Lot 179
  • 179

Greene, Graham

Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Greene, Graham
  • A Sort of Life. The Bodley Head, 1971
  • Paper
8vo, FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY GREENE ("For Yvonne & Jacques | with love from | Graham") on the front free endpaper, half-title, original green cloth, titled in silver on spine, dust-jacket, collector's dark green slipcase, black ink annotations marking two passages to p.25, edges of jacket very slightly worn

Provenance

Yvonne Cloetta, presentation inscription; by descent; sale, Sotheby's London, 15 December 2011, lot 83 [part of]

Literature

Wobbe A55a

Condition

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."

Catalogue Note

INSCRIBED TO YVONNE CLOETTA, GREENE'S LOVER OF OVER THIRTY YEARS, AND HER HUSBAND JACQUES. 

Greene and Yvonne (1923-2001) had first met in Douala in French Cameroon in 1959, and shortly afterwards became lovers despite his being 18 years her senior. Although Yvonne was married, Greene moved to Antibes in 1966 in order to be close to her. Her husband, a Swiss Unilever executive, was apparently ignorant of the affair until 1972, and although the discovery caused him some distress, it was not until the very end of Greene's life that Yvonne went to live permanently with him on Lake Geneva. 

Their relationship was the most enduring of Greene's life. Greene's pet name for Yvonne, "Healthy Happy Kitten" or "H.H.K." (which appears as on the dedication page of Travels with my Aunt), disguises the deep emotion he felt for her: on the back of photograph given to her in 1978, he inscribed "If I were to live my life again, there is only one thing I would want unchanged: meeting you, knowing you, and loving you." Six months before he died, he went further: "If she didn't exist," he wrote, "I'd put a bullet through my head."