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an old piece of paper with a handwritten message on itan old postcard with a picture of a man and a woman on it
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966 - TEFFI NADEJDA (1872–1952), AUTOGRAPH
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Estimate €1,500 - €1,700
Sale commission
Description
TEFFI NADEJDA (1872–1952), AUTOGRAPH Autograph letter signed ‘N. Teffi’, addressed to Denis Roche. [Paris, 1928] 1 p. in-8. 27 x 21 cm. In French. With stamped envelope and handwritten address. Slight creases to the corners, creases from posting. ‘Sir, I have just received another short story from Berlin, translated into German. It seems to me to be more suitable than the ones I sent you. [So] I am sending it to you. And I hope… Yours sincerely, N. Teffi’. Provenance: the archives of Denis Roche (1868–1951), French writer and translator. Teffi (Nadezhda Alexandrovna Lokhvitskaya), Russian writer and poet, memoirist and translator, contributor to the famous satirical magazine ‘Satiricon’ and sister of the poet Mirra Lokhvitskaya. She was Emperor Nicholas II’s favourite writer. She emigrated after the Revolution. Fascinated by the Russian language, Denis Roche travelled to St Petersburg in 1898, where he met L. Tolstoy, A. Chekhov and I. Repin. He translated works by N. Leskov, I. Turgenev, I. Shmelev, V. Nabokov and other authors from Russian. His greatest achievement, however, was being one of the first in the West to recognise the prodigious talent of the very young Nabokov. Fascinated by his books, D. Roche played a major role in introducing his work to France; in particular, he produced the first French translation of the novel ‘The Defence of Luzhin’ (published in 1934 under the title ‘La Course du fou’). At the buyer’s request, we shall be happy to provide a general report on the condition of the lot described above. However, as we are not professional conservators or restorers, we strongly advise potential buyers to carry out their own inspection or to consult a specialist of their choice to obtain a full assessment of the lot’s condition. Descriptions of items provided in the catalogue or by correspondence are for information purposes only and should not be regarded as a definitive assessment. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSION REGARDING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD ‘AS IS’, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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About the sale RARE BOOKS & MANUSCRIPTS: Antique books § Autographs, rare editions, photographs § Works on paper
Auction location
Auction time 10/29/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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