Beschreibung:

HEMINGWAY, ERNEST. Three typed letters signed and one autograph letter signed to Prudencio de Pereda and one typed letter signed on his behalf "To Whom It May Concern," Key West and Finca Vigia, San Francisco de Paula, Cuba, 20 November 1935 - 6 September 1943. Together 6 pages, 4to, three signed "Ernest Hemingway," one signed "Ernesto," and one signed "Ernesto Ernest Hemingway," the autograph letter both sides of one sheet in pencil, one typed letter double-spaced, the others single-spaced, three of the typed letters typed by an amanuensis but on Hemingway's Finca Vigia imprinted stationary, slight fold creases; in half morocco slipcase with the two items that follow. [ With :] Two Liveright Publishing Corporation checks made out to Ernest Hemingway for royalties ( In Our Time reprint, etc.), New York, 30 April and 23 December 1936, for $5.60 and $4.53 respectively, each endorsed by Hemingway on verso, 2 oblongs, in fitted pocket in above case (though not related to the letters to Pereda). "WRITING IS IN A HELL OF A STATE RIGHT NOW" Prudencio de Pereda (b. 1912) was an American novelist of Spanish background who had written and been helpful to Hemingway in 1934; he assisted Hemingway materially with the preparation of The Spanish Earth film (1937). 20 November 1935: "I hope you are getting on well with your writing. I liked the story you sent me about the happening in Bilbao. Writing is in a hell of a state right now. The phony, the grandiloquent and the opportunistic is praised to the skies and any one trying to do a decent piece of work is very suspect. But it has been in a hell of a state before and the thing to do is write and keep on writing. Am feeling a little discouraged myself knowing that I've written a good book [the recently published Green Hills of Africa ] and haveing [sic] to read that it is shit etc. but then I always feel discouraged in the fall along with the trees and everything else. I can finish a book in the fall but it is always hell to start one then. Can remember being out in Chartres for a week one time back in 1923 and not being able to write a line...couldn't write a sentence even..." Hemingway ends with a holograph note: "Thank you very much for writing -- and for having such a good opinion of what I write..." 9 December 1936 (in pencil on Hotel Ambos Mundos, Havana, letterhead): "...You want to go over to fight [in the Spanish Civil War] I would be glad to loan you the money to go over. If you didn't get killed you would get wonderful material and if you did get killed it would be in a good cause...Even if they take Madrid there will be fighting for at least six months more. I think unless the Rebels take Madrid now inside of a week they are beaten..." 14 August 1941: "...About the picture [of For Whom the Bell Tolls , released in July 1943] -- I know very little more than you do...When I originally sold it to Paramount, it was so [Gary] Cooper could play in it and through him we would have some voice in the direction, because in his contract with Paramount he can refuse any director. Now, it seems that Sam Goldwyn is making trouble about Cooper playing in the picture...I know how very good you were when we did The Spanish Earth together and how much I would love to have you work with me on this one, if I had any voice in it..." 6 September 1943: "...Agree with you about everything that was wrong with the film [of For Whom the Bell Tolls ] although I haven't seen it. Have heard from enough friends who have to know your account of it is accurate...Sam Woods was set from the start on making it into a 'Great Love Story' and nothing else and naturally he lost what it was all about. Dudley Nichols [the screenwriter], in spite of his great reputation, I think writes terrible scripts. You may remember the awful one he did for Joris on that China picture and how Joris had to call in poor old Papa to rewrite it as it was absolutely hopeless and simply a rotten imitation of THE SPANISH EARTH..." 6 Se