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Vittorio Emanuele Zino accuses Merton of employing ethnically derogatory terms in a malicious way in reference to Italians and Poles in an advance excerpt published in Life magazine of Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander. Merton denies any wrongful intent and expresses admiration for Italian culture. Merton states, "The injurious names which have been used as insults in the past can also be used ironically and defiantly in order to honor and not to shame." Zino was not satisfied with this, and Merton asked his publisher to remove the offending words, and they were removed.
Vittorio Emanuele Zino writes from New York.
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See also the "Stone, Naomi Burton" file.
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This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.
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| # | Date | From/To | First Lines | Pub ✓ | Notes |
| | y/m/d | Merton | | Scan ✉ | |
| 1. |
1966/08/05 (#01) |
TLS[x] to Merton |
By chance I read your ideas expressed in your book Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander |
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«detailed view» |
| 2. |
1966/08/05 (#02) |
other[x] to Merton |
ANTI-ITALIAN HATE LITERATURE Contained in: The New American Profile, |
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[copies of the poems "Two 'Merican Men" by Thomas Augustine Daly and "Scum o' the Earth" by Robert Haven Schauffler]
«detailed view» |
| 3. |
1966/08/12 |
TLS from Merton |
I have your eloquent letter of August 5 and I wish to reply personally, though I do not ordinarily |
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«detailed view» |
| 4. |
1966/08/16 (#01) |
TLS[x] from Stone, Naomi Burton / to Merton |
Thanks so much for yours of August 9th and we're all agreed then the THE [sic] CHURCH IN THE |
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[letter from Merton's literary agent, Naomi Burton Stone, who forwards a message of complaint received by Doubleday from Zino - see "Stone, Naomi Burton" file for the original]
«detailed view» |
| 5. |
1966/08/16 (#02) |
TL[x] from Zino, Vittorio / to John Delaney |
This will confirm my telephone conversation of this morning with respect to the offending epithets |
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[from Vittorio Zino of New York City to John J. Delaney, an editor with Doubleday publishers]
«detailed view» |
| 6. |
1966/08/22 |
TLS from Merton |
O.K., I respect your objections and I can see that the issue is a live one, since the enclosures you |
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«detailed view» |
| 7. |
1972/08/30 |
TLS to Center from Zino, Vittorio |
I received your form letter dated August 7, 1972 Monday, August 28th. I am enclosing the originals |
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«detailed view» |
| 8. |
1972/09/11 |
TL[c] from Center to Zino, Vittorio |
Thank you for your letter of August 30 and the letters sent to you by the late Thomas Merton. |
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«detailed view» |
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