Letter from Józef Tischner written 28.04.1966

Author Józef Tischner

Category incoming correspondence

Archive Archive of Science PAN and PAU

Date of creation 28.04.1966

Reference code in archive K_III-26_D_76

Resource type letter

Subject matter personal issues, publication issues

Field philosophy

Tags #archive, #celebrations, #Edmund Husserl, #ethics, #ethics lectures, #Husserl Archives, #John Cantius, #Józef Tischner, #language problems, #lectures, #Martin Heidegger, #Maurice Merleau-Ponty, #passport, #passport office, #phenomenology, #procession, #Rabka, #reading, #relics, #religious celebrations, #seminar

Cracow, 28/4/1966

Honoured Professor,

Thank you very much for the news from Rabka. Well, I took the lectures on ethics from the prepared location immediately on Monday. I’m reading them at this moment in bits and I’m already on the second. I’m going to try to increase the pace to the point that I’ll have them behind me within the next two weeks. However, I am in quite serious trouble, because I don’t know whether I can say anything intelligent about them.
Tomorrow I intend to visit the passport office for the second time and submit a second passport application. Apparently there’s a chance I’ll get it. I’m afraid only that during the holidays in the Archives I’ll find the door locked. Hence the problem as to whether to possibly go immediately after receiving a passport, or wait until the holidays. Of course, the problem is hypothetical at the moment, because I don’t have the passport. And perhaps I won’t have it at all.
Here, a bit of a fever prevails over the celebrations of 8 May. Seminary professors are supposed to carry relics during the procession. These are supposed to include the relics of St John Cantius, apparently the head – but in sacral terms it’s all one, head or hand. Considered logically, this honourable function should be carried out by professor-prelates, at least, but they, in a completely incomprehensible manner, have managed to get themselves out of it. Therefore, it seems that this ‘honour’ will fall to me as well. I’m in serious trouble, because nobody wants to understand that I’m not made for it … Others have still other problems in connection with the celebrations, but for the seminary professors, nothing exists but this unfortunate head of the saint.
I’m also reading Heidegger, whom I mentioned to you. My impressions are similar to yours when reading Merleau-Ponty: there are entire chunks of Husserl’s ideas. Despite the linguistic problems, this reading is pulling me in deeper and deeper. Perhaps I’ll be able to write some kind of critical article.

I enclose very cordial greetings.
n Fr Józef Tischner