Letter 275c

275c. Wilhelm Schlegel to Friedrich Vieweg in Braunschweig: Braunschweig, November 1800 [*]

[Braunschweig, November 1800]

Although I was intending to pay you and Madam Vieweg a visit this afternoon, this frightful weather makes it impossible. My wife is unfortunately still no better, and her only distraction is reading. [1] She would very much like to have the last two volumes of Tieck’s translation of Don Quixote, that is, volumes 3 and 4. [2] If we cannot otherwise get them from a bookstore, then we would also like to keep them, since although I will indeed be receiving them from Tieck, I can use them for a friend. I would also like to remind you of the proofs of the novellas of Soltau that have been thus far printed and which you promised. [3]

Let me ask your pardon for so often burdening you with our reading requests. —

My own yet outstanding bit of fun is in the meantime making progress, and if you ever have a free hour or two, I would be glad to read to you aloud from it. [4] I send my kind regards.

Yours,
A. W. Schlegel

Notes

[*] Source: Josef Körner (1930), 1:122. Back.

[1] Friedrich Schlegel writes similarly to Wilhelm from Jena on 5 December 1800 (Walzel, 449; KFSA 25:207: “I am very sorry to hear that Caroline’s health is not improving. Does she have a good physician there?” Back.

[2] Leben und Thaten des scharfsinnigen Edlen Don Quixote von la Mancha, trans. Ludwig Tieck, 4 vols. (Unger: Berlin, 1799–1801); volume 1 (1799) had been reviewed by Wilhelm Schlegel in the Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung (1799) 230 (Saturday, 20 July 1799) 177–83 (Sämmtliche Werke 11:408–26), and by Friedrich Schlegel in Athenaeum (1799) 324–27. Here several frontispieces from the edition Vienna 1817–18 (the first edition had no illustrations):

Tieck_Quixote_1

Tieck_Quixote_2

Tieck_Quixote_3

Back.

[3] Vieweg was publishing Dietrich Wilhelm Soltau’s translations of the novellas of Cervantes, Lehrreiche Erzählungen (Braunschweig 1801). See supplementary appendix 280.2. Back.

[4] Vieweg would publish Wilhelm’s Ehrenpforte und Triumphbogen für den Theater-Präsidenten von Kotzebue bei seiner gehofften Rückkehr in’s Vaterland. Mit Musik. Gedruckt zu Anfange des neuen (Braunschweig 1801), in mid-December, though anonymously and without any date or place indicated. Concerning the background and disposition of this piece, see the introduction to Wilhelm’s Kotzebuade, as it was known. Back.

Translation © 2014 Doug Stott