Letters to Konrad Kellen - photo 1
Letters to Konrad Kellen - photo 2
Letters to Konrad Kellen - photo 3
Letters to Konrad Kellen - photo 4

Letters to Konrad Kellen

Lot 151
16.10.2025 10:00UTC +01:00
Classic
Sold
$ 12 700
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1472073
Lot 151 | Letters to Konrad Kellen
Estimate value
$ 3 000 – 5 000
MANN, Thomas (1875-1955). An archive of his letters to Konrad Kellen, 1943-1954, together with a signed photograph and a volume of his work inscribed to Kellen, who served as Thomas Mann's secretary from 1941 to 1943. During that time, Kellen transcribed Mann's manuscript of Joseph the Provider as well as the final volume of the Joseph tetralogy.

[Includes:] Autograph manuscript k, n.p., [c. 1939-1943]. One page, 230 x 177m (sight). A manuscript leaf from an unidentified work by Mann. [Matted With:] A photograph of Mann, signed and inscribed on the mount to Kellen: ("Konrad Katzenellenbogen dankbar für seine Hilfe Thomas Mann"). Silver gelatin print 120 x 170mm on a 220 x 160mm mount (sight). (Toned at margins, not examined out of mat). * Autograph letter signed ("Thomas Mann"), Pacific Palisades 19 August 1943. In German. Four pages, bifolium, 215 x 140mm. (toned at folds, mild dampstaining). Expressing his joy to hear that Kellen had arrived at "'basic training'". * Autograph letter signed ("Thomas Mann"), Pacific Palisades, 27 August 1946. Two pages, 216 x 138mm. (toned and stained at top left). Discussing the destruction of Berlin, and his approval of Steinberger's essay on Mann. * Typed letter signed ("Thomas Mann") Zurich, 6 October 1954. In German. One page, 280 x 215mm. Mann is pleased that Kellen is doing better after his psychoanalytical treatment. He then discusses the memoirs of Felix Krull and promises to include Konni in his dedication acknowledging his assistance. * His signature ("Thomas Mann") at the bottom of a blank page of his Pacific Palisades stationery. One page, 27 x 185mm. * MANN, Thomas. The Beloved Returns: Lotte in Weimar. Translated by H.T. Lowe-Porter. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1940. First American edition. Octavo (190 x 130mm). Inscribed in ink on front free endleaf and signed ("Thomas Mann") and inscribed to Virginia and Konrad Kellen on the occasion of their marriage, 6 March 1940. Publisher's black cloth, Mann's initials tooled on upper cover in blind, spine lettered in gold, top edge red (stain on upper cover, light scratches, spine head and tail worn, spine discolored with loss of gold). Provenance: Konrad Kellen —(by descent) the consignor.

Konrad Kellen (1913–2007) was a German-born American political scientist, intelligence analyst, and author. Born into a prominent Jewish family in Berlin, his mother Estella Katzenkellenbogen enjoyed an intimate relationship with Albert Einstein. He fled Nazi Germany in 1933 and eventually settled in the United States, where he became a citizen and served as private secretary to Thomas Mann from 1941 to 1943. During World War II, Kellen was part of the U.S. Army’s intelligence unit and later worked in psychological warfare, earning the Legion of Merit. He became known for his contrarian insights at the RAND Corporation, particularly his early and controversial conclusion that the Vietnam War was unwinnable due to high enemy morale—an assessment that diverged sharply from prevailing U.S. views. Kellen also studied the motivations of terrorists and defectors from behind the Iron Curtain, and authored several books, including a biography of Khrushchev and a sociological study: The Coming Age of Woman Power.

*Please Note - additional images coming soon.
Place of origin:Switzerland, USA
Auction house category:Letters, documents and manuscripts
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
02.10.2025 – 16.10.2025
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
×
Save this search query and get timely email alerts! It is simple and very effective.
figure in the art deco style
Create a Search Subscription