Kallman, Chester: Brief an Henze, Hans Werner. Kirchstetten (Westbahn), Montag, 27. Juli 1964
author: Kallman, Chester
language: en
availability: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Copyright by the Estate of Chester Kallman. By courtesy of the Estate of Chester Kallman. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

27 Juli 64[^1]
answered August 6 Hans M'love:

[^1: This letter was written after more than three years of hiatus in the correspondence between Henze, Auden and Kallman. In fact, Henze's previous letter was dated 17 March 1961 and his secretary's letter to Kallman was dated 25 September 1961.]

I'm writing to ask a favor.

The enclosed photos are of the six-foot, twenty-three-year-old Greek ca l led Kosta (short for Konstantinos), now in the Greek Royal Gu ar d (Those ones with ballet skirts) that I have been in love with for over six months, and love more than I can manage to say. Now the thing is this: he expects to be free about the end of September, and then he will join me. Well, first we'll have a honeymoon in Italy and Austria and maybe Germany; but he must have work in sight, and he wants work. I thought that perhaps he might have a certain success as a model for advertisements, and had him photographed in Athens by some nice talented American girl. But that's not the point. The point is that I don't know where and how to begin submitting his photos to agencies. Munich seemed to me a good place to begin (he speaks German), and I called Renata about it, over a month ago. She did promise to send me information, but her illness may well have made it too difficult for her. So. Darling, maybe you can find out for me. Would Volker know? [Kallman is alluding here to Folker Bohnet, Henze's partner, as confirmed in Henze's response in which the composer writes that Bohnet cannot help Kallman.] This is not an idle request, it is a call for help. Kosta has just put his future in my hands, that's all; and if I prove inadequate I will have failed both of us. Profoundly.

Next week, Wystan and I are motoring down to Greece to meet Kosta and go to his elder brother's wedding in their lttle village in Macedonia. It should be giddy. I don't expect you to answer me before we leave, naturally. But don't put it too far aside. You can't be so busy that you can't ask someone to ask themselves. Sometimes soon. Huh? For an old librettist's life.

How's The Young Gentleman progressing?[^2]

[^2: By early summer 1964, Henze had already composed the entire first act of his opera The Young Lord (see Henze's Autobiography, p. 191) and in his reply of 6 August Henze writes that he has completed half of the work.]

Love To you both [It is likely that Kallman addresses his greetings to Henze and to Folker Bohnet, who at the time of the letter was his partner.]
Chester