Lot 955
Mann, Thomas (1875-1955) German novelist and critic, one of the foremost figures in 20th century literature; he won the Nobel Prize in 1929. Mann emigrated to the United States in 1939, where he taught at Princeton University, then in 1942, he moved to Pacific Palisades (Los Angeles), California, where some of Europe's most celebrated artists and intellectuals passed the war years. Mann became an American citizen in 1944; he returned to Europe in 1952 but never lived in Germany again.
Autograph manuscript signed, 2pp (recto and verso of one page), 10 x 8", n.p., n.d. Above his signature, Mann wrote: "('The Magic Mountain' / Chapter: Snow)" . The quotation begins with: "I hereby declare that I have a prescriptive right to lie here and dream these dreams," and ends with "For the sake of goodness and love, man shall let death have no sovereignity over his thoughts. - And with this I awake."
The manuscript is matted with marbled paper and housed in a hinged 16 x 14" two-sided frame attached to a larger frame, 26 x 17", which permits both sides of the manuscript to be viewed by turning it from top to bottom. A medal with an image of Mann and his name engraved on is affixed to the frame, along with a plaque which explains, " THOMAS MANN created this Mss from the Chap. "Snow" from THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN for the U.S. Treas. Dept. to aid the War Financing Campaign in World War II." Accompanied by a copy of The Magic Mountain.
Estimated Value $2,000 - 3,000.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Leon Becker, 1973.
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| Realized $3,600 |
