Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818-1883)
'I have had a wedding on my hands'. n.d.
Autograph letter signed ('I. Tourguéneff') to an unidentified friend ('Mon cher ami'), 210 rue de Rivoli, [Paris], 'Jeudi matin', n.d. [1860-64].

In French. One page, 206 x 132mm, on a bifolium with embossed initials 'JT'.

'I have had a wedding on my hands etc'. Turgenev apologises for being uncommunicative: 'Forgive me for not having replied earlier – but I have had a wedding on my hands etc'. He proposes to come to visit on the Sunday between noon and 1pm, and will send a copy of his book.

Turgenev lived at 210 rue de Rivoli from 1860 until early in 1864. It is tempting to think that the book he refers to here was Fathers and Sons, his masterpiece which was published in 1862. The wedding referred to cannot be that of his daughter Paulinette, which did not take place until February 1865.

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
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