Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Letter from Ismail Merchant, London, England, to Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Delhi, India, 1972 January 20 : autograph manuscript signed.

BIB_ID
454067
Accession number
MA 23840.992
Creator
Merchant, Ismail, sender.
Credit line
Gift of James Ivory, 2022.
Description
1 item (2 pages) ; 31.6 x 15 cm
Notes
The "Chaudhuri film" is "Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization (1972).
"Helen's transcript" is of an interview that became the centerpiece of "Helen, Queen of the Nauch Girls" (1973), a portrait of the mixed-race actress and dancer Helen (born Helen Jairag Richardson in Burma in 1938), wife of screenwriter Salim Khan and mother of actor Salman Khan.
"Flashman" was a planned film adaptation of George MacDonald Fraser's novel, to be directed by Richard Lester; the project fell through.
Aerogramme addressed to Mrs. R. Prawer Jhabvala, 1-A Flagstaff Road, Delhi 6, India and postmarked January 20, 1972.
Provenance
James Ivory.
Summary
Expressing relief on both his and Ivory's part for having finally heard from Jhabvala; telling her he is in London for "a couple of weeks to sort out various things" with the BBC regarding the Chaudhuri film; updating her on the work on "Savages"; telling her he will telephone her mother "Mrs. Prawer" and their mutual friend Catherine [Freeman]; telling her "Tony [Korner] will be sending you Helen's transcript very soon"; telling her he is trying to get a new project off the ground in London but it is "difficult," and "Flashman seems to be moving at a snail's speed."