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Estimate: $ 800 - $ 1,200
JONATHAN WILLIAMS (1929-2008)
Group of the poet's letters, postcards, and related ephemera. 7 typed letters and postcards signed by Williams, 1978-79; 9 postcards and greeting cards relating to the work of Williams, 1977-80 and undated; a signed copy of "The Magpie's Bagpipe: Selected essays of Jonathan Williams (San Francisco, CA: North Point Press, 1982); and James Jaffe's "Jonathan Williams: A Bibliographical Checklist of his Writings" (Haverford, PA, 1989).
The North Carolina poet and publisher Jonathan Williams is best known for turning bits of Appalachian vernacular "found language" into avant-garde poetry, and as the founder of the prestigious small press, The Jargon Society.
Offered here is the witty correspondence of Williams with a friend. He notes that the poet Joel Oppenheimer recently visited North Carolina and "was nearly run out on a rail for using the word cunt in public--not once but many times. Ah well, I don't use that word but I fear I use all the others, when the fit is on me." Recounting his recent interview in Gay Sunshine magazine, he notes "Mercy on us--there wasn't much left to tell. Which spares us from such chores for awhile, I hope." He jokes that "You never know about kids--that's why I never consider anyone below 22, when the brain has had some time to materialize. It's no trick to look groovy at 17, but, so what?"
Also included are 6 blank postcards issued by the Jargon Society (numbers 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, and 14), most featuring text by Williams and one featuring his image (captioned "Jonathan Williams, en route to the Birthplace of Dizzy Gillespie").
