Sold For $12,353
*Includes Buyers Premium
ALS signed “Love, Papa,” one page, 8.5 x 11, March 17, 1954. Handwritten letter to his friend Kit Figgis, a British expat living in Africa who assisted Ernest and Mary Hemingway in the aftermath of their plane crashes in January 1954. Hemingway makes note of the long list of injuries he sustained in the crash—leaving him in pain and ill health for much of the rest of his life—and comments on the cover story he contributed to the April 20, 1954 issue of Look Magazine: 'Hemingway Writes His Own Story of His Two African Plane Crashes.'
In part: "I must have been pretty punchy when I wrote you the enclosed. Send it as a curiosity you can always sell it for the children. I'll get you the name of a dealer. What it sorted out to, according to [the] doctor, very practical type, was: major concussion, rupture one kidney, damage liver, collapse of intestines, Paralysis sphincter, 3/4 lost sight in one eye (left) (never any good anyway), Burns head, Brush fire = burns on lips (light), left hand severe, right forearm ditto, abdomen (light), legs (light). Am beating all raps OK…
Had cable from Bill Lowe that everything sold and 1st installment in Look April 20th on the newsstands…Kit this trip has been a little rugged. All the effects were delayed. Good thing we did the piece when we did…Thanks so much for the books and all. They are really lovely and a fine job." Hemingway adds a brief postscript on the reverse: "18/3/54, Still in bed but very much better. E. H." In fine condition.
In early 1954, Ernest Hemingway survived two near-fatal plane crashes while on safari in Africa. The first occurred on January 23 when his sightseeing plane struck a utility pole and crash-landed in the Ugandan jungle. A second crash followed the next day during an attempted rescue flight, this time resulting in more serious injuries, including a ruptured kidney, a burnt scalp, and the temporary loss of hearing and eyesight. Though initially presumed dead, Hemingway later emerged alive—though badly hurt—and the episode added to his legend as a man of outsized adventure and resilience.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
$150.00
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
