Familial affection and frustrations of a film star

Garbo, Greta, Swedish actress (1905-1990). 10 autograph letters.

€ 18,500.00

The great golden-era screen actress writes home in a collection of personal letters, in particular to her brother Sven and his wife Peg in Sweden. Informal and affectionate, Garbo does not sign off with her name but with "Kram" (hug), "Kram till er alla" (a hug to you all), or "Love". Although undated, the context places them during the Second World War and shortly after.

Garbo's reflections on the possibility of returning to the screen suggest a point after 1941, when her last film, 'Two-Faced Woman', appeared: "Jag har ju varit ifrån så länge, att jag inte kan tänka mig att stå för en kamera igen" ("I've been away so long that I can hardly imagine standing in front of a camera again"). Nonetheless, she could not escape her celebrity, and we see her express her frustration at some item of gossip printed in a newspaper, which her sister-in-law Peg (Ethel Marguerite Gustafsson, née Baltzer, wife of her brother Sven) had mentioned: "Har bara spelat tennis en gång med Hepburn och aldrig sett henne sedan! Hur katten det kan stå i tidningen förstår jag ej" ("I've only ever played tennis with Hepburn once and never seen her since! How on earth they can print that in the papers I've no idea").

Most of the content is personal, focused on everyday life and family affairs: Garbo sends money home, inquires after her family's health and tells them about her travels (mentioning a ten-day cruise around California with some friends). She also offers advice on the ordeal of finding an apartment in New York.

Garbo kept up a constant correspondence with her family, who remained her most important connection throughout her life. Her sister-in-law Peg, only three years older than Garbo, became one of her closest friends. These letters offer an insight into many sides of Garbo, from the movies to her personal life.