Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 3

Letter ID: 773

Sri Aurobindo — Roy, Dilip Kumar

July 1936

I am rather doubtful whether a correspondence like this is suitable for the Viswa Bharati. What I have written is too slight and passing and general a comment such as one can hazard in a private letter; but for a criticism that has to see the light of day something more ample and sufficient would be necessary. Lawrence’s poetry, whatever one may think of his theory or technique, has too much importance and significance to be lightly handled and the “modernism” of contemporary poetry is a fait accompli. One can refuse to recognise as legitimate the fait accompli, whether in Abyssinia or in the realms of literature, but it is too solid to be met with a mere condemnation in principle. I have no time however for anything more adequate, nor indeed to add anything at all for the moment to what I have written, so I content myself by correcting a few errors and leave the rest as it is. No time to do anything but read rapidly through your added pages.

Please note that there is a considerable error of typing in one line of Lawrence’s stanza which I have put right.