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Philosopher, essayist, and writer (1863-1952) remembered in large part for his aphorisms. ALS signed “G. Santayana,” one page both sides, 8.75 x 10.75, May 10, 1951. Addressed from Santo Stefano Rotundo in Rome, a handwritten letter to Sheridan Van Dolah, in full: “Your little book of verses is not at all like the usual privately printed pamphlets that come from unsuccessful poets. You do not rhyme, but you luxuriate in traditional poetic diction and are inspired by even purer sources — Chinese or Indian, I suppose — that are more fantastic than our European and Hebrew tradition itself. I have been particularly pleased with the stanza ‘Desire’ and its neighbours. Reading in St. John of the Cross, who is an exquisite poet, the picture of love fulfilled in ‘a bed of roses,’ I have often winced. The Song of Solomon is not (perhaps was never meant to be) a picture of ultimate love. It is only an erotic episode, used faute de mieux as a symbol for ecstatic union. The flesh is not a symbol for the spirit, but the spirit a transcendent emanation of the flesh. Your images of the moon, full round and turgid, pushes back the dark lips of heaven seem to me much better and original. When it comes to death (a new neighbour to love, and implied in it) you remain in the part that is left, in the region of the macabre and fantastic. Perhaps, in those pages that your printer wickedly chopped off, you may have reached the ‘happy death’ of nirvana, which has no terror, but is the triumph of the psyche that has consumed itself entirely into pure flame. The grossness of the notion of resurrection seems to me as blind as that of heaven in a bed of roses. If you have got something written in this direction, I should be glad to see it. Our traditional religious poetry is terribly loaded with vulgar images.” In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope addressed in Santayana's hand.
Written from the Convent of the Little Company of Mary in Rome, where George Santayana spent the final decade of his life, this letter offers an extended critique of a volume of poetry sent by Sheridan Van Dolah. Discussing subjects that range from St. John of the Cross and the Song of Solomon to nirvana and resurrection, Santayana argues that “the flesh is not a symbol for the spirit, but the spirit a transcendent emanation of the flesh,” while criticizing conventional religious imagery and reflecting on death, transcendence, and mystical experience. Written less than a year and a half before his death in September 1952, the letter captures themes that occupied Santayana throughout his philosophical and literary career.
From the personal collection of a lifelong collector, teacher, and traveler with a passion for world history. His collecting years ranged from the 1970s to the present day, meaning that several of the premier pieces have not been on the market in decades.
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