Literature and Literary Activism

“Storytelling and oral tradition, was, when I was growing up, a strong part of how things were passed on. That’s what made me want to tell stories. It was a kind of gift. A moment where children and adults could interact in a free way.”

Kathryn Court, President and Publisher of Penguin Classics fell in love with the library on her first visit to New York in the early seventies. “It left a very strong impression on me, partly because the building was so beautiful, but more importantly because it was a truly democratic institution, open to anyone who wanted to read, to study, to write.”

“Sixty percent of your body is electronic now. I don’t know how you can exist without dada. I can’t,” Andrei Codrescu said in the signature wry tone that continues to delight NPR listeners.

This is not just any collection of first editions. First Editions/ Second Thoughts (FEST), hosted by Christie’s Auction House on December 2nd, was conceived to raise funds for PEN American Center, the world-renowned organization that defends imprisoned writers and celebrates literature. The second initiative of its kind, the original First Editions/ Second Thoughts launched in 2013 to benefit English PEN through rare book sales at Sothebys and raised $690K, including a healthy $230K sale of Harry Potter.