ASHBERY JOHN: (1927-2017) American poet and art... Lot 1382

ASHBERY JOHN: (1927-2017) American poet and art critic, awarded the Pulitzer Prise for Poetry in 1976. Small series of four T.Ls.S., John Ashbery, each one page, 4to, New York, February 1974 - September 1976, all to Stephen Brook. Ashbery writes regarding the possible publication of his poetry in chapbooks, as well as the paucity of his published works in Great Britain, in part, ´I was very interested to hear about your series of poetry chapbooks, and think that it is an excellent idea. However, I´m sorry to say that at the moment I have nothing to submit to you for consideration. The pieces I do have are already committed for the next few months´ (8th February 1974), ´I am pleased to hear that you are still interested in doing a chapbook of my poems.....When I return after Thanksgiving, I will sit down and get a manuscript together for you; I hope to have it ready for submission well before the Christmas holidays. I´m sorry about the delay, but it seems unavoidable under the circumstances´ (10th November 1974), ´.....thank you for sending me the new Godine catalogue which I find most impressive. Since I don´t want to keep you on hold indefinitely regarding my sending you a manuscript for a chapbook, I think it would be best if I declined......My problem is that I would like to use the poems in a Viking book sooner than the year and a half after publication that you require......I am still hoping that I may produce a long poem or a set of short poems which might be appropriate for the chapbook format, and which I could keep aside from my next larger collection of poems´ (27th September 1975), ´The only two books of mine ever published in England, Cape´s edition of Selected Poems and Penguin´s selection as part of the Modern Poets series, have been out of print for years. Carcanet has recently agreed to bring out Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror sometime next spring.......However, since the contract was signed, Tom Maschler of Cape, and now you, have expressed interest. So you see, my relations with the English publishing world are somewhat confusing´ (12th September 1976). Together with two carbon typed copies of letters from Brook to Ashbery. One letter with three file holes to the left edge and another with a couple of small staple holes to the upper left corner, VG, 6 Stephen Brook (1947- ) English author and wine journalist, a former editor of The Atlantic Monthly Magazine and publisher at Routledge, Kegan & Paul from 1976-80.