Beschreibung:

Title: SOLD BY PRIVATE TREATYBezalel Schatz - holograph memoir and other materials including an archive of correspondence from Schatz to Miller Author: Miller, Henry Place: No place Publisher: Date: [c.1977] Description: 18 page holograph memoir of Miller's Israeli friend, brother-in-law, and illustrator of Into the Night Life. Accompanied by a 16 page original typescript, and photocopy, as well as a holograph letter from Miller to Schatz (signed), and a large archive of correspondence from Schatz to Miller. Of his long friendship with Schatz, Miller writes, "...it was in Big Sur that I first met him. He came to me on my birthday, beaming all over, and fill [sic] of a project which he was determined to interest me in. It became the Night Life book which we did together. A beautiful and most unusual piece of collaboration, if I may [say] so myself. As with Lawrence Durrell, I was immediately taken by Lilik...It was Lilik who did the major work. Not only did he do the illustrations and the lay-out, but he did all the silk screen pages by himself. I think it took him almost two years to complete the job...During this period at Big Sur I had a number of Jewish friends. They all got to know each other but I can't say they fell in love with one another. Each one was unique and outstanding in his own way. I was a friend with all of them. Often, in fact, I was taken for a Jew. All my life, as I have remarked again and again, I seemed to be surrounded by Jewish friends to whom I have always been greatly indebted. Only a Jewish physician, for example, would say to a patient, a Goy like myself, that I need not pay him anything for his services and could he perhaps lend me a little cash?..." Miller's memoir contains a long passage describing his trip to Europe with his wife, accompanied by Schatz and his wife: "...I believe we went directly from Brussels to London and thence to Wells to visit my old copain Alfred Perles...Every time I accompanied Alf to purchase wine we were obsequiously greeted by the owner of the store, a typical Englishman who always called Alf Mister Perles and who was obviously impressed by the fact that Mister Perles was a writer who had lived in Paris many years. Watching the two exchange greetings I saw my old friend in a new light. He was no longer the clown, the rogue, the scoundrel, but an English citizen, a man of standing in the eyes of his townfold. Of course as soon as we got out of the wine shop we would burst into guffaws. 'The old fart!' Fred would say. 'They're all like him here, Joey.'" Miller goes on to describe the trip back to Paris, where he and Schatz met the artist Vlaminck ("There he sat in his armchair a huge hulk of a man weighing over 225 pounds at least...looking at his girth and his huge ass, I wondered how he ever managed to sit on a narrow Brooks saddle...His home was now in Normandy where he owned a large farm and raised horses. He introduced us to his two daughters, very healthy, buxom teen-agers who could put away a tumbler of pure alcohol without blinking an eye..."), and down to the south of France where they met Joseph Delteil ("Needless to say Delteil and his wife treated us like royalty. We stayed several days in Montpellier going back and forth to Les Tuileries [sic] and sampling the excellent 'vins d'ami' in his cave..."), who accompanied them to Spain for the final leg of their journey. An interesting narrative of a long friendship between the two men, and their travels together, illustrated also by the many lengthy letters from Schatz to Miller over the years included in this lot. Lot Amendments Condition: Fine. Item number: 208508