25 May 1982

My dear Zik,

I enclose some correspondence with the Poetry Society of Great Britain which may be of interest to you or people like Tim Couzens. They may have, of course, contacted you as well.

I have not forgotten our discussion about poems in English dealing with African Folklore, and will try to do something about it soon.

This evening we are having a seminar led by a young lecturer from the University of the Transkei, Dr. P.N. Thuynsma, on your desire to introduce African mythology into contemporary writing. I find this most interesting and exciting.

With every good wish,

Professor F.G. Butler

Cape Town

12 November

Dear Zeke,

I have been meaning to write for months, first of all to thank you for inviting me to attend the conference of the Institute of Black Studies in Jo'burg which I was very glad indeed not to have missed. While your brief return must in many ways have been sad for you, I am sure you must have derived satisfaction from your reception, showing as it did that you have not been forgotten and that all you have said and written was not in vain as far as the people most involved are concerned.

Could you please let me have a copy of your paper? I promised Bernth Lindfors an article on the conference. I know it's going to be difficult getting copies of papers from the Institute, but I hope to get at least a few. I'll deal only with the Literary side.

The biography is due out next month and they've promised me a copy by air and the rest of my copies by sea, but I'll ask them to send one to you. I won't say ‘I hope you will like it’. There are parts I am sure you will, and others with which you will not agree, but I hope I have got across the spirit of what you stand for, so that readers can share with me what your writing has meant to me. Once again my very best thanks for all your cooperation.