Letter from Jan Maria Bocheński written 24.04.1957
I.M.Bochenski, O.P.
l, Pl. G. Python (Albertinum)
Fribourg
Tel. : personal: (037) 2-28-02
c home: (037) 2-18-02
Dean of the Fac. Of Phil. : (037) 2-69-15
Un. Office : (037) 2-45-65 c 4/24/1957
Monsieur c c c c c c Subject: Visit in Switzerland.
Roman Ingarden c c In reply to letter from: 4/21/1957
Professeur à l’ Université c c Klas. : SP/I
c/o M. A. Béra
Directeur du Cercle Culturel
Asnières-sur-Oise
Seine-et-Oise, France
Honorable Professor,
c I have only received your letter tonight and I am replying right away to the key points.
c 1. Presentations are recognized. Freiburg Philosophical Society will provide you CHF 90, and the Faculty probably more. What Basel gives, I do not know, but they asked me if they have to cover the cost of travel from Poland (adding that it would be too much), so I believe that they will certainly contribute something. Expenses in Switzerland, including the tickets, will hence certainly be covered. The commute expenses can be found below:
Basel – Zurich: I: 13.10 II: 9.40
Zurich – Freiburg: 22.30 16.60
Freiburg – Basel: 20.50 14.60
The planned commute in total: 55.90 40.60 Swiss Francs (= 4.26 ½ for USD 1).
I would also be very happy if Professor would agree to be my guest in Freiburg.
c 2. Establishing the date of your lecture will be very difficult. On May 3rd, before you get here, prof. M. F. Sciacca of Genoa whose visit was announced a while back (at the faculty and in the Society) will be here – hence this day will not be possible. May 4th is a Saturday, and 5th is a Sunday – two days on which we do not hold any presentations, because neither professors nor students are around in the evening. So the only option, if it turns out to suitable for you, would be Monday, May 7th, at the earliest. I would be very much obliged if you could let me know as soon as possible whether this date (or a later one) is acceptable. I will try to get an earlier date for you in Basel (my call failed to go through and Salmony, PhD, is only supposed to call me tonight).
c 3. Even if these dates do not suit you, I would be grateful for a chance to meet you. This would not only be beneficial to me; I know that you have some business with A. Francke AG, Bern (Lang, PhD) – and prof. Regamey, my local colleague, upon leaving (for Ceylon) left me a copy of “Das literarische Kunstwerk” and other materials to hand to Professor. In case you accept my invitation, I would cover the costs of travel from Basel or Zurich; possibly I would come to Bern to get Professor. So much in case you cannot give a presentation here.
c 4. I do not know what result my initiative in Zurich had. Ms. Magdalena Aebi, PhD, the secretary of the Philosophical Soc. (144 Zürichbergstrasse tel. (051) 32-67-08) called me tonight to say that she would try to meet with Professor and arrange a meeting of the Society for you. I do not know if she will succeed, but I allow myself to provide the above address just in case, because (regardless of any lectures) Professor might need information in Zurich – and Ms. Aebi would be happy to help you. Ms. Aebi is a highly valued colleague, she wrote a thick book on Kant, and her tiny room in the suburbs of Zurich is a meeting spot for many Swiss and foreign thinkers.
c 5. And here are the timetables:
a) Paris-Freiburg
Paris – Lyon dep. 8.1o 18.25 19.54 23.o4
Lausanne arr. 15.25 24.oo 2.54 7.o1
x dep. 15.48 2.o2 5.17 7.50
Freiburg arr. 16.42 3.o4 6.o4 7.54
Paris – Est dep. 7.54 12.o5 Paris-Lyon dep. 8.10 23.o4
Bern arr. 14.3o 21.28 Bern arr. 16.24 7.51
Bern dep. 15.19 21.44 Bern dep. 17.53 8.02
Freiburg arr. 16.o6 22.27 Freiburg arr. 18.15 8.48
b) Paris – Basel – Zurich – (Freiburg)
Paris-Est dep. 7.54 12.o5 18.20 22.oo 22.10
20.25
Basel arr. 13.15 19.55 23.15 5.20 6.10
Basel dep. 14.19 21.55 23.3o 5.55*) 7.00
Zurich arr. 15.46 23.15 0.29 7.14 8.17 *)End!
Basel dep. 14.23 20.55 0.25 6.14 6.48
Bern arr. 16.oo 22.45 2.21 7.43 8.34
Bern dep. 16.13 22.53 2.46 6.44 8.47
Freiburg arr. 16.37 23.32 3.13 7.o6 9.1o
c) Zurich – Freiburg and back
Zurich dep. 7.o6 7.25 11.29 14.25 15.39 17.35 18.3o 19.4o
Bern arr. 8.43 9.36 13.36 16.o7 17.43 19.10 20.57 21.14
Bern dep. 8.47 9.47 13.46 16.13 17.53 19.27 21.18 21.18
Freiburg arr. 9.1o 10.1o 14.11 16.37 18.15 19.49 21.4o 21.4o
* * * * *
c v (* = direct Zurich – Freiburg)
Freiburg dep. 7.56 8.55 10.50 12.49 14.53 16.44 18.52 20.o6
Zurich arr. 10.54 11.34 13.22 15.32 17.o2 19.22 21.14 23.o6
c All trains stop in Bern. The Freiburg – Bern commute takes 22-24 minutes.
c c I send my deepest respect and look forward to seeing you soon
J Bocheński
Salmony, PhD, has just called me to say that, unfortunately, he needs three weeks to organize the lecture, so a lot of what I have mentioned above is no longer valid. My deepest regrets.
c I would like to add that, as far as I remember, the Faculty chose aesthetics as the topic! I could not get in touch with the dean tonight – and I am in a hurry to send this letter.