1931 A. A. MILNE. Rare Autograph Letter Discussing the Place of Imagination in Eternal Life.

A very scarce A. A. Milne letter with fascinating content connecting his ideas about creativity and the afterlife.  

Milne (1882-1956), of course best remembered for his Winnie the Pooh series, was always shy about discussing his religious views. Shy of two brief mentions of God in poems and one rather famous quotation about the challenges of the Old Testament, we find very few indications of his internal religious and philosophical dialogue either in printed works or in private communication. 

The present 1pg ALS dating to July 25, 1931 is a rare exception then, and highly suggestive in content.  

Addressed to Mrs. Hart, who has requested an autograph from Milne, and from Christopher Robin Milne, Milne's 10 year old son and source of the Pooh-ian character of the same name. 

Milne writes whimsically: “Certainly I will; but Christopher Robin, no.  C.R. Milne is just a small boy at school, who doesn’t.  In the next world, where (I hope) we shall meet all the characters in fiction whom we have loved, I shall ask Mr. Micawber for his, and if you should then approach Christopher Robin and Pooh for theirs, I shall be very proud. 

We go to our cottage in the country next week, and if you are in England for any time and could drive down one day for lunch or tea, we could show you a pretty garden.  We are in Sussex, an hour and a half from London. 

Yours sincerely A.A. Milne”. 

Mr. Micawber is a reference to the character, Wilkins Micawber, in Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield. The character had a firm belief that "something would turn up," and the word, "Micawber" has long been used to describe someone with an uncharacteristically optimistic bent.  The sense that something good was afoot seems appropriate to Milne and perhaps informs his fanciful [though engaged seriously by some theologians] suggestion that imagination plays a roll in populating Heaven. 

It should be noted that exploration of the idea was not required by the autograph request, which, to my mind, makes the impromptu, albeit brief, discourse on the subject all the more interesting. 

The letter is in fine condition with mailing folds and on Milne's stationery. A lovely and content-rich one page framing example. 

First editions of Milne can fetch tens of thousands of dollars and letters with exceptional content upwards of $10,000.00. An excellent, affordable item.