Letter from Ludwig Landgrebe written 26.10.1957

Author Ludwig Landgrebe

Category foreign researchers, incoming correspondence

Archive Archive of Science PAN and PAU in Cracow

Date of creation 26.10.1957

Related places Warsaw

Reference code in archive K_III-26_D_27

Resource type letter

Subject matter personal issues, publication isssues

Field phenomenology, philosophy

Tags #? Nijhoff, #academic journals, #academic life, #academic publications, #archive, #Bergisch Gladbach, #book on the world’s problem, #books exchange, #books package, #Editorial Committee, #Edmund Husserl, #financial problems, #financial support, #foreign policy, #German publisher, #Herman van Breda, #Husserl Archive, #Husserl Archives, #Husserl students, #idealism, #idealism of phenomenology, #Ingarden's works, #Krefeld, #lack of time, #Ludwig Landgrebe, #Martin Heidegger, #misunderstanding, #Phänomenologica, #phenomenological literature, #phenomenology, #Poland visit, #Polish hospitability, #Polish-German relations, #publishing house, #publishing problems, #reading, #realistic position, #Warsaw

Professor Dr. L. Landgrebe n Berg Gladbach, October 26, 1957
Berg.-Gladbach near Cologne
Richard Zandersstr. 47
Phone: 6229

n Dear Mr. Ingarden,

n I would like to thank you for your letter dated September 9, before the semester and the consistent lack of time commence. I would be delighted if the books that I am sending you would prove useful for you, and I hope that I will be able to send you something from the Husserl Archive in the near future. When you have time, please let me know what new phenomenological literature you need most urgently. Thank you very much for offering to send me one of your Polish books. Unfortunately, it would be of little benefit to me, because I don’t speak a single word of Polish.
n I am sorry to hear that Nijhoff [sic] does not want to publish your book on the world’s problem. However, I do not think that the reason for him declining to print the book is related to the rejection of your realistic position because it is certainly not the case that everyone identifies with the idealism of phenomenology – not even Van Breda. Rather, I believe that it has to do with the large scale of your work and the fear that there is only a limited circle of buyers. Unfortunately, I am not able to recommend a German publisher for your work. They do not have enough capital to take on the risk of such large-scale work, and, unless your name is Heidegger, it is quite impossible for the rest of us to publish large scientific works without having to contribute a large amount of the costs for printing the book.
n Regarding the composition of the editorial committee of the Phenomenologica, I believe that there is a misunderstanding. When Van Breda sent out invitations to us in Krefeld to discuss this project, he merely intended to hear the opinions of former students of Husserl without the intention of having the attendees join the editorial committee. At least this is how I understood it. The question of who should and who shouldn’t be on the committee would have been very difficult to determine. There would have definitely been hurt feelings unless one would have applied a purely formal criterion in doing so. And this has now been done by nominating the directors of the five Husserl Archives.
n I often reminisce about the beautiful days in Warsaw and the excellent hospitability we enjoyed in your country. I certainly hope that this relationship will be strengthened soon. The current path of our foreign policy, which remains a passive wait and see policy concerning our eastern neighbors, is currently rather unfavorable; a fact that many of us regret.

n n Sincerely yours,
n n n n L. Landgrebe