Beschreibung:

Joyce (James) Two original autograph signed letters to his friend Thomas Keohler, March and May 1937, 1pp + 3pp. respectively (each a single sheet), both with original envelope addressed in Joyce’s hand, with stamps & postal marking, both from 7 Rue Edmond Valentin in Paris; with retained carbon copy of Keohler typescript replies dated 14-3-37, and 20-5-37, each 1pp and with copy of Keohler’s book Songs of a Devotee, Maunsel, Dublin 1906, another copy of which Joyce returned to Keohler asking him to sign it. * A fine and important correspondence. Apparently Keohler was the only one of Joyce’s early Dublin friends with whom he remained in contact. Keohler was employed by Hely’s printers where Joyce visited him more than once. In the first of these letters, Joyce responds to a gift of Koehlers ‘little book’ of poems, and asks him to sign a copy of ‘your other little book’ [Songs of a Devotee], which Joyce had been carrying around Europe for many years. He concludes ‘I hope you are well and weathering with your old admirable serenity our somewhat gusty tunes…’ Koehler responds with astonishment that Joyce still has his book; ‘and yet when I come to remember your devotion to Dublin I can see that it was a little link for you with early days … . I am still in Hely’s where you occasionally visited in ancient years …. it has always seemed very significant to me that bloom was connected with Hely’s’ His second reply asks about Joyce’s Orthological Institute recording, and mentions the writer James Cousins and others. Joyce’s second letter goes into some detail about his recording of a section from ‘Anna Livia Plurabelle,’ ‘made under very unfavourable circumstances, the B.B.C. officials having made no preparation in the studio, never having heard of me, of course, and regarding it as a family record. The light went out in the middle of it. Nevertheless, I did what I could.’ He also discusses James Cousins and his wife, and asks Koehler to co-operate with Herbert Gorman who is writing his life. An unique correspondence, the friendly and nostalgic tone of which is notable. Good letters from Joyce have become extremely rare, as the vast majority are now in public collections. This may be the last opportunity to acquire a good group of letters linking Joyce to his Dublin friends. As a group, four letters two envelopes and Koehlers ‘little book,’ all in excellent condition. (1)