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PL

Letter to Władysław Tatarkiewicz written 13.07.1967

Roman Ingarden
Rabka, Słoneczna 38

Rabka, 13 July 1967

 

                Dear Władysław,

                                              thank you for your letter. I see that the matter of your honorary Doctorate hasn’t reached a definitive conclusion yet. And while I believe it’s quite possible that Klimaszewski’s often away, I don’t think it’s impossible that your suppositions are not groundless. Something was said to me here about a story of some kind concerning an article about Tadeusz Dobrowolski which made a lot of noise in Cracow – not, of course, in the direction which should’ve been expected. I myself haven’t read the article and only now learned that it had appeared, so I can’t form an opinion. But does this have anything to do with postponing the promotion? Probably the fact that you were supposed to be promoted by an art historian.

                As for your trip to Berkeley, it’s a good thing that you’ll be lecturing there, though of course tiring. Is this a Ford Foundation event, or simply University of California? Apparently, there’s been a new series of Ford scholarships based on the Ministry’s list.

                Concerning the matter of the meeting of the International Committee for aesthetic Studies (?), I felt like writing to Michelis about it, along with the documents, but in view of the changes that have taken place in Greece, I’m afraid that a letter from Poland wouldn’t be convenient for him. The interesting thing is that I received a Greek journal of aesthetics from him, but with a Budapest postmark, although the stamps were Greek. Then I thought that maybe somebody brought it to Michelis in Budapest and it was only sent from there. However, I’d like the mysteriously-named Committee to know that you, I, and Ebbinghaus were all members of the international Committee of Congresses of Aesthetics, of which I have two kinds of proof at the moment, and as for you, I have in my hands a photocopy of the list of members on which your name can be found as well, albeit with a trivial mistake. I have no intention, though, of attempting to have my seat on the Committee restored; however, I’d be happy to see a letter apologising to me and you for this act of expelling us, without any grounds, from the Committee. Who would be supposed to write or sign this letter is another question; it should be done by not only Souriau but also other members of the current Committee.

                I’ll be staying here until the end of the month; I have to waste a lot of precious time writing a review of Graff’s dissertation (Morawski’s student). Basically, I’ve accepted it, but I’ve got numerous reservations.

                Apart from that, ten days ago, I took a fall here in some kind of hole in the pavement in Rabka and, while I didn’t actually break anything, I smashed my big toe quite badly, strained the fourth finger on my right hand (I’m typing now with two fingers, like a novice), and hit my knee so that it bled, not to mention various minor abrasions[O1]  of the skin in various places[O2] . The toe is still swollen, and when I put shoes on the leg swells up more, so I’m sitting at home in extra-wide slippers and, well … having fun with that review. Writing these reviews should be banned as a completely unnecessary waste of time for professors.

                I send cordial regards and wish you a good holiday. Probably at the end of August, if everything goes well, I’ll be in Warsaw to pick up my passport. Maybe we’ll see each other then.

                                                                                           Your

                                                                                                          Roman Ingarden

 

 

[O1]Oryg: starciach, chyba otarciach
[O2]Oryg: różnych miejsca, chyba różnych miejscach