Hotel Jefferson, Richmond, Va, 23220    October 2, 1978

Dear Madam :
Your undated letter has brightened my day: I do not know when I have received a letter which has given me greater satisfaction. It so happened that it was received coincident with one from Bertelsmann informing me that they had just read "a wonderful review of your book in the Suddeutscher Zeitung." I had written to inquire whether they would care to examine my memoirs which I am on the point of completing. The answer was that "of course Bertelsmann is very interested to see them".

With this good news was your letter revealing a quite exceptional knowledge and understanding of  Casanova, so different from the commonalty. It was so very kind of you to send me the interesting pamphlet of the Cologne churches which will be a precious addition to my Casanova collection of several thousand volumes, said to be the most inclusive in the world. The several thousand printed works, including Ilges' important work CASANOVA IN KOLN. These I presented to Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, a hamlet 15 miles north of Richmond which my great grandfather, Bishop Early, founded in 1830, the oldest Methodist College in America. Some thousands of microfilms of Casanova's papers which I obtained from Czechoslovakia I presented to the Library of the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, only Dutch Casanovist who is a members of the Casanova society to which I belong which was founded in 1975 by a Casanova enthusiast, a Frenchman, M. Pierre Gruet, in a palace he bought in Venice at 13 Giudecca 30123, Venezia where our reunions are held annually. The next will be on June 2, 1979. We are about twenty including Angelika Hubscher who, with her husband, edited the Brockhaus edition of Casanova, and Mlle Luna, a teacher and writer. I founded in 1958 while living in Nice CASANOVA GLEANINGS which M. Gruet took over and of which I am honorary director. It is now edited by an old friend, Dr Francis L. Mars, 17 rue Georges-Ville, Nice, 06300. It appears once a year and volume XXII is now being prepared. I would strongly recommend that you subscribe and ask Mars about the possibility of obtaining a complete set of past issues. I know of one that was sold last year by a bookdealer at $100. The articles in GLEANINGS are published indiscriminately in French or English. Why don't you prepare an article along the lines of the letter you wrote me. I found particularly revealing what you had to say about the Cologne church. It is now generally agreed that the church in Murano was Santa Maria degli Angeli and that M.M. was Maria Morosini, a patrician (see CASANOVA GLEANINGS, XVIII, 1975, "M.M. et les Anges de Murano" par Pierre Gruet).

In your letter you write: "Some time ago I have read your book which I liked very much." At first I concluded you were referring to my latest CASANOVA DIE GROSSE BIOGRAPHIE published by Blanvalet in 1977, pp. 352 illustrated but as I identified M.M., I now conclude that it was a briefer edition published by Rowohlt in paperback, 1960, about one third of the length of the latest one. If you ever come to the States I would be delighted to show you the collections in shland and Charlottesville. You would need some days to examine the two but you could find comfortable quarters nearby. I would be happy to assist you.

Thanking you again for your interesting letter and with kind regards and very good wish,

Sincerely,

J. Rives Childs

- The following photos were taken by Marco Leeflang -

1. Pierre Gruet (left) then: Mrs Porak, Piero Chiara, Ulrich Porak in Venice 1977.

Letter II

Hotel Jefferson, Richmond, Va 23220 Nov16, 1978.

Dear Frau Evers:

        I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your letter of Oct 16th which I would have answered sooner but for constant claims upon my time from many countries.

        I feel fairly confident that if you call on M. Gruet in Venice and display your unusual knowledge of Casanova you will receive an invitation for our next conference in Venice on June 2nd when I hope to have the pleasure ofmeeting you.

        It is good to learn that you found a copy of my CASANOVA.

        I am in the midst of completing my memoirs in about 660 pages which BLANVALET HAS ASKED TO SEE AND WILL SEND THEM SHORTLY.

        In the meantime I have taken the liberty of showing your last letter to an American of German antecedents at my College, Prof Gerd Gillhoff who has prepared, on the basis largely of the information you so kindly sent me, a study of THE BURGOMASTER'S WIFE AND THE ELENDSKIRCHE.

        I am enclosing a copy. In view of your help I do not think it proper to submit it to Dr Francis L. MARS, 17 GEORGESVILLE, 06300 NICE FRANCE without your permission. If you approve will you be so good as to mail it to Dr Mars at the above address. I am writing him also and am suggesting that when and if it is received from you he might wish to publish it in CASANOVA GLEANINGS. I do hope you agree.

        With kindest regards and best wishes, believe me

Sincerely,

J. Rives Childs



2. Barbara Evers & Charles Samaran in Venice 1979.

Letter III

Hotel Jefferson, Richmond, Va  23220 Dec 16, 1978

Dear Frau Evers :

        Your kind letter of the 8th which I have just received, I am so happy to learn that through the courtesy of Mr Padouan you were shown over the palace of M. Gruet and that you intend to return on June 2nd when I hope to meet you if my health permits. I shall be 86 and the only physical disability i suffer is a fairly mild gout.

        One other matter and more important : you must have misunderstood what I wrote about the Gillhoff Article. As it was your work I felt it was an obligation and courtesy due you to learn whether you wished to author the article for GLEANINGS and in that case you would submit your own article to Dr Mars in Nice and retain Gillhoff's.

        I am writing at once to Mars NOT to use Gillhoff's until he had received yours and used his editorial judgement. It would be grossly unfair to you who explored the problem to have your own research take second place to that of Gillhoff. I am writing him today and am quoting this part of my letter.

        The trouble is that Mars is in very bad health and I am going to ask him to give, under the circumstances and unless he has strong reasons to act otherwise, preference to your article.

        I have been absent and have a great accumulation of mail which to reply and it is for this reason that I ask you to excuse the brevity of this letter.

        Wishing you my cordial holiday greetings and looking forward to seeing you in June,

Sincerely yours,

(Rives Childs)

P.S. I have just heard from BLANVALET that a new edition of my CASANOVA will be published in 1980 and I shall ask that you be sent a copy. They are also interested in giving consideration to the possible translation into German of my memoirs entitled BRAVE MUSIC OF A DISTANT DRUM which I have just completed.

3. Jacques Branchu & Barbara Evers in Venice 1979.

Letter IV

Hotel Jefferson, Richmond, Va  Jan 31, 1979

Dear Frau Evers :

        You must excuse me for not answering sooner your letter of the 4th but, as usual, I am overwhelmed with correspondence.

        Unfortunately I have had no news from Dr Mars for some time. It is probably due to his frail health. Last year he wrote me and asked that I get my bibliographical section of CASANOVA GLEANINGS to him before the end of the year which I have done. I don't see that any harm wood be done if you send it (your article) within three weeks (that is to say I presum within three weeks of Jan 15th).

        I am getting off a letter to him today by air mail and am urging him to write you or at least send you GLEANINGS as you requested. I can't answer your question about the photo of the church but will raise it with him and ask him to write you direct.

        To expedite matters I shall post this letter this morning as well as one to Mars,

        With very cordial best wishes and hoping to see you in Venice early in June

Sincerely yours

J. Rives Childs


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4. Charles Samaran & Carla Tolomeo in Venice 1979.  -   5. Piero Chiara in Venice 1979.



6. From left: Giancarlo Vigorelli, Pierre Gruet, Carla Tolomeo, Dorthe Watzlawick,
Jacques Branchu, Geneviève Branchu, Barbara Evers
in Venice 1979.



7. In the middle: Barbara Evers. In the Doge's Palace 1979.




7 a: Barbara Evers, Helmut Watzlawick, Dorthe Watzlawick;
below: Samaran's daughter, Charles Samaran, J. Rives Childs, Hilda (niece of Childs).




7 b: first row from left: Piero Chiara, Carla Tolomeo, Mrs Chiara, Francis Mars?,
Sitting on Chiara's head: Roberto Paduan.
Row above: Next to Barbara Evers: Luigi and Mrs Baccolo.

8. In the Doge's Palace 1979.