Berdjajews Briefe an Lieb 8
Letter 21
Clamart, 30. Nov. [1931]
Lieber Fedor Iwanowitsch!
Ich war sehr froh, von Ihnen
ein[en] Brief zu bekommen. Aber ich habe schreckliche Schwierigkeiten
gehabt Ihren Brief zu verstehen. Schreiben Sie mir bitte mit eine[r] Maschine.
Ich antworte auf alle Ihre Fragen.
Ich bin gewiss einverstanden,
daß deutsche Ausgabe mein[es] "Leontjeff" wird in Gotthelf Verlag
erschien [erscheinen]. Aber der Übersetzer muss in keinem Fall Walter sein. Das
beste wäre Dr. Hans Ruoff (München-Nymphenburg, Südliche Auffahrtsallee 8/1).
Aber was interessiert mich zuerst das ist die deutsche Übersetzung von meinem
letzten Buch "Von der Bestimmung des Menschen". Das beste und das
wichtigste von alles, was ich in meinem Leben geschrieben habe. Reichl schreibt
mir, daß er will sehr den Buch herausgeben, aber weiss noch nicht, ob es
möglich wird für ihn zu machen. Definitive Antwort kann er in Januar oder
Februar geben. Diese Frage ist für mich viel interessanter als die Übersetzung
von "Leontjeff". Mein letztes Buch ist noch gar nicht übersetzt. Ich
bin einverstanden daß Herr Reisner wird auch als Herausgeber von
"Or[ient] und Oc[cident]" gezeichnet. Die deutsche Übersetzung meines
Aufsatz[es] habe ich an Herrn Schütz geschickt. Gewiss könnte man ein[en]
Aufsatz über Eurasie von Savitzky oder N.Trubetzkoi geben in "Or[ient]
und Oc[cident]". Mit Florowsky werde ich über ein[en] neuen Artikel
sprechen. Es wird sehr gut, wenn Sie meine Rezension über Trotzky in "Or[ient]
und Oc[cident]" übersetzen. Aber dort ist eine schreckliche Druckfehler.
Ich werde mit [...] "Novy Put" über die Austauschung sprechen.
Mit meine[r] Gesundheit geht
es nicht sehr gut. Ich habe sehr starke Schmerzen in Händen und Füssen. Ich
freue mich sehr, Ihnen wieder in Paris zu sehen. Den "Tat"
habe ich nicht bekommen. Haben Sie nicht den Buch von M.Scheler über die
Soziologie der Erkenntnis? Wenn Sie haben, können Sie vielleicht mir den Buch
schicken.
Mit herzlichem Gruss
Ihr N.Berdjajew
Clamart, 30th of November [1931]
Dear Fjodor Iwanowitsch!
I have been very glad to get a letter from you. But I have had terrible
difficulties to understand your letter. Please write to me with a type-writer.
I’ll answer all of your questions.
I am certainly agreeable that the German edition of my book,
"Leontjeff", should be published by the Gotthelf-publishing house.
But the translator mustn’t be in any case Walter. (75) The best would be Dr.
Hans Ruoff (Munich-Nymphenburg, Südliche Auffahrtsallee 8/1). (76) But what
first of all is interesting for me is the German translation of my last book
"Destiny of Man". It is the best and most important of all that I
have written in my life. Reichl writes to me, that he would like to publish
this book, but he doesn’t know whether it will be possible for him to do so.
(77)
In January or February [1932] he will be able to give a definite answer.
This question is more interesting for me than the translation of the
"Leontjeff". (78) My last book isn’t still yet translated. I am in
agreement that Mr. Reisner will also be appointed editor of "Orient and
Occident". (79) The German translation of my article I have sent to Mr.
Schütz. (80) Certainly one could write an article on the "Eurasia" of
Savitzky or N.Trubetzkoj in "Orient and Occident". (81) With
Florowskij I will speak on a new article. (82) Its going to be very well if you
will translate my review about Trotzky in "Orient and Occident". But
there is a horrible mistake. I will speak with [...] "Novy Put" on
the exchange.
Concerning my health the things are not very well. I suffer from very
strong pains in hands and feet. I am very glad to meet you again in Paris. The
"Tat" I didn’t get. Don’t you have the book of M.Scheler on the
sociology of knowledge? (83) If you have it, perhaps you can send it to me.
Sincerely
your N.Berdjajew
Notes: Letter 21
(75) Berdjajew refers to Reinhold von Walter (1882-1962), lyric poet and
translator. Von Walter translated in 1927 "The meaning of the Creative
Act" and in 1930 "Freedom and the Spirit". During the
cooperation between author, publisher and translator a strong delay arose at
the translation of the second book, so that the publisher Oskar Siebeck (from
the publishing house in Tübingen/Germany) asked Berdjajew to remind the
dilatory R. v. Walter. Meanwhile Berdjajew reconsidered giving the untranslated
parts of the book to an other translator. In the letter of 12th of March 1930,
Siebeck related, that he asked the German philosopher Peter Wust/Cologne, who
was familiar with Berdjajew, to move v. Walter to send on the not yet arrived
parts of "Freedom and the Spirit". After the death of Berdjajew, v.
Walter again translated two books of Berdjajew (publishing house
Holle/Darmstadt): "Dream and Reality, An Essay in Autobiography"
(1953) and "Slavery and Freedom" (1954). Cf. Stefan G.Reichelt,
Nikolaj A.Berdjaev in Deutschland 1920-1950, Leipzig 1999, pp. 63-68.
(76) Hans Ruoff translated
L.Schestow, N.Berdjajew. Gnosis und Existenzphilosophie, in: Spekulation und
Offenbarung. Essays und kritische Betrachtungen (1963).
(77) In the publishing house O.Reichl, Darmstadt/Germany, were
announced: N.Berdjajew "The Meaning of History" (1925) and "The
End of our Time" (1927). And in this same O.Reichl-publishing house
appeared in 1927 the only book of S.Bulgakow in German "Die Tragödie der
Philosophie" ("The Tragedy of Philosophy").
(78) Cf. N.Berdjajew, Konstantin Leontjew, 1926 (in russian). See also:
F.Lieb, Konstantin Leontjew. "The Prophet of Rage without Hope", in:
Sophia and History, Zürich 1962, pp. 114-144.
(79) The Journal "Orient and Occident" appeared since no. 8
(1932) with inclusion of Erwin Reisner. Because of this notion we can assume,
that this letter was written in 1931.
(80) Paul Schütz (1891-1985), Protestant theologian and pastor. Together
with Schütz N.Berdjajew and F.Lieb he had founded and published in 1929 the
Journal "Orient and Occident" until no. 15 (1934) when P.Schütz
removed. In Germany the journal was prohibited in 1934 and since 1934 (no. 16)
F.Lieb was the only editor. Then he published the journal (no. 1-3, 1936) in
the Gotthelf-publishing house Bern (Switzerland). F.Lieb temporary translated
Berdjajew’s articles for the journal. Cf. also: Stefan G.Reichelt, Nikolaj
A.Berdjaev in Deutschland 1920-1950, Leipzig 1999, p.121.
(81) With the Eurasian question the no. 17 of "Orient and
Occident" (1934) was preoccupied. There also we can find a paper of
P.Savitzky "The Geographical and Geopolitical Foundations of the Eurasian
Question" (pp. 13-19). In the list of contents of "Orient and
Occident" no. 16 (1934) are announced further articles about the
"Eurasian Question" from Alexejew, Savitzky, Jakobson and Berdjajew.
(82) Cf. Georgij Florovskij, "The Crisis of German Idealism, in:
"Orient and Occident" no. 11 (1932), pp. 1-8, and no. 12 (1932), pp. 2-12.
(83) Berdjajew here asks F.Lieb to get the book of M.Scheler:
"Problems of the Sociology of Knowledge, of Cognition and of Labour"
(1926).
Letter 22
Clamart, den 2. Februar
[1932]
Lieber Fedor Iwanowitsch!
Ich habe eine Antwort von
Schor daß Lutz die Lage falsch dargestellt hat. Er hat die Herausgabe meines
Buches nie von der Bedingung abhängig gemacht, daß ihm das Übersetzungsrecht
aller russischen Ausgaben zukommen soll. Nach seinen Worten zu urteilen, hat er
nur auf einigen geringen Änderungen bestanden, – vor allem darauf, dass es
keine Verpflichtung sei, die Übersetzung des Buches eine Woche nach
Unterzeichnung des Vertrages vorzuweisen, – und darauf, dass ich einen
Vorschuss bekommen soll. Ich weiss nicht, wem ich mehr glauben soll. Jedenfalls
ist es unbedingt nötig, die Sache zu erledigen. Vielleicht schreiben Sie an
Lutz.
Ich erhielt einen Brief von
S.Frank. Er bittet, ihm dazu zu verhelfen im Gotthelf-Verlag sein neues
religiös-philosophisches Buch herauszugeben. Er hält es für die Frucht seiner
ganzen philosophischen Tätigkeit. Es wäre gut, ihm dazu zu verhelfen. Das hängt
ja mit dem von uns besprochenen Plan zusammen. Schreiben Sie Lutz auch darüber.
Wann beabsichtigen Sie, nach
Paris zu kommen?
Einen herzlichen Gruss von uns an Sie und Ihre Familie
Ihr N.Berdiaeff
Clamart, 2nd of February [1932]
Dear Fjodor Iwanowitsch!
I have gotten an answer from Schor. (84) He writes that Lutz has
misrepresented the situation. He never subjected in the publishing of my book
the fact that the rights of translation of all Russian issues will be due to
him. According to his statements, he only insisted upon a few small amendments,
– first of all upon this, that there is no duty to produce the translation of
the book one week after signing of the contract, and upon this that I will get
an advance. I don’t know whom I can trust more. Nevertheless it will be
absolutely necessary to bring the subject to an end. Perhaps you will write to
Lutz.
I received a letter from S.Frank. He asks to help him to publish in Gotthelf
publishing house his recent religious-philosophical book. (85) He thinks it to
be the fruit of his long philosophical activity. It would be well to help him.
It depends from the project that we discussed. Please write Lutz about this,
too.
When do you intend to come to Paris?
With best wishes to you and your family
your N.Berdiaeff
Notes: Letter 22
(84) Evsej D.Schor (1891-1974), philosopher, translator and musician.
Schor was born in Moscow as son of the pianist David Schor (1867-1942). After philosophical
studies in Freiburg/Germany with E.Husserl and G.Simmel he moved in 1935 to
Israel where he lived in Jerusalem until his death in 1974. From the 1920's he
was in familiar and literary contact with N.Berdjajew. The first translated
title by Schor was: "The Truth and Falsehood of Communism" [Original
title: "Russian Religious Psychology and Communistic Atheism"] (from
Put' no. 30 (1931), pp. 3-34, later published in the book: "Wahrheit und
Lüge des Kommunismus", Luzern/Switzerland 1934. The article was published
also in the first number of the French social-religious journal Esprit (cf.
Lowrie, A life of Nikolai Berdyaev, London 1960, p. 200). Then Schor translated
N.Berdjajew, "Die geistige Situation in der modernen Welt" ["The
Intellectual Situation of the Contemporary World"], published in:
"Tatwelt" 8 (1932), pp. 173-188. In 1932 Berdjajew delegated to
E.D.Schor the rights of translation of his works, so as to be not longer
dependent upon R. von Walter. Schor now got a major work to translate into
German: "Destiny of Man" (Bern 1935). There would follow: "Von
der Würde des Christentums und der Unwürde der Christen", Luzern 1936
("The Worth of Christianity and the Unworthiness of Christians", in:
"The Bourgeois Mind and Other Essays", London 1934.). Cf. Stefan
G.Reichelt, Nikolaj Berdjaev in Deutschland 1920-1950, Leipzig 1999, pp.
170-184.
(85) In this letter Berdjajew refers to Frank’s book, "The
Unfathomable" (English title: "The Unknowable", transl. by Boris
Jakim, Athens 1983. German translation: "Das Unergründliche", edit.
A. Haardt, Munich 1995). From the letter of S.Frank to F.Lieb (27th of February
1934) we hear, that Frank wrote of Berdjajew in general being already involved
in this: "I appealed immediately to Berdjajew and he wrote me that this
matter is in your hands. I would ask you for friendly intercession at Gotthelf
publishing house/Bern that publishes the "Series of Religious
Russians". (Source: Bequest F.Lieb, Basel University Library, Collection
of letters of S.Frank to F.Lieb, no. Aa 333, 26).