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                       STATEMENT

Gentlemen:

    My stand-point is quite simple. One pays income-tax where one
 earns money,which in jmy case,as a writer writing in English,means
 the United States and England. In Austria I don't earn a groschen;
 I only spend schillings.

                     __
   You assert that I have a 'material' interest in Austria,by which
 you mean,I presume ,a 'financial' interest. This could only possibly
 be true if I had to say to myself:"I must come to Austria because onl
 only in Austria can I work.e"  But this is not the case. I have lived
 in maymany places and a number of countries and have always been able
 to work,wherever I was.

                     __
 Of course I have a 'personal' interest in Austria: otherwise I
 should not come here. I like the landscape and I find the Austrians
 I meet charming and friendly.

                        __
  You say,and it is true,that I once received an Austrian prize
  literary prize. That was a great honor of which I am very proud.
  But you cannot seriously believe,gentlemen,that I calculated:é " If
  I keep coming to Austria,perhaps I sahllshall win a prize. Before I
  received it,I had never heard of this prize. It is also clear that
  I cannot receive it a second time. Again,you say that there is now
  a street in KirscchstettenKirchstetten named )udenstrasseAudenstrasse
  That was a most friendly gesture by the Gemeinde,but I cannot
  be said to profit finacially frinancially from it.

                 ____
  You say,and it is true,that I have written some poems with an
  Austrian background. About this I have three points to make.
   I) I have never received a penny in Austria frofor my poems. A few
      have been translated into German,but it is the translators who
      get the money,not me.
    2) I don't think you understand how poems are written. What
       appears to be the theme is only a focus,an opportunity to
      express certain thoughts the about Nature,God,History,Mankind,
      etc,which may have been present in the poet's mind for a long
      time. For instance I wrote a poem for the twentieth anniversy
      anniversay anniversary of Josef Wieeinheber's death. But
      the peom  poem is really about,firstly the lv9ove which any good
      poet,no matter what his nationaillity,has for his mother-tonhgue,
      and,secondly about what happene[]d after the war in those
      countrieds which lost it,that is to say,not only Austria,but
      also Germany and Italy.

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      Again,in I964 I wrote a poem called Whitsiunday in
 Kirchstetten,because I happened to be here. But the setting is
 unimporattant. What the poem is really about is the question:
e"What,to a Christian,is the signifinace significance of Pentacost,?"
 And that is the same in all countries.
 3) I dont think you understand the financial situation of a poet.
    A novelist,if he is successful,amymay earn a great deal of money
    from his novels. A poet,even if he is well known,cannot,for
    poems are only read by a minority. The greater part of my
    income,for example,comes not from the sale of my volumes of
    poetry,but form book-reviews,translations,etc,activities which
    have nothing to do with Austria. Taloking of translations,
    reminds me that you say,quite truly,that I have a great
    interest in German and Austrian literature - let me add music -
    but I don't have to come to Austria in oder order to read and
    listen to it.

                 __ˆ
    In conclusion I must say this. If this,to my mind,unjyust
    foolishness goes any further,I shall leave Austria for ever,
    never to return,which would be very sad for me and perhaps also
    for the shopkeepers. And,if I have to,I must tell you frankly,
    Gentlemen,that I am in the position to make a world-scandal.

                            ______

                                  W.H.AUDEN