Dear
Mr Grant Richards, I see by
reference to letters that you were sending the book to the
printers two months ago. Its
transit, however, has been delayed by a
copious and futile correspondence which
my original reply to your objections certainly did not provoke.
This correspondence has been a cause of great and constant
worry to me and I now recognise how
useless it has been.
I pointed out to you clearly in my last letter that it was I who had made efforts to narrow down the difficulties between us, difficulties which, I think, it would have been much wiser to raise at an earlier stage. I am unable to gather from your letter of this morning whether you agree to the concessions I made in my letter of a fortnight ago. I will ask you to let me know this definitely.
I have nothing further to add to what I have written in defence of my book but I may repeat that, in my opinion, you have allowed yourself to be intimidated by imaginary terrors. You may have difficulties of which I know nothing for I imagine it is not public opinion which deters you. My bag of suggestions is nearly empty but I present you with this last one. Buy two critics. If you could do this with tact you could easily withstand a campaign. Two just and strong men, each armed with seven newspapers – quis sustinebit? I speak in parables.
As regards me, I leave this delightful city at the end of next month and go to Rome where I have obtained a position as correspondent in a bank. As the salary (£150 a year) is nearly double my present princely emolument and as the hours of honest labour will be fewer I hope to find time to finish my novel in Rome within a year or, at most, a year and a half. I mention this because in a former letter of yours you were kind enough to inquire about my financial position. Believe me, Mr Grant Richards, Faithfully yours
Correspondence Regarding Joyce's "Dubliners":
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