CUMMINGS, E. E.

£750 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

The Enormous Room. Second printing of the author's first book, inscribed by him to his friend and New York Times critic Peter Monro Jack on the front free endpaper "Same day, a latedition [sic], Cummings". Underneath the author's note is the ownership inscription of Cummings's French translator, David Jonathan Grossman (1922-1990): "now in possesion of D. Jon Grossman". He has also pencilled, "From the library of the late P. M. Jack, Critic" on the front pastedown.Cummings wrote the eulogistic poem "we miss you, jack" for the critic, which appears as number 7 in Xaipe (1950): "a 3ringbrain you had and a circusheart, and we miss them more than any bright word may cry". Jack (c.1897-1944) introduced Grossman to Cummings while the aspiring writer was attending Jack's course at Columbia night school in 1941-42. By 1960, Grossman had published his first Cummings translation, and in 1980 he was awarded the Prix Halperine-Kaminsky for his works.The Enormous Room was first published in 1922.

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