TLS, one page, 7.25 x 11, personal letterhead, November 30, 1936. Letter to Mr. Osbourne. In full: “There was nothing of myself or my personal experiences in ‘Gone With the Wind.’ I was born a great many years after the scenes depicted in the book. Nor did I use the personal feelings or experiences of anyone I had ever known. The book, its characters and their emotions are purely imaginary. The background, of course, is real, as are the historical incidents. I never cared about books which dragged in the author’s personality – unless, of course, they were biographical or autobiographical works. I like objective writing, and so I wrote an objective book.” In very good condition, with intersecting folds, one through a single letter of signature, a few creases, and scattered soiling, staining, and toning to top half of page.
A Georgia-born novelist, Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for her epic 1936 book about life in the South during the Civil War. On the day that Mitchell wrote this letter, The New York Times reported that Gone With the Wind was the number-one best seller for the past week in several cities, including Atlanta. Although she maintained in this piece of correspondence that, “I never cared about books which dragged in the author’s personality,” literary experts contend various aspects of the author’s attitudes are evident in various characters, including Scarlett. This letter offers important insight into the creative process that gave readers one of the most popular non-fiction works of the 20th century. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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