May 04, 2017 - Sale 2446

Sale 2446 - Lot 8

Price Realized: $ 11,250
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 12,000 - $ 18,000
"DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD . . . ONLY IN DOING DUTY" HEMINGWAY, ERNEST. Autograph Letter Signed, "Mister Papa," to "My dearest Marlene," promising to return a picture and sending his manuscript by way of [A.E.] Hotchner [Across the River and Into the Trees, 1950?], promising to send poems later, noting his extraordinary luck at recent horse races, thanking for sending a horoscope, giving the list of things in which he believes and noting that the horoscope is not among them, complaining that the government destroys us [artists?], recalling a visit from his son Jack, and gossiping about Jean [Cocteau?]. 3 pages, 4to, pale blue paper, written on two sheets; few small holes in first leaf with minor loss to text (still legible), folds. Venice, 4 January 1950
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Additional Details

". . . I will send the picture back by Hotchner who is flying next week. He comes down next Monday with the copied MSs.
"I want to send you the end and all the part[s] you haven't [read?]. Then when I get to Cuba will send the poems. Also some new ones. I wrote 4 when could not cool out after book.
"After finished writing book I went racing and could not lose, not playing favourites either. Had one horse at Auteuil at 23 to 1 and we bet him 3000 to win and two to place. . . .
"Hope you will like book. Am really awfully tired after finishing. But you've seen tired writers all your life and you know they are no treat. . . .
"About the Horoscope I can only thank you. Since do not believe in god and only in doing duty, loving friends, killing enemies, trying to bring up children and always pay money owed and to be Weltmeister at my work, it is hard for me to believe in Horoscope. But maybe that is ignorance. I will try. Anyway I thank you very much and I also love you.
". . . Watching you pay that money was so ignoble. The government really destroys us, and we are good people in a way, and in some countries would be honored. Instead we can do our duty and work to death and they will take the money. I would be bitter, but I cannot waste time with that. . . .
". . . I go to shoot this weekend. We . . . go out to some . . . friends for the night tonight. I used to sleep in the straw of their barn in the First War. Now it is nice to sleep in a good bed. . . .
"My boy Jack (Bumby) is a capt. in Berlin and he came to see us in Paris and said there was a report you were there. But I did not believe you would go there without passing by Paris.
"Jean . . . got himself in some trouble getting too drunk on Xmas eve. I have this only from the papers."
Property of the family of Marlene Dietrich.