Archive of literary correspondence

Lot 157
16.10.2025 10:00UTC +01:00
Classic
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$ 20 320
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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Archive
ID 1472079
Lot 157 | Archive of literary correspondence
Estimate value
$ 15 000 – 25 000
VARGAS LLOSA, Mario (1936–2025); RABASSA, Gregory (1922–2016). Archive of literary correspondence, 1967–74.

"We owe to Gregory Rabassa the rediscovery of Latin America—through its literature. It is no secret that his English-language renditions of twentieth-century classics are, at times, superior to the originals." – Ilan Stavans

Important collection of letters from Mario Vargas Llosa to his English translator. Gregory Rabassa translated two of Nobel Laurate Mario Vargas Llosa's major works: La casa verde [The Green House] in 1968; and Conversación en la catedral [Conversation in the Cathedral] in 1975. As documented in the present archive, Vargas Llosa played an active role in Rabassa's process, offering suggestions and voicing concerns about tone and effect. Rabassa’s translations were instrumental in elevating Vargas Llosa’s international profile and contributed significantly to the Latin American literary boom of the 60s and 70s, a movement that reshaped global perceptions of South American literature.

Gregory Rabassa dedicated his life to promoting South American literature through his English translations, becoming a close companion to Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa and Julio Cortázar. He was honored with the 1977 PEN Translation Prize, the first US National Book Award in Translation and many additional accolades culminating with the National Medal of Arts in 2006.

The present archive comprises 19 TLsS and 6 ALsS ("Mario" and "Mario Vargas Llosa"), 22 copies and one envelope, all together 53 leaves, in Spanish, written from 1967 to 1974. The papers largely concern Rabassa's work on Vargas Llosa's The Green House and Conversation in the Cathedral. Each leaf is within a protective sleeve all together in a binder that also contains Rabassar's original folder for his Vargas Llosa letters.
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