January 2020 Auction Ends Thursday, January 30th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/30/2020
Ernest Hemingway autograph letter signed, dated 29 March (1932), responding to the suicide attempt of Dorothy Parker. Hemingway writes to Charles MacGregor, who was a member of the Algonquin Round Table literary group along with Hemingway and Parker. In this letter, Hemingway expresses sympathy for Parker, contrasting his response to her first suicide attempt after which he wrote a poem entitled ''To a Tragic Poetess'' that many thought cruel. Hemingway would, of course, take his own life less than 30 years later after suffering from two near-fatal plane crashes.
Letter reads in full, ''Dear Mac: - I certainly appreciate you looking after that bloody camera, Dr. I'm a shit not to have written but then I was a shit before that - So there's no story there - camera came yesterday - all fixed - Good Boy MacGregor - That's fixing the old camera -
How's Dotty? What are you guys doing driving the poor little woman almost to suicide. Fie on you MacGregor - why don't you make [Donald Ogden] Stewart kill himself and really do something constructive - Poor Dotty - no kidding - How is she-? Where is she-? I'd like to write her - give her my love-
What about Richard the Vomit-Hearted - Did she ever show again? / That was a hell of a nice piece you had about the labels - / I thought old Eastman probably killed himself when he couldn't fix the camera - / Love to La [Robert] Benchley and the old home - / Am going pretty good - / Would certainly like to [?] this goddam windy afternoon watching Benchley work - / Everybody fine here - / Best always - / Ernie/''. Two page letter on one sheet measures 7'' x 10.5''. Folds, else near fine condition.
Ernest Hemingway Autograph Letter Signed Regarding the Suicide Attempt of Dorothy Parker -- ''...How's Dotty? What are you guys doing driving the poor little woman almost to suicide...''
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