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Sale 82
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Lot 949
Hemingway, Ernest (1899-1961) American author and journalist whose economical and understated style had a major influence on 20th-century fiction. Much of his writing was inspired by his own life and adventures. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
Typed letter signed ("Papa"), 1¼ pp, plus a holograph postscript of some 70 words, on Finca Vigia, San Francisco de Paula, Cuba letterhead, Aug. 28, 1955. During the filming of "The Old Man and the Sea," based on Hemingway's book (the film would be released in 1958), he writes to film star Marlene Dietrich, whom he had known for over 20 years and whom he addresses as "Dearest Kraut." Responding to complaints about her Las Vegas show, Hemingway describes a bawdy, surrealistic scenario that he would use to stage the show. In part: "If I were staging it would probably have something novel like having you shot onto the stage, drunk, from a self propelled minnenwerfer….As you landed on the stage drunk and naked I would advance from the rear, or your rear wearing evening clothes and would hurriedly strip off my evening clothes to cover you revealing the physique of Bert Lancaster Strongfort…."
After much more of the above, he turns serious: "Marlene, darling, I write stories but I have no grace for fucking them up for other mediums. It was hard enough for me to learn to write to be read by the human eye. I do not know how nor do I care to write to be read by parrots, monkeys, apes, baboons, nor actors. I love you very much and I never wanted to get mixed in any business with you as I wrote you when this thing first was brought up. Neither of us has enough whore blood for that. Not but what I number many splendid whores amonst my best friends and certainly never, I hope, could be accused of anti-whoreism. Not only that but I myself was circumcised at a very early age.
Hope you have it good in California and Las Vegas. What I hear from the boys is that many people in La Vegas or three or four anyway of the mains are over-extended. This is very straight generally but everybody knows it if I know it although I have not told anyone what I've heard and don't tell you. But watch all money ends. Some people would as soon have the publicity of making you look bad as of your expected and legitimate success. But that is the way everything is everywhere and no criticism of Nevada or anyone there. Cut this paragraph out of this letter and burn it if you want to keep the rest of the letter in case you thought any of it funny. I rely on you as a Kraut officer and gentleman to do this.
New Paragraph. I love you very much and wish you luch. Wish me some too. Book is on page 592. This Thursday we start photogrophy [sic]. Am in charge of fishing etc. and it is going to be difficult enough. With a bad back a little worse. The Artist is not here naturally. I only wrote the book but must do the work as well and have no stand-in. Up at 0450 knock off at 1930. This goes on for 15 days. I think you could say you and I have earned whatever dough the people let us keep. So what. So Merdre. I love you as always. Papa."
On the verso of the second page, Hemingway penned a holograph note, "Started OK on fishing--one 472 lbs and one 422 lbs. very good close shots of harpooning at the end but fish too small even in cinemascope for what we need - must have bigger fish - system of photography and the way the local boats work and how close we can ride herd on them very good. steer 7 to 10 hrs. on flying bridge and it is hard work."
Hemingway and Dietrich had met in 1934 and remained friends until Hemingway's suicide in 1961. Although the two wrote romantic letters to each other, the relationship was never consummated because the timing was never right. Hemingway was married to Mary Welsh, his fourth and final wife, at the time of this letter. Dietrich died in 1992 at the age of 90.
Estimated Value $20,000 - 30,000.
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