Lennon, John

one deletion of three words, blue ink, four pages, large post octavo (8 x 5 in.; 202 x 126 mm), headed stationery of the Albany Hotel, Birmingham, pin holes, slight staining on verso of second sheet

[with:] authorial typescript, nine corrections in blue ink, initially marked "Untitled", revised to "Henry and Harry", editorial comments in pencil, one page, foolscap folio (13 x 8 in.; 330 x 203 mm, "64 Mill Bond Extra Strong" watermark)

see catalog
"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."

This manuscript is written on the stationery of the same Birmingham hotel as 'Partly Dave' (see lot 4), and like that work was almost certainly written on or around 15 December 1963, immediately after Lennon accepted Tom Maschler's commission to write a book. His parody brilliantly captures the essential characteristics of the "kitchen sink" dramas of the 1950s and 60s, in which the imagination and ambitions of a young protagonist are smothered by his dour conservative surroundings in the declining industrial north of England. In Lennon's version, Harry's wish to become a golfer is set against his father's wish for him to follow in the "farst dying" trade of "Brummer Striving". It is published on pp.66-67 of In His Own Write.

In 1968 the playwright Adrienne Kennedy and Victor Spinetti adapted Lennon's literary works for the National Theatre. The Lennon Play: In His Own Write was performed at London's Old Vic theatre and starred Ronald Pickup as "Me". 'Henry and Harry' was at the heart of the play, and was revealingly discussed by Lennon and Spinetti in an interview for BBC television:

"...Interviewer: It's all about Brummer Striving, do tell us about Brummer Striving.
John: Brummer Striving is Brummer Striving, all those jobs that people have that they don't want, and there's probably about 90% Brummer Strivers watching in at the moment. But you don't have to be a Brummer Striver, you see. It depends how involved in Brummer Striving you are, but Brummer Striving... Paul explained it at the beginning of the book, is, errr, it doesn't... What does he say he was saying? - 'What is Brummer Striving?' It isn't anything.
Victor: It's grafting, it's doing a job... It is any kind of job you have to graft at, like going to a steelworks, or to a coal mine to follow your father.
John: The universal sorrow just hits you about once a week, now - Bang - And then you say, 'Oh, oh well', and then you're back to 'Well, get on with it', you know, 'Get on with it'.
Interviewer: And laugh.
John: Well, I mean there are laughs to compensate, 'cus if there weren't it'd be very melancholy..."