Collection of correspondence to Karl Gay and related material 1. From W.S. Merwin a) Typed letter, signed, to Karl and his wife, Irene "Rene", 29 December 1987. 2pp., 8vo. Together with a Christmas card, inscribed and signed. Reminiscing about their Christmas together in Deya, and discussing personal news of his life and theirs', including gardening, Karl's health, and writing: "The books inch out. . .I am trying to press on with new prose and poems. Robert, you know, remains one of the great examples to me, for that- his habits of steady work, even though sometimes I thought what he worked on wasn't worthy of his time and attention." Merwin raises the prospect of completing some writing on Graves and "about that time". b) Typed letter, signed "Bill" [W.S. Merwin], postmarked 22 February 1988. 1pp., 8vo. Together with photocopy of typescript poem "Late Spring" (First published in Antaeus Anthology. Doubleday, 1987) Regarding an anonymous letter that Merwin received from Deya, Mallorca, requesting a poem written or inspired by the town as a contribution to a volume. He encloses the abovementioned poem to be passed on to the appropriate person and notes it is to be published in May in his book The Rain in the Trees. " ... the poems I wrote in Deya were of course very early poems. I remember Rene saying that no doubt they would be better when I had acquired a little more experience, and I hope she was right." 2. From James Reeves a) Typed letter bearing autograph corrections, signed, 29 January [1935], 2pp., 4to. Amongst personal matters the letter provides various references to Reeves' writing as well as that of the literary circle in Deya, including his first "noteworthy essay" and his book Natural Need (Seizin Press, 1935), a book that Gay had apparently begun, and Laura Riding's Progress of Stories (Seizin Press, 1935). Reeves concludes the letter as follows: "We tried a game of being you, Laura and Robert at the meal-table at Arkesden but it wasn't a success; so when are you coming to do it yourselves?" b) Typed letter, signed, on blue paper airmail letter form, to "Dearest Karl" at the University of Buffalo, 9 September 1965. Discussing the struggles associated with being a freelance author and events in Majorca: "All I have heard since I was last there makes us less and less inclined to go back. . .I won't minimise your losses- after all, it was your home ... " Although the context is unclear Reeves comments "You once told me that you were Robert's conscience, so it is not illogical that you should have been eliminated." c) Typed letter, signed, on blue paper airmail letter form, 8 February 1968, addressed to Gay at the Lockwood Memorial Library. Reeves writes of his friendship with Martin [Seymour Smith] and of other personal news. He promises to send a personal copy of "Stickney" (Homage to Trumbull Stickney; poems. Selected and Introduced by J. Reeves and S. Haldane. Heinemann, 1968) and asks for advice about distribution in America. d) Typed letter, signed, on blue paper airmail letter form 23 August 1970. He talks at length of the lives of mutual friends and of his writing: "a Chaucer in my PBS series coming soon; an educational work Inside Poetry with Martin out any minute; children's stories, and now an anthology of 20th et. satire". He refers to himself as "a bit of a pioneer" in regards to his annotated selection of the poetry of Emily Dickinson. e) Autograph note in pencil, no date: "Have your breakfast when you want it and I'll have mine when I wake". f) Autograph postcard, signed, used as greetings card; without date or stamp: "New Years Greetings from us all. Writing. Love James" 3. From Harry Kemp Autograph letter, signed, 6 December 1986, mounted on page [11] of card bearing a photograph of Brighton Pavilion. Thinking to write after being asked by Richard Graves if he could send any information for "volume 11" [of his biography of his uncle: Robert Graves; The years with Laura 1926-40. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1990]. Mounted on page [Ill] of card is a typescript copy of poem "Black Christmas" by Kemp (from Collected Poems, May 1985). 4. From Michael Mott Broadside of "The Well" on orange card with typed letter and autograph note, signed, on the verso, 13 May 1979. Writing with news that he will be returning to Atlanta after spending the year at the college ofWilliam and Mary as writer-in-residence. He also tells of being awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship "to help me write the official biography of Thomas Merton" (The Seven Mountains of Thomas Merton. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1984) and adds "Another collection comes out soon" (possibly Counting the Grasses. Anhinga Press, 1980) As printed below poem: "An Iron Mountain Press Broadside. "The Well" first appeared in Georgia Review 28 (1974): 317." 5. From Alastair Reid Autograph letter, signed, Geneva, 3 February 1963. 1pp., 4to. "My dear Karl & Renee", remarking that despite being in Mallorca twice the previous summer it would have been "hazardous" to see them: "But next time, I will. Altho' I'm excluded from Spain now, and only hope that will change." He explains that he is in Geneva working on a New Y orker piece on translation and will have a "fat book out this year" (probably Passwords: Places, Poems, Preoccupations. Little Brown, Boston, 1963). 6. From Robert Graves Photocopy of autograph letter, Deya, May 1972 (lpp., 4to), together with photocopy of typescript poem "The Collector; to Kenneth Gay", also dated May 1972 (lpp.,4to). The poem seeks Gay's counsel concerning a "daft collector" who "Employs as spy in our Majorcan village!. . .! Paying him fifteen bucks a hundred words! For all the murkiest scandal of the cafe! That claims the slightest relevance to Graves." In the letter, as well as discussing his health and mutual friends, Graves comments that he is using "the best criminal-lawyer in N.Y. on the Collector in the poem". 7. From Jane Hodge (wife of Alan Hodge) Typed letter, signed, on blue paper airmail letter form, 4 May 1970. With news of Alan's "mild nervous breakdown" and of his "grimmish weeks in hospital". Hence writing without his knowledge so as not to trouble him, asking for payment for the "Grave-Riding correspondence". 8. Other material a) Invitation to memorial service for Robert Graves at St. James's Church, Piccadilly, 22 January 1986. Printed by hand at the New Seizin Press, Deia. The invitation includes an extract from "To Be Poets". Together with Order of Service. b) Order of Service for the unveiling of a memorial to First World War Poets in Poet's Corner, 11 November 1985, at which Graves' "Two Fusiliers" was read. c) Original photo showing Karl Gay (foreground) with two others, possibly members of Graves' "extended family". d) Invitation to a tribute to Jacob Bronowski, 20 September 1974.

Graves (Robert).              

Price: £300