I had the three-act Cicero mimeographed, and one of the persons who I hoped would honor it was Albert Camus. He wrote me cordially, and I quote the first three sentences of his opinion—first in French and then in translation:
J’ai été bien touché par la confiance que vous m’avez faite en m’envoyant votre Ciceron. C’est une tragédie pleine de sens et plus actuelle qu’il n’y paraît. On y comprend mieux un certain classicisme qui finissait dans les rains coupées et l’horreur.
I have been indeed touched by the confidence you have shown me in sending me your Cicero. It is a tragedy full of sense and more real than it would seem. One there understands better a certain classicism which would finish with the kidneys cut and the horror.
I, and others, were puzzled by the rains coupées—“the kidneys cut.” It was explained to me that the phrase approximates “a rabbit punch” in American parlance.
Camus went on to say that he had been “promised a theater” and would be able to deal with the play “with more precision.” Soon thereafter I read in the news that he had been assigned the directorship of the Théâtre Française, perhaps the most famous in the world. My hopes rose high. Then, alas, I read that he had been killed in a motorcar accident.
III
Taking my cue from Camus, I decided that the play might be “classical” in more than one sense, and might appeal to university audiences. I submitted the script to John Ben Tarver, then in the department of dramatic arts at New York University. With his permission I quote from his reply, dated April 3, 1960:
I have gone through Cicero several times. It is a splendid play, and I want to thank you again for sending it to us. Here are some of my reactions:
1. It has color, contrast, variety. Too many modern dramas labor one theme to death and never try to vary the thread of the story.
2. It is told in dramatic terms. The finest writing in the world will not play in the theatre unless it is suited to a stage.