Faulkner letters, manuscripts to sell

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Letters, an unpublished short story and other documents penned by ground-breaking American novelist William Faulkner are expected to fetch more than $2 million at auction this June.

Sotheby’s in New York announced the June 11 sale, which it called “the largest and most important group of William Faulkner material ever to appear at auction.”

Highlights include letters that show the author’s life in Paris during the 1920s and a 12-page story called “The Trapper’s Story,” which was never published, and is estimated at $30,000-50,000.

The main lot in the auction is an early draft of Faulkner’s acclaimed speech accepting the 1949 Nobel Prize for literature.

He wrote the draft while staying at the legendary Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan while on his way to Oslo for the prize ceremony. Sotheby’s said the version is significantly different from the one he eventually gave.

“This archive is remarkable for the new insight it provides into how Faulkner explored his artistic future in 1920s Paris, how his principles informed the content of his novels, and how he struggled with life in Hollywood, among other topics,” said Justin Caldwell, vice president at Sotheby’s Books and Manuscripts Department.

“The intimate nature of so many of these items speaks to Faulkner’s enduring relevance today, not only as one of the most important American authors of the 20th century, but as a writer who remains an essential figure to everyone from President Obama to Martin Scorsese,” he said.

Faulkner, author of “The Sound and the Fury” and “As I Lay Dying,” died in 1962.