Collection of twenty letters and postcards, all dating from 1944-1945, consisting of seven ALSs, three TLSs, (with several of the letters on Miller’s illustrated letterhead) and 10 ALSs on government postcards. Predominantly containing correspondence from Miller to Andre Labarthe and Bart Winer, the publishers of Tricolor Magazine, an American publication devoted to matters of French interest. The bulk of the correspondence consists of inquiries on Miller’s part as to possible articles for the magazine and business matters pertaining to his relationship to it. In overall very good to fine condition. Accompanied by carbon copies of four letters to Miller from Winer.
Using his time abroad as an introduction to Tricolor—“I lived in Paris twelve years and was first published there—Tropic of Cancer, Black Spring, Tropic of Capricorn, et alia”—Miller began his relationship with the magazine in 1944. Upon its publication a decade earlier, Tropic of Cancer had been immediately banned in the USon the grounds of obscenity and remained available only in Europe. With Black Spring (1936) and Tropic of Capricorn (1939) following the same path, he began to gain notoriety among Europeans and American expats. By the time he returned, smuggled copies had begun to surface, finding their ways into the hands of the new Beat generation of American writers, and making him a prominent figure in underground American culture. Phenomenally active in the literary and art scene, Miller wrote widely throughout the 1940s, not only completing The Air-Conditioned Nightmare and Sexus (book one of the Rosy Crucifixion trilogy), but also publishing numerous articles on subjects ranging from art theory to cultural criticism to autobiographical fiction.
This extensive archive of letters, penned between August of 1944 and May of 1945, contains a wealth of important references in all aspects of Miller’s life. With notes on fellow artists and writers (including Lawrence Durrell, Beauford Delaney, Abraham Rattner, and Knud Merrild), extensive information on Bern Porter and Miller’s early publications (including several mentions of the Tropics and Black Spring), updates on works in progress (including The Air-Conditioned Nightmare and Waters Reglitterized), and lengthy pieces on the literary scene of the time (publishers, literary magazines, bookshops, etc.) this is a phenomenal collection. Chronicling a crucial year in the writer’s life, this is an amazing addition to any American literary collection! Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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