Pirandello's Love Letters to Marta Abba

INTRODUCTION xiii EDITOR'S REMARKS xxiii CHRONOLOGY xxvii The Short Note of 1925 3 250207 Marta Will Play Nostra Dea by Bontempelli 4 Letters of 1926 from Rome 5 260805 Family "Tempest." Danger of Bankruptcy 7 260817 Work on L'amica delle mogli as Salvation 8 260820 Influence of Marta's Letters on Pirandello 10 260821 Contents and Style of Marta's Letters 12 Letters of 1928 from Rome and Nettuno 14 280705 The Pine Grove of Villa Borghese in Nettuno 16 280708 Life in Italy Has Become Stifling A 280712 Pirandello's Great Love for Marta 19 280713 Self-proclaimed "Physician" for Marta's Scruples 21 280922 Mussolini's Tactics to Undermine Rival Power 23 280925 Pirandello a Senator? Away from Italy's Dunghill! 24 Letters of 1929 and 1930 from Berlin, Rome, and Milan 27 290314 Desperate Tears for Marta's Departure 30 290315 Gaffe at the Embassy: The "Secret" Revealed 32 290316 The Evening Hours Remain Unbearable 34 290320 Marta as Meaning, Worth, and Purpose of Life 37 290322 Mussolini Names Pirandello to Accademia d'Italia 38 290323 Marta Stresses Distance, Signing: Marta Abba 41 290325 Marta No Longer Has the Feeling She Had Before 42 290326 Congratulations and Invitations from Everywhere 45 290328 Marta's Cry for Help, Will Start a New Company 47 290329 Marta's Training as an Artist 49 290330 Marta's Mentor: Analysis of Marta's Character 52 290331 A Lonely Easter Day Mourning a "Lost Feeling" 54 290401 Embarrassing Easter Meal at a Friend's Home 56 290402 Easter without Resurrection: I Live without Life 58 290405 The Nature of Pirandello's Love for Marta 60 290406 The Problem of Languages in the Talking Film 62 290408 Work on 0 di uno o di nessuno. Birth of Giganti 64 290411 Sentence of Life or Death? Faith in Mussolini 65 290416 From London: The Talking Film-What a Horror! 68 290421 From Berlin: New Contracts Signed in London 70 290422 Euphoria in the Creative Process 71 290425 Will Talking Film Abolish Theater? 73 290428 Truly There Is No Man Unhappier than Myself 74 290430 With Otto Kahn: A Film for Paramount? 76 290505 Marta Ignores Pirandello's Tragic Fantasies 78 290508 Bucolic Wishes for Peace and Recovery 80 290627 Thoughts about the Joy of Dreams and Madness 82 290628 Flowers and Telegrams for Pirandello's Birthday 84 290629 Expectation of a Hit Season in Berlin 85 290716 Return to Berlin: Feist and Meinhardt 87 290720 A Pirandello Revival in Italy 89 290721 Death of Max Reinhardt's Brother go 290722 Come tu mi vuoi, in the Midst of Despair 91 290913 Again in Berlin, Pirandello Sues Feist 92 290927 Creative Process: Independently Alive Characters 93 291011 Villino in Rome Finally Sold for 900,000 Lire 95 291212 Pirandello's Theater Is Dead without Marta 97 300227 From Berlin: Questa sera Triumphs in Konigsberg 99 300228 Turmoil-Such as to Go Insane or Even Die 101 300301 At the Brink of Suicide-I Am Your True Father 103 300303 Mortal Crisis Because Marta No Longer Gives Life 104 300304 Mussolini Interfered with the Nobel Prize 106 300310 A Pirandello Revival in Germany 107 300312 Also in Paris a Favorable Atmosphere 108 300316 Worried about Marta's Exhaustion Ho 300324 I Don't Have a Moment of Peace: Suicide? 110 300325 My Marta, How Much I Love You! L'Ennemie 112 300402 Marta's Reproaches for Being Disrespectful 114 300405 Very Weak but Happy about Festivities in Naples 116 300406 First Idea about Quando si e qualcuno in German 117 300409 Life at a Great Distance as if in the Past 119 300412 Contract for Questa sera in Berlin. Fiamma 119 300415 Foresees a Miraculous Success for Questa sera 122 300417 Triumphs of Questa sera and Come tu mi vuoi 124 300418 No Actress in the World Is Comparable to Marta! 125 300420 Liturgical Easter Play in Sicily 126 300425 Creative Process of Giganti della montagna 128 300429 Glory Will Come from Abroad or after Death 130 300430 In the Euphoria of Creation He Feels like a God 131 300504 Triumph of Questa Sera in Milan 133 300505 Contract with Lasky/Paramount. Gilbert Miller 134 300507 Announcement of Pirandello's Voyage to America 136 300514 Italy's Ingratitude toward Her Best Children 137 300517 Fritz Lang Wants to Film Six Characters 138 300518 The German System of Exhausting Rehearsals 140 300522 The American System of Preparing Film Scripts 141 300524 Life-a Journey without Arrivals and without Rest 142 300525 A Foreigner in Italy, He Needs a New Country 144 300527 The Talking Film as a New Expression of Art 145 300601 Tumultuous Opening of Questa sera in Berlin 146 300602 Attempts to Separate Him from Marta 148 300603 Reasons for the Violent Attacks of the Berlin Press 150 300605 Thomas Mann Condemns Anti-Pirandello Wave 152 300606 Decision to Abandon Germany for Good 154 Letters of 1930 from Paris, Berlin, London, and Rome 156 300727 A Pirandello Season Planned for New York 157 301215 Pirandello's High Expenses Criticized by Marta 158 301217 I Am Really Ready for Death 159 301226 As You Desire Me Is a Hit in Philadelphia 159 301231 Jealous of Those Who Are Close to Marta 16o Letters of 1931 from Paris, Milan, and Portugal 162 310101 Telepathy with Marta on New Year's Eve? 163 310103 As You Desire Me Is a Hit in Chicago 164 310108 Max Reinhardt Revives Six Characters in Vienna 165 310109 I'll Go Soon, but My Plays Will Remain 166 310112 Pray for Me, My Marta, and Have Mercy 167 310125 Desolation of Wearing the Sad Mask of Old Age 168 310127 I Have a Penetrating Look and Two Devilish Eyes 16q 310208 Marta Is the Greatest Actress in the World 171 310210 My Art Has Never Before Been So Full, So Varied 172 310216 Giganti della montagna: I Am Touching the Peak! 174 310220 IT Be a Millionaire by the End of This Year 176 310222 My Dream: A Theater of Your Own 177 310225 A Horrible Night-I Felt I Was Going to Die 179 310317 Fears of Family Influence on Marta while in Rome 18o 310330 Glory of a Poet and Glory of an Actress 182 310401 Shubert Wants to Organize Marta's Tour in the U.S. 184 310422 Marta Is "Solar," "Mediterranean," "A Southerner" 185 310427 I Feel Abandoned by You, I'm Going Insane 186 310501 Implores Forgiveness: His Mind Was Perturbed 188 310503 The Lilies of the Valley for Marta's Portrait 18q 310512 My Fantasy Has Never Been So Lively 191 310515 Italy Cannot Do without Pirandello 192 310520 Catastrophic Situation of Show Business in the U.S. 193 310531 Alone in the World with Art as Only Companion 194 310611 You Are the Holiest among All Women 195 310718 Describes His New Apartment in Paris 196 310722 A Happy Marta Flying from London to Paris 197 310726 Nobody Will Ever Love You More than I Do 199 310803 How Beautiful You Must Be, a Joy in the Sun 200 310806 Failure of Bourgeois Order and Technology 201 310819 Rushes to Genoa to a Sick and Depressed Marta 203 311009 Marta Is Invited to Perform in Paris 204 Letters Of 1932 from Paris, Rome, and Castiglioncello 207 320118 Marta Leaves Paris after Performing in French 209 320122 Isn't It Better to Extinguish My Life Forever? 210 320126 I Have the Blackest and Most Frightening Despair 212 320206 Mussolini Says Pirandello Has a Bad Character Z13 320211 A Discussion on the Theme of Trovarsi 215 320214 Mussolini's Coarse Reality and His Necessary Myth 216 320216 Pirandello Describes His Serious Heart Attack 217 320222 The Disease Is Life Itself. Only Medicine Is Death 218 320310 The Duce Doesn't Like the Fact that I Live Abroad 219 320314 Enthusiastic about the Audience with Mussolini 220 320318 I Work Directly with the Duce 221 320402 I Want to Give Energy, Work, Ideas for Everybody 223 320427 Triumph of Pensaci, Giacomino! at the Congress 225 320504 I Am the Only One Who Is Truly Alive Everywhere 226 320804 As You Desire Me Not Ready for Venice Festival 228 320822 Perhaps You Would Prefer Never to See Me Again 229 320904 Discusses His Play Trovarsi and Buys a Car 231 320908 Marta Is Upset by Family Misunderstandings 232 320909 A Laborious Creative Process for Trovarsi 234 320912 Finds the Solution for the Finale of Trovarsi 236 321108 Triumph of Come tu mi vuoi Directed by Baty 238 321125 I'd Be Able to Have a Home Only with You 239 321206 Frightening Audience with Mussolini 241 Letters of 1933 from Rome, Paris, and Castiglioncello 243 330209 A National Dramatic Theater at the Argentina? 246 330304 Marta Abba Is Today Our Greatest Actress 247 330316 Limited Obedience to Fascism 248 330517 Mussolini Maneuvers against the Monopoly 250 330713 I Am Working with the Sea in Front of Me 252 Letters of 1934 from Rome, Milan, London, and Paris 255 340224 Pirandello Experiences Financial Difficulties 256 340324 Animosity against the Favola del figlio cambiato 257 340329 Mussolini Forbids Performances of the Favola 259 340405 Giordani's Arrogance in the Film World 260 340429 What a Trap Is the Civil Law! 262 340604 I Don't See Any Reason for Anything 263 340726 Creative Process for Non si sa come 264 340805 A Teatro Stabile in Milan-a Lifelong Dream 266 340821 Trying Hard to Complete Non si sa come 268 341115 Besieged Because of Announcement of Nobel Prize 269 341129 Festivities in Paris Because of the Nobel Prize 271 341206 The Company of Myself Is Unbearable to Me 273 341212 Celebrations in Stockholm for the Nobel Prize 275 Letters of 1935 from Paris, Rome, Milan, and New York 277 350203 Negotiations in London for Pirandello Company 280 350214 Is the Fall of Paolino Giordani Imminent? 281 350217 Overview of Pirandello's Income in Ten Years 283 350219 Audience with Mussolini about National Theater 284 350301 The State Theater: A Firm Intention of Mussolini 286 350318 Day of judgment for the Gang of Enemies 288 350408 I Never Felt So Much Tenderness for You 289 350425 Pirandello Honored at Palazzo Ruspoli with Ciano 290 350721 In New York: Defends the Conquest of Ethiopia 291 350813 Endless Negotiations but No Contracts in the U.S. 293 350830 Pirandello's Art "Above" the Taste of the Masses 296 350907 International Tension Hampers Negotiations 297 351014 Heart Attack at the Pier on Arriving in Naples 299 351027 Living Means for Me to Work, to Create 300 351030 Mussolini Invites Pirandello to His Box 302 351209 I Fervently Hope that I Have Little Time to Live 303 351218 Marta Undecided about Publishing Her Notes 305 Letters of 1936 from Rome 308 360114 Id Love to Spend All My Time Writing to You 310 360116 I Feel as if I Were Dying amid Petty Routines 311 360117 Dangers of the Newly Planned State Theater 312 360306 Does Not Want to Wear Glasses Because of Vanity 313 360311 Marta Is Depressed Because of Fatigue 314 360313 I Cannot Keep a Grudge against Anybody 315 360406 Negotiations for Tovarich with Gilbert Miller 316 360413 When I Know You Victorious, I Can Die 318 360427 I Am Waiting for Your Triumph in America 319 360430 A Vision of Marta's Glory in America 320 360516 I Do Not Know What to Hold On To 321 360530 I've Fallen into a Bottomless Abyss of Sadness 323 360629 I Am in the Age Bracket in Which People Die 324 360712 I'll Always Have Your Affection, as Long as I Live 325 360721 I Don't Know Where to Flee, I Cannot Take It! 327 360801 The Truth Is that I Should Die 328 360919 Pirandello Lives with His Thoughts in New York 329 361007 In Berlin Goebbels Orders a Pirandello Revival 330 361025 Overjoyed at Marta's Triumph on Broadway 332 361121 Dream of Visiting Marta in New York, Alone! 334 361204 If I Think about the Distance, I at Once Feel I Am Sliding into an Abyss of Despair 337 BIBLIOGRAPHY 339 SUBJECT INDEX 343 NAME INDEX 352