Woody Guthrie, as Army Private, Handwritten Letter About Life on a Nevada Airfield

Autograph Letter Signed, "Pvt. Woody Guthrie / 42234634", 4pp, on the recto and verso of two sheets of 3-hole punched lined notebook paper measuring 8.5" x 11" and bound with a single staple in the upper left corner. Written entirely in verse form from Las Vegas, Nevada, December 8, 1945. From the estate of Charlotte Strauss, whose revealing and often passionate correspondence with Guthrie began in 1945, intensified as he completed his tour with the Army, and continued over several years. Overall fine condition.

In this exceptional letter to longtime intimate correspondent Charlotte Strauss, Guthrie tells a tale only he could unfold: a saga of ordinary life on an army base that is by turn wonderfully humorous, deadpan, epic and moving as he searches for a way to answer the call for “some writing on my mind...Caused by fights in your head you must get out, Caused by some several visions whirling there, Of dreams you see and know and ones you doubt.” Guthrie tells Strauss of his recent wedding to Marjorie Mazia, and of life in the Nevada desert where the “sun drains heavy on my pen” and the “mail gets pitched and tossed”, of times where he “watched a thousand roads burn ink into fears, And waded pictures scattered through my head, That seemed to stand for all the waking years...None of it took a shape like battle lines, None of it took a form like picket lines, None of it sounded like a word I heard, None of it like a homestead in my mind.”

Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (1912-1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired several generations both politically and musically with songs such as "This Land Is Your Land", written in response to the American exceptionalist song "God Bless America". Guthrie wrote hundreds of country, folk, and children's songs, along with ballads and improvised works. Many of his recorded songs are archived in the Library of Congress.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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