Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

First editions annotated by Le Carré and Mantel to be auctioned

First editions annotated by Le Carré and Mantel to be auctioned

Other writers who have added handwritten thoughts for sale in support of English PEN include Ian McEwan and Margaret Atwood

An extraordinary insight into some of the literary masterpieces of recent decades has been provided by their authors in handwritten annotations in first editions of their works.

Among more than 80 writers who have reread and commented on their works are Margaret Atwood, Hilary Mantel, Salman Rushdie, Monica Ali, John le Carré, Sebastian Faulks, Ben Okri, Ian McEwan, JM Coetzee, Peter Carey and Bernardine Evaristo.

A number of renowned artists including Tracey Emin, Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley and Ai Weiwei have also contributed works to a sale to raise funds for English PEN, a human rights organisation that champions freedom of expression and defends writers at risk of persecution.

The annotations were “personal, profound, insightful and frequently surprising, adding a unique layer of intimacy to some of the most celebrated texts published in our lifetime”, said Mark Wiltshire, a books and manuscripts specialist at Christie’s.

The auction house is selling the works, under the title First Editions, Second Thoughts, and hosting an exhibition of selected lots.

Mantel, who twice won the Booker prize with her Wolf Hall trilogy, has scribbled about 5,000 words of notes in margins and blank spaces in Bring Up the Bodies and The Mirror and the Light.

Monica Ali questions a line in her novel Brick Lane.


Speaking about the exercise, she said: “A special kind of memory comes into play – how you were when such a phrase arrived, where you were: the way the light fell in the room … Sentences struggle and twist again under your hand. Things you might have said, and the various ways you might have said them, swim back into your consciousness.”

One of her comments, about Henry VIII, reads: “I don’t think he is a monster. Or rather, I don’t think that saying he is gets us much further. He often seems terrifyingly inconsistent and flawed, but there is no type of man or woman who is suited to the exercise of absolute power.”

This, said Wiltshire, is “exactly what you want from Hilary Mantel. Brilliant.”

John le Carré began annotating his 1963 cold war thriller The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, but died when he was 45 pages in. His bookmark is still in place at the point he reached.

Next to a description of a man being shot dead while trying to cross from east to west Berlin, le Carré – a former spy – writes: “I never saw such a shooting, if there was one. The most notorious shooting of an attempted frontier crosser at the wall was of Peter Fechter, who was allowed to bleed to death on the mined strip while trying to climb. It happened over days and nights in plain sight of western spectators.”

Wiltshire said: “His annotations are so typically Le Carré. For example, he says: ‘Many agents lie about their personal lives for fear of losing their salaries. They also babble to their mistress or the stranger on a train.’ I just love that.

“He also corrects himself in various places, because the language is that of 1963. He says he wouldn’t write such passages now.

“This first edition is a valuable book in itself, very collectible. To have these annotations, made soon before he died, is utterly poignant.”

On the opening page of Brick Lane, Monica Ali’s 2003 novel about the east London Bangladeshi community, the author writes: “Haven’t read BL in last 16 or 17 years. Sense of trepidation. Also curiosity.”

Thoughts on Atonement from Ian McEwan.


In more than 1,000 words of commentary spread over 79 pages of the book, Ali says she wrote the first chapter of Brick Lane while on a family holiday in the Lake District. “We had attended my grandfather’s funeral two days previously. The story had been brewing for around a year. After the funeral, I knew I had to write it.”

In Atonement, Ian McEwan’s acclaimed novel set in the 1930s and 40s, the author writes in the margin next to a description of a dinner at Cambridge: “The English class system! I see from this distance that I’ve given Robbie something of myself. Rose, my mother, left school at 14 and entered service as a chambermaid … Only later in life did I see in retrospect various slights and snobberies directed my way …”

McEwan had written “thousands of words in the margins”, said Wiltshire. “One of the things he’s done so well is to explain the psychology of these characters. He talks about how memory plays tricks on us, you know, and that of course is a central theme of the book.”

The annotations were a “big undertaking” for the authors, said Wiltshire. “It involves attentive rereading of a book, genuine reflections and thousands of words of text. It shows that the issues English PEN campaigns on are ones they really care about.”

Estimates for the works range from £1,000 to £20,000.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×