Harold Brodkey Letters to Temmie 1960-1965

By Temi (Brodkey) Rose, Temmie Brodkey and Harold Brodkey

Selected Letters from correspondence between Harold Brodkey and his young daughter Temmie Brodkey. Photographs of the Brodkeys from the 1950's and 1960's.

EXCERPT

To be right in school means only to agree with the teacher (or means only that the teacher agrees with you). The great gift of an education is to learn to think one's own thoughts, to learn to observe and to learn from the observations, and from that learning to make thoughts. An essay is a chance for you to study your own thoughts some of which may be foolish, but they are yours, and if you write them – the foolish ones – you may discard them. Mistakes are good things. So is not making mistakes. But we are humans and we had better love our mistakes – love learning from them. Don't worry about grades all the time. Grades are only part of school. You are the other part. And I love you. Daddy

• Language: English
• Publisher: temi (brodkey) rose
• Release date: Sep 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393978107

Book preview

October 17, 1960

Harold telegram

Western Union Telegram

Mrs Brodke

128 east 91st st apt 3g nyk

child brodke anna will arrive with alitalia 602

19 october stop confirm your presence

alitalia airlines 666 5th ave new york ny

Excerpt Temmie passport

April 9, 1960

This letter was typed on airmail stationary by Joanna Brodkey except for the farewell signature which was handwritten by Temmie.

Dear Daddy,

I have two wishes. One is I want you to come back to New York and live near us so you can see us more often. And I wish you a happy Easter.

I just got lots of records and the whole book of Alice in Wonderland. I listened to the first record of Alice in Wonderland. It was very very funny. Especially when she says, Goodbye, feet, and thinks she's going to lose them, and she thinks about what she's going to buy them for Christmas. And she says she won't ever be able to put on her own shoes again. It was really funny. I didn't really listen to all of the side of the record. And that is all that I remember about it.

I know how to play some pieces on the piano. Gretchen taught me while I was out in the country. I might send you a copy of one of my pages that I can do. Mommy is going to rent a piano so I can have piano lessons at Brearley.

I get out of school in May, which is very unusual to Gretchen, Peter, and Linda.

Temmie handwritten signature April 9 1960

Very much love from Temmie

Venice 1961

Harold postcard from Venice

Venice 1961

Harold Venice postcard text

miss ann emily brodkey

82 esrkine rd

stamford, conn.

u.s.a.

dear emily, my love: the building in the middle is where the men who ruled venice used to live and the fireworks remind me of your smile - so bright. do you know i love you. angel, have you asked mommy about coming to europe? mommy loves to travel and it would make me happy to think of her seeing venice. is your chin well? i fly back to rome in a few hours and perhaps there will be a letter from you. all my friends now say: oh, temmie would like this, because they are tired of me