Hemingway, Ernest | Typed letter signed to Arnold Gingrich, a blunt appraisal of Joyce, Pound, Stein, and others - photo 1
Hemingway, Ernest | Typed letter signed to Arnold Gingrich, a blunt appraisal of Joyce, Pound, Stein, and others - photo 2
Hemingway, Ernest | Typed letter signed to Arnold Gingrich, a blunt appraisal of Joyce, Pound, Stein, and others - photo 3

Hemingway, Ernest | Typed letter signed to Arnold Gingrich, a blunt appraisal of Joyce, Pound, Stein, and others

Lot 27
08.12.2023 12:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 7 620
AuctioneerSotheby´s
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1108746
Lot 27 | Hemingway, Ernest | Typed letter signed to Arnold Gingrich, a blunt appraisal of Joyce, Pound, Stein, and others
Estimate value
$ 6 000 – 8 000
Hemingway, Ernest
Typed letter signed (“Ernest Hemingway” in pencil), to Arnold Gingrich in Chicago, a blunt appraisal of Joyce, Pound, Stein, and other literary peers

1 1/2 pages (280 x 215 mm), Key West, 3 April [1933]; single-spaced on two sheets of poor quality tan paper, a 10-word penciled holograph marginal insertion by Hemingway, a tiny fold hole, original stamped envelope.

Hemingway on Joyce, Pound, Stein, Ford, Anderson, Lardner, and Lawrence.

A very fine letter in which Hemingway discusses these writers, arranges a deal to write a series of “Letters” for Esquire, talks of doing a movie of Death in the Afternoon in Spain, and complains about Capt. Louis Henry Cohn and his pending edition of "God Rest you Merry, Gentlemen": "I don’t worship Joyce. I like him very much as a friend and think no one can write better, technically, I learned much from him, from Ezra [Pound], in conversation principally, from G. Stein, who was a fine woman until she went professionally, patriotically goofily complete lack of judgment and stoppage of all sense lesbian with the old menopause. Until then she was damned smart ... Learned a lot from her before she went haywire. Learned nothing from old [Ford Madox] Ford except mistakes not to make that he had made. Although he was damned generous about writing things about what I wrote. Learned from [Sherwood] Anderson but it didn’t last long. Imitated Ring Lardner as a kid but didn’t learn from him. Nothing to learn because he doesn’t know anything. All he has is a good false ear and has been around. The poor guy really hates everything but Purity. Learned from D. H. Lawrence about how to say what you felt about country ... Still must go on and finish about the letters for your quarterly [Esquire]. I’ll write the four. First one from Cuba. 2nd from Spain. 3rd and 4th from Africa. If anything should happen to Africa will write 3rd and 4th from somewhere else ... You send me the first 250 [dollars] when I write for it and so on. Getting the money will make me write the piece. If you have enough money you can send me the advance for two and two is 500 at a time ...

“I was turning down plenty of money in N.Y. to sell title of last book [Death in the Afternoon] to pictures. Ran into Lewis Milestone [who had directed All Quiet on the Western Front] and we talked over making a picture in Spain using non-professional actors. Could make excellent picture ... Milestone wired me the other day he was writing what situation was from Hollywood. I want to make the picture and use his technical knowledge. If picture is successful he can have credit. Have never worked with him and don’t know how we would get on. Can see the picture in my head. We have to get money that is willing to take a chance on being lost. All must be shot in Spain. No Hollywood. No Studio. About what you say about humor. The bastards don’t want you to joke because it disturbs their categories. Most people will not even read the Torrents [of Spring] but Joyce and Ezra like it and so does everybody that knows a damned thing about what I’m trying to do ...

“Capt. Cohn after saying 200 copies [of "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen"] announced 350. When called by old Papa he wrote the usual sad letter about how he could have made a little money which [he] needed badly out of 350 copies but needed 250 to pay his expenses and would not do anything against my wishes but would I wire him he could print 250. I wired him ok for 300 [which was the print run]. But why in christ’s name not say 350 at the start rather than get it onto that sort of basis? For christ sake never mention this to him because if wished to offend him would do it myself ... Working on a title for book of stories now [which would be Winner Take Nothing, published in October 1933]. With enough time you can always get a good title. The hell of it is that you always have a lot that seem good and that it takes time to tell which one is right.”
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