BELLOW, Saul (1915-2005). A group of 5 autograph and typed letters signed from Bellow to William Arrowsmith, 1950s and 1960s.
Autograph letter signed ("Saul"), Barrytown, New York, Sept. 21, 1953. 2 pages, 8vo. Regarding his return to Princeton and the publication of The Adventures of Augie March: "The Book has made a splash. I can't say I'm not pleased, but oddly enough, I have no great personal sense of triumph. My own connection with Augie ended when I was done with the proofs, and now I'm rather in the audience myself, watching." - Typed letter signed ("Saul"), Tivoli, NY, 5 April 1962. 1 page, 12mo. Regarding the writing of Herzog, and scheduling an upcoming visit: "I'm in the process of winding up Herzog and in all matters requiring arrangement I'm still as wooly as ever." - Typed letter signed ("Saul"), The University of Chicago, 18 February 1962. Regarding the conclusion of his term teaching at the University of Chicago and scheduling a visit: "I've had a rough quarter at Chicago. Snow has fallen without a stop since December and my mouth has not been shut since Christmas." - Autograph letter signed ("Saul"), n.d. [Aug. 14]. 2 pages, 4to. Regarding scheduling a visit. - Typed letter signed ("Saul"), Sutcliffe Star Route, Reno, Nevada, n.d. 1 page, 4to. Regarding Arrowsmith's translation of The Herakles of Euripides, about which, Bellow claims, "I was knocked over by it," and The Adventures of Augie March: "I won't feign modesty when Augie is praised. It does me good. But I am like the bitch who forgets the old litter in the new." Bellow and William Arrowsmith became acquainted in Princeton in the early 1950s. "Working as Delmore Schwartz's assistant, Bellow attended parties where he met John Berryman, Ralph Ellison, Edmund Wilson, and Theodore Roethke. Among the guests was [classics scholar] William Arrowsmith" (Mark Connelly, Saul Bellow: A Literary Companion, p.108). Arrowsmith, known for his translations of Aristophanes and Petronius, dedicated his translation of Petronius' Satyricon to Bellow. Bellow contributed to the Arrowsmith memorial issue of Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, which was reprinted in his book It All Adds Up.
