- 71
Conrad, Joseph
Estimate
2,500 - 3,500 GBP
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Description
- Conrad, Joseph
- Autograph letter signed, to Violet Paget
- ink on paper
on Nostromo ("...the least lucky of my reveries - badly printed, obscurely published and generally ignored..."), and explaining, in answer to questions put by her on behalf of Carlo Placci, that he has no plans to publish any further reminiscences ("...I gave way to megalomania at the insistence of F.M. Hueffer who insisted on having something from me for the E[nglish] R[eview]...") but admitting that "the Mirror of the Sea is, in a sense, biographical" and wishing Placci good fortune in his "Quixotic adventure", 2 pages, 4to, headed stationery of Aldington, near Hythe, Kent, 12 November 1909
Provenance
Sold in these rooms, 16 December 2004, lot 207
Literature
Collected Letters, IX, p.139
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
A letter remarking on the unpropitious fate of Nostromo, the novel now widely regarded as Conrad's greatest achievement, to Violet Paget (1856-1935), the accomplished art historian, aesthetic theorist, novelist (as "Vernon Lee") and travel writer. Principally based in Florence, Paget counted Robert Browning, Walter Pater, and Henry James among her friends. This is the only recorded letter from Conrad to Paget, and she writes in part at least on behalf of the critic Carlo Placci who in 1911 went on to write the first article on Conrad published in Italy.
Conrad here mentions his series of reminiscences published between December 1908 and June 1909. Conrad's decision to halt the series caused a breach in their friendship that was never fully healed.