Letter from Oskar Kokoschka to J.P. Hodin

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[Translation/transcription]

Villeneuve

27 December 1975

My dearest Pepi,

First of all, hearty new year's greetings to you and the beautyfull one. I sincerely wish that the year will be peaceful and productive, healthy and happy for you. After this winter of fog I also wish that my eyes will grow lighter so that I can immerse myself in your book, which needs to be read with care and attention. It has clearly been written with love and it deserves to be read with love. I must just be patient with the book, and you with me. I can already draw again. I've done loads of drawings already and I plan to do more. In the beautiful and (as it stands) complete catalogue of drawings that's just been published by Welz you can see everything I've done this year, in spite of the whole eye fiasco and, more importantly, the operation, which has restored me, though it did force me to rest for a while. I would so like to see you again soon! After all, at ninety years of age one is no longer so young and one doesn't have all that much time remaining. And how many real friends does one actually have at this grand old age! Happily the winter has begun, which can only mean that it will be over again soon and then perhaps I will come to see you in London unless you come to see us first. If you want to know what I'm thinking these days, get yourself a copy of the third volume of my essays, which were published by Christian in Hamburg recently. I'll stop now. My eyes are hurting. Stay healthy, be happy and don't forget about your loving OK

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