Lot 101
Lot 101
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Maxim Gorky (Alexei Maximovich Peshkov, 1868-1936)

'I have never been a member of any political party'. 1926

Price Realised GBP 1,500
Estimate
GBP 700 - GBP 1,000
Estimates do not reflect the final hammer price and do not include buyer's premium, any applicable taxes or artist's resale right. Please see the Conditions of Sale for full details.
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Maxim Gorky (Alexei Maximovich Peshkov, 1868-1936)

'I have never been a member of any political party'. 1926

Price Realised GBP 1,500
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Price Realised GBP 1,500
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Maxim Gorky (Alexei Maximovich Peshkov, 1868-1936)
'I have never been a member of any political party'. 1926
Letter signed (in Italian, 'Massimo Gorky' and with initials 'M.G.') to an unidentified friend ('Mon cher ami'), Naples, 3 April 1926.

In French. One page, 280 x 218mm, two markings in blue pencil, presumably by the recipient. Provenance: with University Archives, 2009.

'I am not and have never been a member of any political party'. Gorky writes to a journalist, expressing hurt at what has been written of him, and refusing to comply with a request, on the grounds that he is consumed with work on his 'major novel' (The Life of Klim Sangin, left unfinished at his death). In a postscript, he issues a striking denial of having ever been a member of a political party.

My dear friend,

If you believe that the letter I sent you is that of a wounded man, you are wrong. I am not wounded, but it hurt me to read certain phrases in your articles.

What is important for me, as you well know, is not words, but the man himself. I have retained an excellent memory of you, a man of high culture. Let us speak no more of it.

Unfortunately, it is impossible for me to do what you ask of me. I am currently working on a major novel, taking in forty years of Russian life, and I cannot write anything else.

With best wishes,
Massimo Gorki

P.S. You speak in your letter of belonging to a party. I am not and have never been a member of any political party.

The text of the letter is probably in the hand of Gorky's secretary and lover Moura Budberg (1892-1974), who was a noted linguist. Gorky's signature in roman script is notably rare. It has long been a matter of some controversy whether Gorky was at some point a party member: certainly it suited him to deny it at this point in his Italian exile (see also lot 102).

Special notice
This lot is offered without reserve.
This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.
Brought to you by
Thomas VenningHead of Department, Books and Manuscripts
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