ALS, one page, 4.5 x 6.75, Naulakha letterhead, March 7, 1896. In full: “Many thanks for your letter. I am of course in austere sympathy with you as regards the preservation of Poe’s cottage. As a rule I do not approve of buying dead men’s camps, but my own personal debt to Poe is a heavy one and I would cheerfully send in $50 to save the place where his wife died and where he wrote ‘Ulalume.’ I note that you say that money is not needed, but surely if the matter of keeping the cottage rests with the Albany legislature, this must be an error. As an Englishman, I can have no influence.” In fine condition, with mild scattered toning and soiling, and mild brushing to signature’s paraph.
If anyone understood the importance of a writer’s sanctuary, it was Kipling: while living at Naulakha, his home just outside of Brattleboro, Vermont from 1892-1896, he experienced the most prolific stage in his career, writing not only the Jungle Books but also a collection of short stories, a novel, and an abundance of poetry. When approached about helping to save Edgar Allen Poe’s cottage in Fordham at this time, it is not surprising that Kipling jumped at the chance to get involved. Joining the likes of Theodore Roosevelt and William Dean Howells, he urged the New York State Legislature to preserve the home, a feat which was eventually successful. Poe was one of the greatest influences on Kipling’s work, lending him an eye for placing unnatural and supernatural figures in the natural world—a feature of Kipling’s work that helped propel his career to the highest levels of achievement. This “heavy debt” is the subject of countless articles and books by both Kipling and Poe scholars alike, and here we see Kipling anxious to repay it in any way possible. A letter of incredible content, from the Nobel-winning literary giant in regards to his hero, a legend in his own right, this is a truly memorable piece. RRAuction COA.
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