Five Autograph Letters Signed (one 'Alex Comfort' and four 'Alex C') from the poet and sexologist Alex Comfort to John Rogers, regarding poetry, including a discussion of whether poetry is 'finding a language in England, rather than losing one!'

Item One: From Havengrove. On reverse of printed 12mo prospectus for the first issue of 'Poetry Folios' magazine (which appeared in 1942), edited by Comfort and Peter Wells. 1p., 12mo. Fair, on aged and creased paper. He thanks him for his letter. 'It is appreciation of this kind that makes one want to go on writing. [...] I wish I could meet you.' Item Two: From Havengrove, on letterhead of 'Poetry Folios'. Undated. 2pp., 12mo. Fair, on lightly-creased and aged paper. He is sending Day Lewis's 'Overtures to Death' and would like to see 'the medical works, but I go to Eire on Friday for obstetrics at Dublin [...] FOLIOS is being printed & you shall have it as soon as it comes out. Good writing!'. Item Three: From Havengrove. Undated. 2pp., 12mo. Fair, on lightly-aged and creased paper. He was 'delighted' to read Rogers' work: 'it's impertinence for me to criticize anything, but I think these have real individuality. We ought to talk some time soon, but please ring up before you come, so I can be sure of meeting you! (Barnet 3393).' He suggests sending the poems to Reginald Moore at 'Modern Reading': 'tell him who you are & say I suggested it'. Item Four: on Royal Waterloo Hospital letterhead. 10 April [no year]. 2pp., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Rogers' letter contains 'by far the most friendly & intelligent criticism anyone has written me. I don;t know if you realise how much this sort of letter helps, but it does, enormously. I may say I'm not scared of "THEM" - "THEY/" and I will be having a good many sets-to before I've done.' He discusses five of Rogers' 'special points' - 'I am trying not to let the tricks of observation in which I've been trained obtrude on what I write'. Item Five: On Chase Farm Hospital letterhead. 2pp., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. 'I know what a game it is, in wartime, to find time for reading. Wish I cd. feel poetry was finding a language in England, rather than losing one! I'm afraid we may sink into the sort of doggerelizing, where no decent large-scale literature is possible, which overtook Latin in the middle ages, when the monks wrote bad hymns in it (only we should write bad political pamphlets) & the scholars concentrated on the "classics" & let the people ferment a new language, all of its own [...] God knows, people talk about bringing art home to the man in the street, & writing poetry for the people, but where most people's work gives no scope for self expression & art is a sort of refuge from work, it can't be done!'