24 AUGUST 1956, Page 14

COURTISANS AND COURTESANS SIR,—I was flattered and amused by Mr.

Peter Quennell's remarks about my translation of Cocteau's Portraits-Souvenir in the Spectator

of August 3, surprised that he should have enjoyed the book enough to check the transla- tion and to have chosen only this point to criti- cise. Although I am grateful to Miss Virginia Graham for enjoying the book and noticing the translation, I am the first to know that the latter cannot be described as faultless.

In using the word 'courtesan' I was obviously influenced by the mention of Louis XIV in the line before and that of the harem of beautiful women in the line after; I probably thought that courtesans would be at ease in both places. —Yours faithfully,

MARGARET CROSLAND

Steep Park, Crowborough, Sussex