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ALS, one page on a 5.25 x 3.5 color postcard depicting La Bourse, Paris, October 8, 1930. Handwritten letter to his friend Frank Budgen, in full: "If you have time please throw that leaflet about the Book of the Dead into an envelope. I want it for the artist who is doing the preface to pamphlet no. 4." In fine condition, with trivial loss to the lower right corner tip.
Frank Budgen was a close friend and confidant of James Joyce, known for his insightful discussions with the author about literature and art. Their relationship was particularly significant during Joyce’s time in Zurich, where Budgen provided intellectual companionship and encouragement while Joyce worked on Ulysses. Budgen later wrote James Joyce and the Making of Ulysses, offering valuable firsthand accounts of Joyce’s creative process.
When writing Finnegans Wake, Joyce drew heavily from the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead; here, he may be referring to a leaflet on the subject by E. A. Wallis Budge, published by the British Museum in 1922 which he was known to have used. Writes John Bishop in Joyce's Book of the Dark: 'It is impossible to overlook the vital presence of the Book of the Dead in Finnegans Wake, which refers to ancient Egypt in countless tags and allusions.' Several extracts from Finnegans Wake were published in pamphlet form, then called 'Work in Progress,' which Joyce evidently refers to in the present letter.
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