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HEMINGWAY ERNEST: (1899-1961) A rare illustrated letter by Hemingway, his wife´ s ´ Big Kitten´
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Description
HEMINGWAY ERNEST: (1899-1961) American novelist, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, 1954. A good illustrated A.L.S., Big Kitten, two pages, 4to, at sea on board the SS Île de France in the Caribbean, 4th February 1957, to his fourth wife, Mary Welsh Hemingway (´Dearest Sweet Kitten´). Hemingway writes and affectionate and social letter to his wife, commencing in bold pencil by stating ´I tried to write you in the writing room but got over-run by the autograph field. They are all very nice but very mamies´ [´mamies´ being slang, particularly in French, for grannies], and continuing to ask how his wife is after having visited her mother, ´I know how tough it must have been to see your Mother – although how can anyone know. Nobody can know - But I can imagine from seeing mouse [Patrick, his second son] with his head not working and Uncle Gus failing and my father dead because of my mother. You saw that one yourself. But you should have a good cheerful visit with Beatie and then we´ll be good homing kittens again´, further referring to the weather and the ship´s doctor, ´Jean Monnier giving me intravenous or double fesse every day. He is very happy to see the liver down almost a third. He says it is a miracle. Pressure down to 145 over 85 today. He made the borescope today and the aorta is enlarged…….But he says that will be controlled by lowering and keeping down pressure. But all the don´ts re-established. But will try to be good and disciplined for my kitten´ , describing life on the ship as being akin to a submarine, ´It´s a little like that when the portholes are closed but tomorrow we get to Martinique and that will be new and lovely´. Hemingway further writes ´Want to see everything now and must be good to see it and grudge everything I do not see with you, when I come home I will try to be such good, loving hard training kitten and never think about myself and always about you and still working (?) good and happy. When we have our own house again we can eat well and just what we want and we will have time to read and choose our own music. We´ll get the best, and I´ll not be introspective´, returning again to the subject of his health (´Dr. Monnier took me off Seco or anything else which was a little rough. But what the hell´) and the weather (´It is squally and stifling rain now and we can´t see the passage or the hills of the Islands´), before discussing his immediate plans ´We are due in tomorrow at 07.00 and George and I and Monnier plan to go off before eight on that trip he told us about. I miss you and I know you would love the new places but you wouldn´t love the way it is necessary to live. But everyone is cheerful and the food is as lovely as ever´. Hemingway resumes his letter after a break, this time writing in ink, ´Had to stop as peoples kept talking to me while was writing. We saw the first land after lunch and came through Sombrero passage. Land lying island looks like elbow key sort of but longer and leaner but obviously British no matter how uninhabited. Then SABA on the right – like a hill from the Sierra de Organos behind Paraiso stuck up out of the ocean with its harbour (invisible) on the hill (western shore) then some more islands, miniatures of those before. It is blowing a SE breeze – hot but very strong´, and decides to finish his letter (´I better stop dearest kitten. Noise is like the Bronx Zoo´), concluding in affectionate terms ´Please be happy and good as always and brave like you are and give my best to Beatie. Monnier was going to write you how good I was. He is very happy about results.....All my true love my blessed kitten…….I love you and you only and you always, and you are my triple blessed. Love, Big Kitten´. Alongside his signature Hemingway has added an ink self-portrait, in the form of a cat´s head. At the base of the second page appears a note in the hand of George Brown, Hemingway´s friend, boxing coach and spearfishing partner, in part, ´HELL´O Mary, well here we are at sea and without you the trip is not as it should be. Ernest is at his very best – training like a fighter....GEO´. Accompanied by the original envelope, postmarked at Grenada, and hand addressed by Hemingway to his wife (´Mrs. Ernest Hemingway´) in Chicago, Illinois. One small tear to the right edge, only very slightly affecting one word of text, otherwise VGMary Hemingway (1908-1986) American journalist and author, the fourth wife and widow of Ernest Hemingway.George Brown, who owned a gymnasium in New York, was a friend of Hemingway´s for more than a quarter of a century and coached the writer in the sport of boxing. It was Brown who drove Hemingway home to Idaho from the Mayo Clinic in 1961 shortly before the Nobel Prize winner committed suicide. Brown was also one of the pallbearers at Hemingway´s funeral.
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HEMINGWAY ERNEST: (1899-1961) American novelist, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, 1954. A good illustrated A.L.S., Big Kitten, two pages, 4to, at sea on board the SS Île de France in the Caribbean, 4th February 1957, to his fourth wife, Mary Welsh Hemingway (´Dearest Sweet Kitten´). Hemingway writes and affectionate and social letter to his wife, commencing in bold pencil by stating ´I tried to write you in the writing room but got over-run by the autograph field. They are all very nice but very mamies´ [´mamies´ being slang, particularly in French, for grannies], and continuing to ask how his wife is after having visited her mother, ´I know how tough it must have been to see your Mother – although how can anyone know. Nobody can know - But I can imagine from seeing mouse [Patrick, his second son] with his head not working and Uncle Gus failing and my father dead because of my mother. You saw that one yourself. But you should have a good cheerful visit with Beatie and then we´ll be good homing kittens again´, further referring to the weather and the ship´s doctor, ´Jean Monnier giving me intravenous or double fesse every day. He is very happy to see the liver down almost a third. He says it is a miracle. Pressure down to 145 over 85 today. He made the borescope today and the aorta is enlarged…….But he says that will be controlled by lowering and keeping down pressure. But all the don´ts re-established. But will try to be good and disciplined for my kitten´ , describing life on the ship as being akin to a submarine, ´It´s a little like that when the portholes are closed but tomorrow we get to Martinique and that will be new and lovely´. Hemingway further writes ´Want to see everything now and must be good to see it and grudge everything I do not see with you, when I come home I will try to be such good, loving hard training kitten and never think about myself and always about you and still working (?) good and happy. When we have our own house again we can eat well and just what we want and we will have time to read and choose our own music. We´ll get the best, and I´ll not be introspective´, returning again to the subject of his health (´Dr. Monnier took me off Seco or anything else which was a little rough. But what the hell´) and the weather (´It is squally and stifling rain now and we can´t see the passage or the hills of the Islands´), before discussing his immediate plans ´We are due in tomorrow at 07.00 and George and I and Monnier plan to go off before eight on that trip he told us about. I miss you and I know you would love the new places but you wouldn´t love the way it is necessary to live. But everyone is cheerful and the food is as lovely as ever´. Hemingway resumes his letter after a break, this time writing in ink, ´Had to stop as peoples kept talking to me while was writing. We saw the first land after lunch and came through Sombrero passage. Land lying island looks like elbow key sort of but longer and leaner but obviously British no matter how uninhabited. Then SABA on the right – like a hill from the Sierra de Organos behind Paraiso stuck up out of the ocean with its harbour (invisible) on the hill (western shore) then some more islands, miniatures of those before. It is blowing a SE breeze – hot but very strong´, and decides to finish his letter (´I better stop dearest kitten. Noise is like the Bronx Zoo´), concluding in affectionate terms ´Please be happy and good as always and brave like you are and give my best to Beatie. Monnier was going to write you how good I was. He is very happy about results.....All my true love my blessed kitten…….I love you and you only and you always, and you are my triple blessed. Love, Big Kitten´. Alongside his signature Hemingway has added an ink self-portrait, in the form of a cat´s head. At the base of the second page appears a note in the hand of George Brown, Hemingway´s friend, boxing coach and spearfishing partner, in part, ´HELL´O Mary, well here we are at sea and without you the trip is not as it should be. Ernest is at his very best – training like a fighter....GEO´. Accompanied by the original envelope, postmarked at Grenada, and hand addressed by Hemingway to his wife (´Mrs. Ernest Hemingway´) in Chicago, Illinois. One small tear to the right edge, only very slightly affecting one word of text, otherwise VGMary Hemingway (1908-1986) American journalist and author, the fourth wife and widow of Ernest Hemingway.George Brown, who owned a gymnasium in New York, was a friend of Hemingway´s for more than a quarter of a century and coached the writer in the sport of boxing. It was Brown who drove Hemingway home to Idaho from the Mayo Clinic in 1961 shortly before the Nobel Prize winner committed suicide. Brown was also one of the pallbearers at Hemingway´s funeral.
Autograph Letters, Manuscripts & Historical Documents Auction featuring the Collection of a Leicestershire Gentleman Part I
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