Letter card (with Envelope) from M. Barnet to H. W. Henze, between July 25 and August 8, 1970

Writing styles

• 1.

  Handwriting, Barnet, Miguel, ballpoint pen.
• 2.

  Handwriting.

Text Constitution

• 1.

  "… Creo que tú obra UNEAC"The rounded logo is pre-printed in various shades of grey in the centre of the page. Barnet writes over the logo.
• 2.

  "sólo"sic
• 3.

  "Faustós"sic
• 4.

  "pained"crossed out (uncertain transcription)
• 5.

  pained

Commentary

• 1.

  [Figure Description]Tempera abstract painting. The outline of a dove is drawn in red, with yellow, blue and black strokes. The drawing is initialed, probably with a “C” and an “M”. It is not yet known who was responsible for the drawing.
• 2.

  "… July and early August 1970"This greeting card was written in response to Henze’s letter of 21 July 1970 and before Barnet’s greetings card on 12 August 1970. For this reason, it can be assumed that it was written before the end of July and the first few days of August. Moreover, the stamps on the envelope suggest that Barnet wrote this card in Cuba, then gave it to Karvelis to take to Europe. The card was only sent from Paris to Marino on 20 August 1970, where it arrived on 24 August 1970.
• 3.

  "… soy feliz con este resultado."Henze had attached some reviews of El Cimarrón’s European performances to his previous letter of 21 July 1970, adding that he will bring Barnet some reviews on a possible trip to Cuba in October 1970, which never materialised.
• 4.

  "… Pi ya P. Latina )."It has not been ascertained whether Brouwer wrote an article. Since he was involved in the performances of El Cimarrón as a guitarist, he could have written a direct account of his experience.
• 5.

  "Tambien"recte "También".
• 6.

  "… tengo la carta de Magnus"It is unclear which Enzensberger’s letter Barnet is referring to. Their correspondence could provide more information.
• 7.

  "… los contratos de Rachel ."Barnet had to give permission for the use of his novel La Canción de Rachel for the contracts for the television production of La Cubana, on which Enzensberger’s libretto was based, probably with RAI, which was initially to produce the work. In this respect, see Irmlind Capelle’s Introduction to the Correspondence of Henze with Hans Magnus Enzensberger.
• 8.

  "tú"recte "tu".
• 9.

  "… caracoles lo habían decidido así."Barnet might have already shown Henze the Cuban practice of reading the future with sea-snails.
• 10.

  "… un abrazo y un beso."Henze was unable to return to Cuba. See the following letters in this correspondence.
• 11.

  "… see Cimarron in Edinburgh ."Henze’s Autobiography, p. 296, confirms that El Cimarrón was indeed performed in Edinburgh (the date has yet to be ascertained). Barnet needed a visa to travel from Cuba to Europe and Guevara may have helped him to get “permission” as well as funding.
• 12.

  "… va hoy a París ."Letters were sent and received several times over the course of correspondence through Karvelis, as she often travelled often between Paris (where she worked at the Gallimard publishing house) and Havana.
• 13.

  [Figure Description]A simple arrow indicating a page turn.
• 14.

  "… ahora en La Habana ."Henze seems to have also sent a letter for Rodríguez, with whom he had a love affair. See also the following letter of 12 August 1970.
• 15.

  "M."abbreviation of "Michelangelo".
• 16.

  "… muy feliz para los dos."Henze had written to Barnet in his previous letter of 21 July 1970 that Antonioni wanted to make a film about El Cimarrón.
• 17.

  "will"recte "would".
• 18.

  "… Faustós pained dark (brown) glasses."Concerning the request he made to Henze that he send him some glasses, see also the following letter on 12 August 1970.
• 19.

  p. d.postdata

  • post scriptum
• 20.

  "p. d."abbreviation of "postdata".