Lot #280

E. E. Cummings Typed Letter Signed on the Production of His Three-Act Surrealist Play, Him

Description

"Should be delighted to have you & your friends produce Him if the only change is a diminution of the radioleum audience: my freaks must have their day"

TLS, signed in red crayon, “E. E. Cummings,” one page, 8.5 x 11, July 6, 1952. Letter to "Mr. Hill," in part: "Thanks for your letter of June 21. Should be delighted to have you & your friends produce Him if the only change is a diminution of the radioleum audience: my freaks must have their day; & feel sure you'll find some way of including them. As for royalties, Miss Bernice Baumgarten (c/o Brandt&Brandt; 101 Park Avenue; NYCity) will prove cooperative. Let me only add that, while Me & Him are completely important, it's the Doctor who carries the show." In fine condition.

Him is a 1927 three-act play by E. E. Cummings, first staged in New York in 1928, known for its surreal, absurdist, and expressionist style. Rather than following a traditional plot, it mixes dreamlike scenes, vaudeville, psychoanalysis, metatheatre, and fractured dialogue around “Him,” a playwright, and “Me,” his pregnant lover, exploring creation, art, illusion, and the unstable boundary between audience and performance.

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.

Auction Info

• Auction Title: Fine Autographs and Artifacts Featuring Art, Literature, Classical Music, and Animation
• Dates:
  Starts:

  08/13/2026
  Ends:

  09/16/2026

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