Hemingway, Ernest. Typed letter signed ("Ernesto"), 2 pages (11 x 8.5 in.; 279 x 216 mm.), on Finca Vigia San Francisco De Pau...

Click the image to load the highest resolution version.

Sold on Dec 19, 2013 for:

$6,000.00 Bid Source: Internet bidder

Get one of these:

Share this lot

Track Item Printable Auction Results

Sell One of These

Description

Auction Info

Guides & Info

Description

Hemingway, Ernest. Typed letter signed ("Ernesto"), 2 pages (11 x 8.5 in.; 279 x 216 mm.), on Finca Vigia San Francisco De Paula Cuba letterhead stationery, 4 December 1950, to George Brown, a close friend who was first introduced to Hemingway in 1940 when he began giving boxing lessons to the writer at his New York City gym. Hemingway, Ernest. Typed letter signed ("Ernesto"), 2 pages (11 x 8.5 in.; 279 x 216 mm.), on Finca Vigia San Francisco De Paula Cuba letterhead stationery, 4 December 1950, to George Brown, a close friend who was first introduced to Hemingway in 1940 when he began giving boxing lessons to the writer at his New York City gym. With extensive handwritten corrections, Hemingway is palpably irritated with his inept secretary in his letter to close friend, George Brown. He writes in full with corrections in bold: Dear George: Just found your letter, boy, and hazsten to answer. Thanks for all the news of the weaked wicked city. If they are operating on [Shipwreck] CoKelly again is a sure sign we will be at war shortly. When will they start operating on Earl Smith? Or is he too old? Every form of nonsense down here but no news of any kind. Never believe anything your read in the funny papers. Never believe anything you hear on the radio. Never even believe anything I tell you unless I say am leveling and now am leveling. How did that storm do by you? Hope it didn't blow the gym down. See bulook is still reading the sellers but don't know what sort of a race it is; maybe they are selling platers. Will know eventually. Scribner lost all his staff. Sales manager, advertising manager or every other type of manager around the joint and so the horse doesn't get much of a ride. He is called back I get to work for him it has to be varied and good lone cemetery but the book seems to keep selling anyway. I have one for you but I want to write it and so we'll wait till I get to town. Have kept eye of all flights here and inclined to be such a Have been such a good boy that most of my friends won't speak to me. How do you feel about fighting the Chinese? I think you are just the man. Do you want to join Hemingstein and Browns andmphfibiuos [amphibious] raiders all complete with straight left hooks. we can make Kelly our leader, he certainly is probably anfibious [amphibious], and when they Brenda could design the uniforms. The only trouble with this project is that I've been in China before. Therefore am not too enthusiastic. But why shouldn't we do something sometime that we are not enthusiastic about? Wish you were down here. Have the way weight down for to 207 the broad blood pressure the 165 over 75 and then in good shape except for a cold in the chest from that last storm that we got down here. Had nearly an eigth (sic) of an inch of salt over all the top of the Pilar from the spray even when we were tied up with four anchors inside of the cove down the coast. Ideal weather for west 57th Street marianers. All your friends down here send you their best. and wish that we can make another big dove shoot. We are going to shoot birds at the club tomorrow and stay here through Christmas and try to have Pat and Gigi [Hemingway's sons Patrick and Gregory] down if possible. Had planned to go to Sun Valley but various things made it impossible. Donnan Drace Andrés is here for lunch and is at present drinking a BT BLACK TOM which is named after that famous explosion in the first war. Mar is find (sic) and sends her love. We have some very nice friends visiting us and the place is cheerful and the weather now, after the storm, is fine. Fixed the pool up with one of those water purifying establishments so that it now looks all the time like Varadero beach. The hell of it is that is too cold to go swimming. Some hardy guy like you could do it but I'm waiting for spring or hot weather. My specialty was always those hot senders. [Hemingway has written in the margin: What the hell does this mean? try to figure it out? I'm through EH] Do you have Coronel (sic) Sweeny's address. He wrote me from the hotel Chatham but I do not know whether he was living there or out in the country. Thought he might have written just on Chatham's stationary (sic) while he was waiting to go out. I wrote Scribners for but Charley Scribner has been unable to locate him. I have an important letter to write him. Give my best to anybody that I know about town. Did you see the piece that I wrote about Ezzard, Honest Ezzard for the Police Gazette. They wrote and asked me to write something to be read on a presentation with the bulk belt but what I wrote was evenly evidently not the thing they needed for that occasion they decided to publish it. Kid Tunero who was a pal of mine down here hit the beat the ______ out of Ezzard spotting him 20 years ago and 25 pounds. Naturally the boy has imprved (sic)since then. Tunero was an old man and he only got $200.00 for the fight. Have good holidays and best always to you and yours. Ernesto Mary sends her love. Hemingway adds at the bottom of the page: Dictated this onto a Dictaphone. But the jerk who transcribed it must have been some relation to your man 'Celery'. EH. Hemingway scribbles his corrections and comments throughout the letter to Brown. The book he is referring to at the beginning of the letter is Across the River, which was ill received by American reviewers in September 1950. Nonetheless, as Hemingway comments, the book sold well, and climbed toward the top of the bestseller lists. His fan mail proved the book had reached many admirers. Hemingway purchased Finca Vigia as a Christmas present to himself and third wife, Martha "Marty" Gellhorn. At the time of this letter, a constant stream of guests visited and Hemingway's writing ability appeared to suddenly blossom, as he finished one of his three books about the sea, The Sea When Absent. It was early in 1951, after the holiday visitors had departed, that Hemingway was to begin writing his great novel about the old Cuban fisherman and a giant marlin, The Old Man and the Sea. It was nearly finished by February of 1951.