Letter from Hans Cornelius written 22.11.1937

Author Hans Cornelius

Category foreign researchers, incoming correspondence

Archive Archive of Science PAN and PAU in Cracow

Date of creation 22.11.1937

Reference code in archive K_III-26_D_42

Resource type letter

Subject matter personal issues, publication issues

Field philosophy

Tags #acknowledgements, #books exchange, #books package, #didactic work, #difficulties with learning Polish, #gift, #Gräfelfing, #Hans Cornelius, #health problems, #Ingarden's works, #lack of time, #lectures, #Niemeyer publishing house, #philosophy students, #Polish learning, #practice material for Polish, #reading, #revolution, #Transcendental System, #Transcendentale Systematik, #young generation of philosophers

Gräfelfing, November 22, 1937

My dear friend,

n   I had hardly mailed my letter to you when the mail carrier delivered your gift sent to me from the Niemeyer publishing house on your behalf. A few days later, I received two smaller books from you which I will have to set aside for a while until I can find the time to read them. Although you kindly recommended them as practice material while I am trying to learn the Polish language, I am sorry to say that I haven’t really made any progress thus far and I am hoping to find a young Polish man or even better, a young Polish woman (!) who can teach me this beautiful yet difficult language. Otherwise, I fear that my efforts will most likely be futile. It is not that I didn’t try; I have made a great effort. Things are progressing very slowly, however, because I don’t have the right resources. Anyway, these issues are making me digress. As you may have noticed, I wasn’t going to write about these problems, and instead, I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for your sending me the books. I would also like to take the liberty to send you a small book which is probably not yet available in Poland as a sign of gratitude. I am going to mail it via media mail simultaneously. The book was written during the revolution and its printing had been delayed. Once you read it, you will probably sense the impact the revolution had on it. However, it does not contain a trace of epistemology! Hence, it is easy reading material.
n   I hope that you have completely overcome your illness by now and that you were able to resume your professional activities, which must be very satisfying for you considering that you are surrounded by many ambitious students who deeply care for philosophy. I was amazed when I noticed the large audience who had come to hear me speak in the auditorium back then. This leads me to believe that the young generation where you live makes a fertile ground for philosophy, which is unfortunately not the case in Germany. Sadly, I have forgotten the name of the young man who asked me to autograph his copy of the Transcendental System. I would appreciate if you could tell me his name when you get a chance, provided you recall who it was.
n   Today, I will not be able to write about philosophical matters. I did not have the necessary peace and quiet to focus on your work; therefore, I would like to postpone this discussion until a later letter. I have been dealing with utterly unphilosophical transactions and afflictions that prevent me temporarily from engaging in “better work”. Hopefully, this storm will pass soon, and I will be able to focus on the things that are more valuable to me. Well, I am going to end this letter, which is not very rich in substance, and send you my warmest regards and best wishes!

n n n n Sincerely yours,
n n n n n H.Cornelius