259i. Wilhelm Schlegel to Georg Joachim Göschen in Leipzig: Jena, 26 April 1800 [*]
Jena, 26 April 1800
It has been a long time, my dear Göschen, since we greeted each other in person or even in writing. These brief lines are merely to alert you that I am looking forward to seeing you and speaking with you again soon. I will be coming to Leipzig next Monday week or a bit later — were I coming merely for pleasure, I would certainly choose a different time; as it is, several business matters make it impossible for me to avoid the cursed book fair. [1]
I made arrangements to have my gratitude expressed to you for the beautiful copy of Neubeck you sent to me, and would like to repeat that gratitude here as well. In vain have I waited for the right opportunity to return to you the first copy you sent — though I will certainly not neglect such now. [2]
You have perhaps already heard that my wife has been in bed seriously ill with nervous fever. It has been eight weeks now, and she is still extremely weak and has not at all fully recovered. [3] She sends her kindest regards to you and your family, all of whom I hope to find doing well. Stay well in the meantime.
Yours,
AWSchlegel
Since it may perhaps be some trouble to you to provide accommodations for me during this busy period, perhaps Herr Steinacker, who has already done me so many favors, can secure me a private logis. In any event, I will be able to find something appropriate, since the busiest part of the book fair will already have passed.
Notes
[*] Source: Karl Gödeke, “Kleine Mitteilungen: 12. Vier Briefe A. W. Schlegels an Göschen,” Weimarisches Jahrbuch für deutsche Sprache, Literatur und Kunst, ed. Hoffmann von Fallersleben and Oskar Schade, 4:1 (1856), 29–30. Back.
[1] Writing on Saturday, 26 April 1800, Wilhelm anticipates traveling to Leipzig on Monday, 5 May 1800, perhaps a little later. At this time, the Leipzig book fair commenced on the first Sunday after Easter; with Easter falling on 13 April in 1800, the fair would have begun on 20 April 1800 (Rudolf Koch and Fritz Kredel, Deutschland und angrenzende Gebiete [Leipzig 1937]):
[2] Valerius Wilhelm Neubeck, Die Gesundbrunnen. Ein Gedicht in vier Gesängen (Leipzig 1798). Göschen had published an octavo edition with German typeface and a special folio edition with Latin typeface, and may have sent Wilhelm another copy of the special edition (Caroline mentions that folio edition in her review). See Wilhelm’s letter to Göschen on 31 October 1798 (letter 207a) with note 3. Back.
[3] Illustration: Wiener Damenkalender zum Nutzen u. Vergnügen auf das Jahr 1801; Inhaltsverzeichnis deutscher Almanache, Theodor Springmann Stiftung:
Translation © 2014 Doug Stott