed, a we^

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