Descrizione

4to. 1 p. The drawings: 147 x 80 mm to 162 x 104 mm. Ballpoint pen on paper. Together with an issue of The Duncan Lawrie Journal featuring Hughes's short story "How God got His Golden Head", illustrated with the 4 drawings. To his friend Nicholas Airth Grant (1931-2018), chairman of the Duncan Lawrie private bank, explaining that there are ultimately only four drawings, namely those enclosed, since "two or three others […] weren't getting anywhere" for the illustration of his contribution to the first issue of The Duncan Lawrie Journal: "I'm afraid there are only four. Two or three others I tried weren't getting anywhere so rather than delay - here are four, which I quite like. The candlestick. The wolf spitting flames. God clasping his head (Carol's not sure about this). And the bat. They could be shrunk a bit. We got four salmon on the Tweed - very stiff week, bright blue days, few fish". - Hughes's short story offers a fantastical creation myth for the bat, set in God's workshop that is charmingly illustrated with the four quite skillful, slightly surreal drawings. - Sotheby's, 25 July 1975; Christie's, 29 May 1986, lot 225.