In 1892, Machado de Assis admired the verses of another writer and promised to read them to his relatives and neighbors.
A letter from Machado de Assis to an unidentified recipient.
One sheet, two pages.
In Portuguese.
25.4 cm x 20.2 cm.
In good condition It is in good condition, but has two stains, probably from a liquid, one at the bottom and the other at the top, which have partially blurred some of the letters.
Unique piece.
June 21, 1892
Good and dear friend
If anything could to compensate for your absence and that (?) D. Laura would be the beautiful verses that I finish to read, in which the elevation the concepts come together The generosity of the application. The best thing of all would be to have the author and the work: but ca The artwork remains as a memento. of the day. I'm going to read the verses. to the friends who are here They think - few of them, it's true - my relatives, my neighbors and a few more. All of them, however. (?) than what was your worth heart and equally, en- you have(?) the absence of the works. My respect to Madame Consort and thanks on time
Old friend and (?)
Machado de Assis
Some names are particularly rare in the fascinating world of autograph documents and are constantly increasing in value. Machado de Assis, perhaps the greatest name in Brazilian literature, is one of them. It is possible to find, from time to time, some documents signed by him when he was a civil servant, or dedications in books, but personal letters are even rarer.
This letter is particularly valuable because it deals with literature: it would be a bit like having in your hands a letter from Einstein explaining a physics concept or one from Santos Dumont reflecting on aviation.
Machado mentions having read "beautiful verses," indicating that the letter's recipient may have been a poet or writer friend, perhaps a colleague from the Brazilian Academy of Letters. The recipient's wife is named Laura, but this did not help identify the couple.
Furthermore, Machado's appreciation for the "elevation of concepts" and the "generosity of application" in the verses read shows the writer's profound sensitivity to the moral and aesthetic qualities of literature.
Finally, the letter also reveals how Machado shared literary works with an intimate circle of friends and family, seemingly valuing their opinions highly on the works he read and, possibly, wrote.
Finally, we have here a truly exceptional piece for a collector focused on Brazilian literature and Machado de Assis.
