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651

Virginia Woolf

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
Virginia Woolf

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Auction Date:2010 Feb 10 @ 08:00 (UTC-05:00 : EST/CDT)
Location:5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
British author (1882–1941) revered as one of the most important writers in the English language. On March 28, 1941, after a final attack of mental illness, she loaded her pockets with stones and drowned herself near her Sussex home. ALS, one page, 7.25 x 9.25, 52 Tavistock Square letterhead, November 21, 1924. Woolf writes to author/artist Paul Colin, best known for his poster images of Josephine Baker and the famed La Revue Nègre. In full: “I have not been able to find a satisfactory translator of Jacob’s Room, & today the Nouvelle Revue Francaise has written to me to ask me to give them the rights of publishing a translation of it in book form. I suppose they will provide a translator, & I am giving my consent. Many thanks for your kind letter. I was much grieved to hear of your loss, & hope that next time you are in London we may have the pleasure of seeing you. I sent you a copy of my pamphlet, I hope it reached you safely.” In very good condition, with intersecting mailing folds, a few scattered light (mostly marginal) stains and foxing, small tear to top left edge, and mounting residue on reverse lightly showing through at the top. The writing is clear and dark.

Jacob’s Room, published in 1922, was the troubled author’s third novel. Literary experts have commended the work for its groundbreaking elliptical style and lack of a plot or even a defined central character. The recurring theme of emptiness, said to have been inspired by the 1906 death of her younger brother, is a reflection of Woolf’s state of mind. The literary magazine that had inquired about publishing a translation of the book was founded in 1909 by Andre Gide and featured contributions from such luminaries as Paul Bourget, Anatole France, Andre Mairaux, and Jean-Paul Sartre. The publication became the leading literary journal in France, particularly between World War I and World II. It was during this time, of course, that Woolf was contacted for her permission. As Jacob, the main character in the aforementioned work, exists only in memories and stories, one can imagine Woolf dwelling on her sibling’s passing, but in the corner of that darkness, ultimately finding some inspiration. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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