A collection of letters and postcards written by Irish writer Samuel Beckett could fetch up to €300,000 at an auction next month.
The correspondence, which spans almost 40 years, features the Dubliner's famous spidery handwriting and is signed by 'Sam'.
Beckett writes openly in fluent French about his health, family and work in progress. The envelopes and postcards are postmarked in Paris, Dublin, London, Berlin, Stuttgart, Ussy-sur-Marne and elsewhere. Sotheby's of London, which is selling the items on December 7th, described the lot as the most important series of letters by the eccentric Dubliner ever offered for sale.
Originally sent to Beckett's friends, painters Henri and Josette Hayden, the correspondence went on display at a preview of the sale in Dublin today. "It is the most extensive and important series of letters by Beckett ever to be offered at auction," a Sotheby's spokesman said.
The lot has a guide price of £150,000-£200,000. Beckett met the Haydens in 1943 while they took refuge from the Gestapo in the small French village of Roussillon d'Apt in Vichy France.
Their lifelong friendship began with their common love of painting, and Beckett and Henri would often work in close proximity to one another, or play long silent games of chess. On their return to Paris after the Second World War, the Haydens discovered that their studio had been pillaged by the Germans, with the loss of all Henri's pre-war paintings.
Beckett helped restore Hayden's reputation by arranging exhibitions of his work. Throughout the friendship, Hayden became increasingly recognised in France as a major painter.
It has been speculated that Beckett's relationship with Henri was a source of inspiration for Vladimir and Estragon in Waiting for Godot. Henri died in 1970, but Beckett continued to write regularly to Josette until 1985. Sotheby's sale also features early editions of many of Beckett's books and plays including Krapp's Last Tape and More Pricks Than Kicks. ends