Almost a year after her passing, an extensive collection of Joan Didion’s belongings are being sold by the auction house Stair in New York for charity. Taking place on 16 November, for anyone interested, or, more likely, keen to window shop the great American essayist’s enviable collection of poetry books, Céline sunglasses and Le Creuset pots and pans, you can preview the items online (and submit early bids, should you have a few thousand at your disposal).
Considered one of the most important writers of the 20th century, Joan’s work examined her early life in California, such as in Slouching Towards Bethlehem, and her later life in New York, and the death of her only daughter, in collections like Blue Nights and The Year of Magical Thinking. Some of the items on offer in this sale include excerpts from this illustrious archive, including first edition copies of her books, collections of photo books by her friend (and collaborator) Robert Mapplethorpe, as well as the work of Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell.
Her coveted art collection is also up for grabs. Work from architect Richard Serra makes an appearance, as well as paintings by Richard Diebenkorn, and photography by Patti Smith. There are also a number of portraits drawn and photographed by friends and admirers of Joan Didion, from Brigitte Lacombe and Annie Leibovitz to Les Johnson.
Then, of course, there are the more rogue offerings, like her set of Le Creuset pans and silverware. For the real fashion heads, there’s even a pair of Céline sunglasses, similar to the black frames worn by Joan in her much-adored campaign for the brand in the Phoebe Philo era. But perhaps the biggest flex would be to own a typewriter or a desk upon which Joan may have written some of her iconic work.
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Colin Stair, the auction house’s president, wrote in a statement: “We are thrilled to be offering property from the collection of Joan Didion at auction. It is an honor to be in the home where one of America’s great writers lived and worked, and to curate a sale of her fine art and personal property.”
Proceeds from the sale will go to one of two organisations: Columbia University, specifically to the department overseeing Parkinson’s care and research, the disease Joan had at the time of her death; and to the Sacramento Historical Society, who help fund Sacramento City College scholarship for women in literature — an ode to Joan’s hometown.
You can see all of the listings here.