The Library of Roger Wagner - PBA Galleries

MEMOIR OF BROTHER-IN-LAW BEZALEL SCHATZ
136. miller, henry. Bezalel Schatz - holograph memoir and other materials including an archive of correspondence
from Schatz to Miller. 18 page holograph memoir of Miller’s Israeli friend, brother-in-law, and illustrator
of Into the Night Life. Accompanied by a 16 page original typescript, and photocopy, as well as a
holograph letter from Miller to Schatz (signed), and a large archive of correspondence from Schatz
to Miller.
No place: [c.1977]
Of his long friendship with Schatz, Miller writes, “...it was in Big Sur that I first met him.
He came to me on my birthday, beaming all over, and fill [sic] of a project which he was
determined to interest me in. It became the Night Life book which we did together. A beautiful
and most unusual piece of collaboration, if I may [say] so myself. As with Lawrence Durrell,
I was immediately taken by Lilik...It was Lilik who did the major work. Not only did he do the
illustrations and the lay-out, but he did all the silk screen pages by himself. I think it took him
almost two years to complete the job...During this period at Big Sur I had a number of Jewish
friends. They all got to know each other but I can’t say they fell in love with one another. Each
one was unique and outstanding
in his own way. I was a friend with
all of them. Often, in fact, I was
taken for a Jew. All my life, as I have
remarked again and again, I seemed
to be surrounded by Jewish friends
to whom I have always been greatly
indebted. Only a Jewish physician,
for example, would say to a patient,
a Goy like myself, that I need not
pay him anything for his services
and could he perhaps lend me a little
cash?...” Miller’s memoir contains a
long passage describing his trip to
Europe with his wife, accompanied
by Schatz and his wife: “...I believe
we went directly from Brussels to
London and thence to Wells to visit
my old copain Alfred Perles...Every
time I accompanied Alf to purchase
wine we were obsequiously greeted
by the owner of the store, a typical
Englishman who always called Alf
Mister Perles and who was obviously
impressed by the fact that Mister
Perles was a writer who had lived
in Paris many years. Watching the
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Page 68
two exchange greetings I saw my
old friend in a new light. He was
no longer the clown, the rogue, the scoundrel, but an English citizen, a man of standing in
the eyes of his townfold. Of course as soon as we got out of the wine shop we would burst
into guffaws. ‘The old fart!’ Fred would say. ‘They’re all like him here, Joey.’” Miller goes on
to describe the trip back to Paris, where he and Schatz met the artist Vlaminck (“There he sat
in his armchair a huge hulk of a man weighing over 225 pounds at least...looking at his girth
and his huge ass, I wondered how he ever managed to sit on a narrow Brooks saddle...His
home was now in Normandy where he owned a large farm and raised horses. He introduced
us to his two daughters, very healthy, buxom teen-agers who could put away a tumbler of pure
alcohol without blinking an eye...”), and down to the south of France where they met Joseph
Delteil (“Needless to say Delteil and his wife treated us like royalty. We stayed several days in
Montpellier going back and forth to Les Tuileries [sic] and sampling the excellent ‘vins d’ami’ in
his cave...”), who accompanied them to Spain for the final leg of their journey. An interesting
narrative of a long friendship between the two men, and their travels together, illustrated also by
the many lengthy letters from Schatz to Miller over the years included in this lot. Fine.
(3000/5000)