Letter to Tadeusz Kotarbiński written 29.05.1953

Author Roman Ingarden

Category outgoing correspondence, Polish researchers

Archive Połączone Biblioteki Warszawa

Date of creation 29.05.1953

Reference code in archive PB_U598.1,t.XIII

Resource type letter

Subject matter financial issues, publication issues

Field philosophy

Tags #advance payment, #BKF, #Cartesius, #City Library, #Committee, #conference, #contract, #Faculty of Logic, #fee, #financial issues, #financial problems, #Gdańsk, #Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, #Irena Krońska, #Izydora Dąmbska, #Library of Classics Committee, #Library of Classics of Philosophy, #mistake, #Principia Philosophiae, #publishing sheets #academic work, #René Descartes, #Tadeusz Kotarbiński, #translations, #translations of classics

Cracow, 29/5/1953

Most Honourable Rector!

Following the conference (i.e. yesterday), I wasn’t able to see you; I went to the Faculty of Logic, but you had already left. Therefore I’m writing these few words concerning Iza Dąmbska, about whom I spoke to you directly the day before yesterday, prior to the conference.

Dr. Dąmbska is at the City Library in Gdańsk part-time (which brings in 470 zlotys a month), enabling her to work on translations. Earlier (i.e. for the Leibniz translation), she received an advance, which enabled her to work normally. Now, in the contract for the Descartes Principia, she is to receive, in lieu of advances, certain amounts upon the delivery of the manuscript (as it seems, half after sending the whole, and the balance at some later date, or rather: 25% upon signing the contract, and afterwards in accordance with delivery of the manuscript). Well, to the extent I have understood Ms Dąmbska’s letter, these conditions would actually prevent her from undertaking the translation of Principia, since they do not ensure her continuity of income and she would have to return full-time to the Library, which again would make it extremely difficult to work on translations.

Yesterday I spoke about this with Ms Kronska. She told me that the current rules do not allow for a contract which includes authorisation to grant advances. I don’t know if anything can be done. In any case, I take the liberty of giving you this information (obtained from Ms Dąmska [sic][O1] ); maybe you can confer with the Secretary of the Committee on this issue. I believe that Ms Dąmbska is too good and reliable a translator for the Committee to lose; all in all, it has very few such translators. In any case, I needn’t write about this, as your opinion in this matter is certainly identical to mine. It is unfortunate that a mistake was made in the calculation of the extent of the Leibniz translation (reportedly 6 arkuszy[O2] ), so that it seems that Ms Dąmska [sic] will not receive the amount she had counted on when she signed the contract. However, that matter has not yet been clarified. As of yesterday Ms Kronska was rather of the opinion that Ms Dąmbska, on the basis of the contract, should still receive a certain amount.

I would be very grateful if you wouldn’t mind talking to Ms Kronska about the whole matter. She is certainly sympathetically inclined towards Ms Dąmbska and the successful settlement of the financial issues, but perhaps in your conversation with Ms Krońska, it will be possible to find a solution that would enable Ms Dąmbska to continue working for the Committee on terms that would allow her to devote sufficient time to this objective.

I attach expressions of true respect and regard and I regret that yesterday I had to leave your premises so early, but I absolutely had to be at my cousins’ home by 11 pm, because after that there is some trouble opening the gate.

Roman Ingarden

[O1]bląd ortograficzny w oryginalu?
[O2]należy dodać podpis o tym, że arkusz zawiera ok. 40 000 znaków.