[Buddha-l] Conze Memoirs Update

[Tomoyuki Kono]

Hi Alex.

On 11 Oct 2005, at 19:40, <at43naug at tds.net> wrote:
>     Some time ago I obtained (& read with great pleasure) the first  
> two volumes of Edward Conze's _Memoirs of a Modern Gnostic_ in  
> which he mentions a proposed third volume to be published after  
> everyone he names in it is dead & therefore unable to resort to  
> legal action against his heirs. Any ideas as to when this third  
> volume is scheduled to appear or if it in fact really exists at all  
> other than as Conze's own projection?

A similar enquiry was made at Budschol mailing list (now called H- 
Buddhism) in November 2001 and some people, including Stephen Hodge,  
provided information. The third volume not only exists but some  
people (including Stephen) have actually read/seen it. The most  
detailed update was provided by Prof. Paul Harrison, whose email to  
the list I copy below. If you search the H-Buddhism archive, you'll  
be able to read a couple of other people's emails as well. I know  
nothing beyond what I read on that list but Stephen himself might be  
able to tell you more.

Best wishes,
Tomo

-----quote-----
From: Paul Harrison <p.harrison at phil.canterbury.ac.nz>
List Editor: Monika Dix <monikadix at hotmail.com>
Editor's Subject: QUERY>Edward Conze's Memoirs, Volume III--An Inquiry
Author's Subject: QUERY>Edward Conze's Memoirs, Volume III--An Inquiry
Date Written: Sat, 17 Nov 2001 13:40:23 +1300
Date Posted: Sat, 17 Nov 2001 20:53:40 -0800

 >
Dear Budschol Subscribers,

Further to the information Stephen has provided, I can add that as
Edward Conze wrote his memoirs, he sent typescripts of all three
volumes to Professor Jan Willem de Jong in Canberra, Australia. de
Jong had encouraged Conze in his autobiographical endeavours, and is
the mysterious "you" occasionally addressed in them. Both Gregory
Schopen and I, who were doctoral students with de Jong at the time,
read the material as it arrived, including the infamous Volume III.
I can confirm what Stephen says, that Vol. III was savagely libellous
(as if Vols. I & II are not at times vitriolic enough!), and was
therefore not to be published until all those described in its pages
were dead. For better or for worse I did not pass it over a
photocopier at the time, and returned it to Professor de Jong after
reading it. Subsequently, when Vols. I & II were published, de Jong
gave me the original typescripts for them. I still have them, but
have never checked the extent to which they match the published
versions or have been "cleaned up." When Canterbury University
acquired Prof. de Jong's library and personal papers last year, we
hoped we might find Conze III tucked away somewhere among the books.
This has not yet happened, although all the books have been unpacked
(they are still being catalogued: see

http://library.canterbury.ac.nz/art/rels/dejong.shtml). There is an

outside chance, I suppose, that the typescript might still lie
hidden among the hundreds of boxes of personal papers and correspondence
which remain to be opened and sorted. I do know there is a file
containing de Jong's correspondence with Conze, and that makes
interesting reading in itself.

Paul Harrison
-----end of quote-----

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