[Dannie Abse, Welsh Jewish poet.] Autograph Letter Signed to Paul Furness, recalling poets like Paul Potts and George Barker in the Soho pub the French House, and John Conway and Alun Owen in pubs in Cardiff, and Jews and pubs.

A good informative letter. See Abse's entry in the Oxford DNB, along with that of Gaston Berlemont, proprietor of the French House (the nickname of the York Minster), Soho. 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded one for postage. On a leaf of light-grey paper, in matching stamped envelope with postmark, addressed to Furness in Battersea. One of a number of letters from British poets in response to enquiries from Furness with regard to their pub memories. He begins with memories of London: 'I do have memories of Paul Potts in the French pub (and elsewhere) but hardly any of them publishable. The French pub certainly had 'literary' customers at one tme - George Barker, David Wright, Anthony Cronin, Dom Moraes, Paul Potts, Burns Singer etc. But, as I say these in the main had literary preoccupations rather than pure political ones. Certainly I used to pop into that pub during a lunchtime occasionally, knowing I may meet a poet or a painter.' He now turns to Wales: 'I don't use the pubs much in Cardiff. I sometimes meet John Ormond [Swansea poet, 1923-1999] in his favourite pub - The Conway. Where incidentally one may find also Alun Owen [Welsh playwright, 1925-1994] who used to have a yard or two in The French pub at one time.' He ends with a discussion of what he supposes used to be 'a certain Jewish disdain of pubs': 'From my father's generation perhaps; from my own less so; and from my kids' not at all!' 'Israeli writers' do not appear to be 'a particularly temperate lot, old or young; but then, like most writers everywhere they live precariously'.