Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Lot #571
William Faulkner

"I see no reason why a man should not write about anything he wants to"

This lot has closed

Estimate: $3500+
Sell a Similar Item?
Refer Collections and Get Paid
Share:  

Description

"I see no reason why a man should not write about anything he wants to"

Rare ALS signed “Wm. Faulkner,” one page, 8.5 x 11, March 16, 1937. Letter to William Stevens at Swarthmore College, in full: "Thank you for your letter about 'Jefferson' article. I see no reason why a man should not write about anything he wants to, granted he either knows about it or feels deeply and sincerely about it. Carry on with it and good luck to you." In fine condition, with two light spots of toning to the right edge. Accompanied by the original Twentieth Century-Fox mailing envelope addressed in Faulkner's hand, incorporating his signature, "Wm. Faulkner," in the return address area.

The original recipient, William Stevens, earned his B.A. from Swarthmore in the same year with a thesis titled 'The Jefferson Chronicles of William Faulkner.' Jefferson, the fictional town in a number of Faulkner's works, was based on Oxford, Mississippi, where the author lived for most of his life. Faulkner's screenwriting stint in Hollywood in the late 1930s and early 1940s provided an important source of income that his "serious" works did not. While he refused to adapt any of his own works to the screen, Faulkner did produce screenplays for a handful of classics (and contributed to several more), including The Big Sleep and To Have and Have Not. A fantastic, elusive handwritten letter by a major figure of modern literature.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: August
  • Dates: #533 - Ended August 08, 2018





This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for $75.00

*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.