García Lorca, Federico.

the top half of the first page containing a drawing of a moonstruck Pierrot with a boat sailing under a crescent moon, and with (below the signature) a drawing of a pair of fruit; in the exuberant and poetic opening half of the letter, Lorca addresses Benjamín, hailing him from the sunny ramparts of his home town of Granada, describing the physical effect of the light has on him, and the cathedral and the trees, but reporting that the police are running around killing gypsies ("...La guardia civil mata un gitano cada dia y ajunta su nombre en una lista larga y ondulante como dragon chino..."); addressing Benjamín anew in the second half of the letter, he assures him that he has not forgotten about Barcelona as it will be the only chance to greet Dalí that summer, urging him to write to him by return if possible, letting him know what transpires and assuring him that he has not forgotten about his wonderful picture ("...El asunto de Barcelona no lo olvido. Es la unica manera de que pueda saludar a nuestro amigo Dali este verano. Dime lo que pasa. No olvido tu delicioso cuadro....)



2 pages, small 4to, Granada, "acera del casino 31", undated [July 1925], the two leaves separated, some browning, creasing and slight splitting at folds

F. García Lorca, Obras, volume 6 (Epistolario), 1994, pages 1192-1193.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where 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."

Rare: autograph letters by the great Spanish poet and dramatist García Lorca (1898-1936) are rarely offered for sale, only a handful appearing at auction in the last two decades. He retains mythical status as a sacrificial victim of fascism because of his murder in 1936. Lorca was a painter, who exhibited in Barcelona in 1927 (indeed he felt that the image was at the origin of all language), and also a proficient musician. 

This letter dates from the time of Lorca's friendship with Salvador Dalí, which flowered with Dalí's portrait of him in 1926 and ended with the latter's disparaging comments on Lorca's Romancero gitano (1928).  During the writing of these "gypsy ballads", Lorca was much taken up with the commedia dell'arte, and illustrations of Pierrot are characteristic of his letters from this period.  In the present version, Lorca shows the Pierrot of the Symbolist poets, a fellow sufferer, whose only friend is the distant and lonely moon (perhaps best known from Verlaine's Pantomime and Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire).  The recipient of this letter, Benjamín Palencia (1894-1980) was a leading painter from Albacete in La Mancha.  In 1931, Palencia became a member of Lorca's touring theatrical group "La Barraca".  Granada was Lorca's summer home from 1926 until his death in 1936.