[Rarebooks] FS: Two Fine Autograph Letters by poet/critic Herbert Read

[Charles Agvent]

 From our latest Internet Catalogue which contains a truly amazing array 
of TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERARY MANUSCRIPTS, LETTERS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS, a 
total of 90 items, many quite scarce and remarkable as well as revealing 
of the creative process and personal lives of the subjects.  It includes 
a number of archives, some rather substantial, including Sherwood 
Anderson, W. H. Auden, Robert Lowell, Norman Mailer, John Masefield, 
John O'Hara, Clifford Odets, Maxwell Perkins, E. H. Shepard, and Philip 
Whalen, among others.  Our Boston Book Fair Catalogue will be posted 
next week and includes fine Signed Presidential and Literary items, 
Early Printed Books, and our usual selection of the unusual.

READ, Herbert. TWO AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED (ALSs).  Beaconsfield:
1943  &  1946. Interesting letters, one SIGNED in full and  the  other
SIGNED  with  initials, both to the Russian author and  critic  Stefan
Schimanski,  co-editor  of KINGDOM COME, the first poetry  journal  to
appear  in  Britain after the start of World War II and the  principle
organ  of the literary and artistic movement known as "apocalypticism,"
an outgrowth of surrealism and the anarchist philosophy of Read.   In
part:  "Eric Newton's review represents a very general reaction to  my
book  & is on the face of it fully justified-- what the reviewer  does
not  seem  to  realize is that the writing of the book was  only  made
possible  by  an  academic  grant   to  which  were  attached  certain
conditions.  Read also mentions that his article might be reprinted in
Schimanski's  other  publication,  TRANSFORMATION. Read  also  suggest
that  Schimanski  "should get something adequate written about  Sidney
Keyes  [an Oxford poet killed in action at the age of 20], who is  now
definitely  reported  killed."  Read also forwards a  Pasternak letter
[not  present!]:  "It  is  a historic document, but I  think  you  had
better keep it-- I might lose it again."  Fine                 $250.00

-- 

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CHARLES AGVENT
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