Letters by pre-Smiths Morrissey set for auction

Letters written by a young Morrissey before he formed The Smiths are to go to auction where they are expected to sell for £22,000.

The archive of letters, written to Birmingham pen friend, Simon Pitt, who would go on to become the city's poet laureate, by the singer between the ages of 14 and 20, includes one in which Morrissey says "my ambition is to be a rock 'n' roll star or an actor, or a writer".

Another letter dated a number of weeks later adds: "I always said I was a genius, but nobody listened."

The letters, written between 1974 and 1979, are expected to fetch a combined £22,000 estimate when they go on sale in London.

They are being offered as separate lots in Before The Smiths: The Morrissey Letters, which will be held at Dawsons Auctioneers on 26 August.

The period documented in the letters was featured in the 2017 biopic England Is Mine, which follows the young singer, whose full name is Steven Morrissey, as he struggles to find his place before forming The Smiths with guitarist Johnny Marr in 1982.

In the letters, Morrissey also speaks about seeing The Sex Pistols at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall in June 1976, which he says changed his opinion on the band.

In the letter, he says: "As for the Pistols... they were pathetic. I take back all that I've said about the Pistols... They are just plain bad. Period."

He also speaks about meeting Patti Smith, along with Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan of the New York Dolls - the band whose UK fan club Morrissey was the president of.

Morrissey speaks of visiting New York punk club CBGB's and attempting to join The Clash, and becoming the vocalist with Manchester punk band The Nosebleeds - his first experience fronting a band.

In the letters, he says of his experience with the band: "I'm in showbusiness... I'll spring on this unsuspecting world yet...

"One thing I won't do is record for the sake of it... I'm all set for superstardom. But then, I've always been a star, haven't I?"

Morrissey also speaks about politics in the letters and his dreams of moving to America.

One letter following Margaret Thatcher's election as prime minister in 1979 reads: "Did you vote? Labour, I hope? God knows what tortures that miserable Thatcher has prepared for us woikin' class folk. I dread to fink."

The final letter sees Morrissey reveal he has joined a band in London who "have a recording contract and all that rubbish".

Peter Mason, auctioneer and senior valuer at Dawsons, said: "What struck me most was just how funny Morrissey is.

"Running through almost every letter is a wonderful sense of humour and genuine warmth that makes him an incredibly endearing character.

"Alongside the wit and unmistakable literary voice that would later become synonymous with Morrissey, the correspondence also captures Britain at a fascinating moment in its cultural history.

"Through his observations on punk, music, politics and everyday life, the letters offer a vivid snapshot of the changing British music scene and political landscape during the 1970s while documenting the emergence of a remarkable young talent long before the rest of the world knew his name."

With The Smiths, who were completed by Marr, bass player Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce, Morrissey was one of the pioneers of British indie rock in the 1980s.

They achieved three UK top 10 singles, and were best known for songs such as This Charming Man, Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, and How Soon Is Now?