Unknown dedication from J. Joyce

From Joyce to Kristensen

The slim little booklet with the torn cover does not look much at first glance. It is an English first edition of James Joyce’s ‘Anna Livia Plurabelle’ (1930), and it was found behind a number of  significant first editions by T.S. Eliot – slightly bent up against the back of the shelf unit. However, the booklet turned out to be almost more interesting than the entire collection of T.S. Eliot’s first editions. On the half-title page, the world famous Irish modernist James Joyce has dedicated it to none other than his Danish counterpart – or great modernist at least – Tom Kristensen.

James Joyce in Copenhagen

The dedication from Joyce was written during his visit to Copenhagen in August–September 1936, and documents the slightly strange meeting of the two great writers during Joyce’s visit to the city. They met each other quite by chance in Politikens Boghal bookshop where Joyce, who spoke Danish, had come to order a book. He was recognised by the bookseller, who, in a fluster, introduced him to Tom Kristensen, who also happened to be in the store. Tom Kristensen later wrote of the meeting: “Fortunately, Joyce had a brilliant memory and realised at once that it was I who had written two feature articles about him in Politiken in 1931, and we walked down Strøget to Café à Porta on Gl. Torv square, where, in Danish, he ordered a bottle of white wine.”

A Danish translation of Ulysses

While they enjoyed themselves at the café, it became clear why Joyce was in Copenhagen: to have his masterpiece ‘Ulysses’ (1922) translated into Danish. Tom Kristensen was offered the job but declined: “I could not do it in less than ten years, I claimed”. The two met again later that day and Kristensen must have had the newly discovered copy of ‘Anna Livia Plurabelle’ with him. In any case, he writes: “So now I am left with the images of the tall, half-blind figure cautiously groping his way from the theatre to Magasin du Nord in the twilight – he should have been wearing a yellow armband – and of the other friendly poet who screwed the strangest of lenses onto his glasses to see my copy of ‘Anna Livia Plurabelle’.” Tom Kristensen later passed his signed copy on to the publisher Rasmus Naver and under Joyce’s dedication he has therefore written a birthday greeting to ‘Rasmus’.

The missing link – newly discovered Hærværk poem

A previously unknown version of the famous poem from the novel ‘Hærvæk’ by Tom Kristensen (1930), which begins with “Som en Bisse med blodige Hænder” (As a ruffian with bloodied hands) in the first stanza – a famous Danish poem that celebrates shipping disasters, vandalism and sudden death – will also be going under the hammer this time.

The poem was probably written in 1927–1928, when Kristensen was working on poems for his great novel. In the novel, the last three stanzas of the poem are presented separately from the first “without other connection to this than the rhythm,” as is written in ‘Hærværk’. The newly discovered poem contains the famous first stanza (“Som en Bisse ...”), but the following three are unknown. “Jeg har elsket de brændende Byer / og Orkaner med Skibes Forlis” (I have loved the burning cities/and hurricanes with ships foundered), it says. The theme is striking and makes sense as a link between the two parts of the poem in the novel – a kind of missing link.

Signed first edition by Kierkegaard

The great literary masterpieces of both world literature and Danish literary history are generally queuing up to go under the hammer at the book auction this time. First editions by international names such as Laurence Sterne, Samuel Boswell, Charles Dickens, Rainer Maria Rilke, Rudyard Kipling, T.S. Eliot and James Joyce stand side-by-side first editions by Hans Christian Andersen, Johs. V. Jensen, Gustaf Munch-Petersen and Søren Kierkegaard. Worth a particular mention here is a rare presentation copy of Søren Kierkegaard’s doctoral dissertation “On the Concept of Irony” (1841), dedicated to one of his tutors at the university, D. Theol. C. T. Engelstoft.

Preview and auction

The preview of the book auction takes place at our premises at Baltikavej 10 in Copenhagen from 10 am – 5 pm on Monday 27 January to 10 am – 5 pm on Tuesday 28 January. The hammers of the online auction fall at bruun-rasmussen.dk on Tuesday 28 January from 6 pm.

View the book auction lots