e - Joyce, James.

informing him that the Irish tenor John Sullivan will perform in Guillaume Tell at the Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa, on Boxing Day, and encouraging him to attend ("...I have asked him to send you two passes. I hope you will go and hear him..."), with a typed reply by Pound on the verso noting that the tickets had not arrived ("...an damifi'm going ennyhow..."), 2 pages, oblong 8vo, torn from a spiral-bound notebook, [early 1930s]

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Joyce was a wildly enthusiastic supporter of John Sullivan, a tenor whom he felt was unfairly marginalised in the opera world. Joyce's principal method of supporting the singer was to encourage, bully, and generally bestir his friends - including, of course, many of the great names in Modernism - to come to the opera and cheer Sullivan (Joyce's own favoured rallying cry was "Bravo Cork!") then meet him for a drink afterwards. Arnold in Rossini's Guillaume Tell was one of Sullivan's greatest roles, and provided Joyce with fine opportunities for publicity. On one occasion, according to a Parisian newspaper report, at the conclusion of an aria: "a man in one of the boxes, whom many recognized as James Joyce ... dramatically leaned forward, raised a pair of heavy dark glasses from his eyes, and exclaimed: 'Merci, mon Dieu, pour ce miracle. Apres vingt ans, je revois la lumiere.'" (Quoted in Ellman, James Joyce, p.368) From the evidence of this letter, however, it does not appear that Ezra Pound was won over by Joyce's enthusiasm.