Barnet, Miguel: Brief an Henze, Hans Werner. undatiert
author: Barnet, Miguel
language: en
availability: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Hans Werner Henze Telef. 938 8328[^1]

[^1: In general, Barnet does not indicate the name of the addressee Henze on the right hand side of his letters, nor the telephone number. It is likely that this addition was written for the letter carrier, who could possibly have called Henze for matters related to the dispatch of the letter.]

Between 15 January and February 1982 [This letter appears to have been written after Barnet's letter of 14 January 1982. Since the month of March is mentioned, it is assumed to have been written between 15 January and February 1982.]
Dear Hans:

I am sure everything will come out fine; no obstacle at all, only I will be operated on for a hernia on my rightside in March, [Barnet's hernia operation was not in March 1982, but on 28 July 1982, as he writes in a subsequent letter.] but I am hoping to be well in May. [May 1982 is the month in which Barnet planned to travel to Europe and visit Henze.] I had good professional luck in this past year but it was too good perhaps and the eyes of evil provoked a minor but painful accident on my left hand fingers and my nail (2) [This number looks like a I, but a 2 makes more sense in this context.] were taken out without anaesthesia.

I showed again my courage and estoicism. I feel better but my fingers look awful. Anyway I feel optimistic and full of guts to keep ahead. You know I have the spirit of two grandpas and one is African so all the witchery is on my side.

Nevertheless, the eye of the evil has to be brushed away from my way definitely and I am working in that direction. The moment to see you and to hear Cimarron and Rachel is near.[^2] But I need a formal [An arrow indicating a page turn.] invitation from Rostock theatre [It seems that Barnet got this invitation as the trip occurred. See also the subsequent letter in which Barnet writes that he could go to Rostock.] or whatever it is because Cuba is short of money and they want to have a concrete justification for their expenses. Remember we are very poor and these trips cost a lot. We might not be able to go to Horizonte Festival for political reasons; [The second Horizonte Festival der Weltkulturen / Lateinamerika took place in West Berlin from 29 May to 20 June 1982. Regarding the political reasons, see Barnet's letter of 11 December 1983.] it is not clear yet so that means I could go first to see you on at Rostock or Marino [Barnet visited Henze first in Marino and then they went to Rostock together.] , I don’t know, and then as an individual go to West Berlin to spend 3 months at DAAD (Bureau Berlin). [Apparently, according to Barnet's hypothesis, the Cuban government could have accepted his stay in West Berlin as recipient of the DAAD scholarship.]

[^2: Barnet was able to hear both of Henze's works El Cimarrón and La Cubana, based on his books El Cimarrón. Biografia de un cimarrón and La Canción de Rachel live for the first time in Rostock. See Henze's Autobiography, p. 395.]

That will be from June or July to September.[^3] I have arranged this with DR. Miguel Cossio , whom Micki Strausfeld (my very close friend) knows very well. He went to République fédérale d'Allemagne with me last winter [Barnet travelled to Europe from October 1981 until 13 January 1982 at the latest, but he did not meet Henze. See Barnet's postcard from Seville on 5 October 1981.] and is the Head of the editorial machinery in Cuba. [It has not been possible to trace what role Cossio played in Cuban publishing circles, yet he wrote an article on this very subject in August 1982 titled Un combat pour les lettres .]

[^3: Subsequent letters show that the three months as a DAAD recipient from June or July to September 1982 were first shifted to the period from September to December 1982 (see Barnet's letter from summer 1982) and then did not occur at all (see Barnet's letter on 11 December 1983), as he could not stay in Europe after May 1982.]

Write a letter to me as soon as possible and please, ask Rostock to send me an invitation with a copy to Miguel Cossio , to my address. This will be the good and perhaps only opportunity to see you and hear ¡finally! the music of La Cubana and Cimarrón (in situ).[^4]

[^4: A letter from Henze in response to this has yet to be located. As previously mentioned, Barnet obtained an invitation from the Theater in Rostock and was able to attend live performances of Henze's two works.]

A big hug,
Miguelito

[This closing is written very tightly in the bottom right-hand corner, because Barnet had no more space on the page.]