Postcard from Edmund Husserl written 31.08.1931

Freiburg, 31.VIII.1931 [Postmark]

Dearest Friend,

            Once again, I am only sending you a postcard in response to your kind and welcomed letters to me and my wife!! And this, although we speak of you quite frequently and have such empathy for the grave disappointments you are enduring in life! But let me tell you about my position. I returned from my lecture tour, which exceeded all expectations regarding my phen[omenological] aspirations (and the success was not only external) so exhausted that I was only able to return to work slowly. However, after months of lost time,60 the new revision of Med[itations] was tremendously urgent. Having to think through everything to the last concrete detail, bringing the old investigations back to life, and enhancing the final arrangement systematically… dealing with such difficult topics is so much work, especially where a system of universal methodology and problems of philosophy applies. And all this at my age; of course, with the invigorating assistance of Dr. Fink. I do not actually have anything fundamentally new to say, but in total synopsis, there is so much enlightenment and it yields the last necessities for the course of the presentation, the method of presentation, which, in this case, is not a liter[ary] matter, but essentially belongs to a philosophy itself as its method of justification. In the Yearbook and the German situation, I cannot be so brief; hence, this will probably require a new book. Unfortunately, your assumptions have been confirmed. The translators of the Med[itations] often failed to understand the text. No wonder they got stuck. In the important fifth meditation, entire passages were replaced by a vague meaningless sentence and there are several mistakes. Unfortunately, the same applies to the English translation! The Yearbook will be published quite late, not before [the] second half of winter. It will probably be too extensive. I am going to try everything in my power to include your short essay,61 because it is very important to me that you are represented. Once you read the new Medit[ations] (German edition), all your concerns will disappear. Furthermore, an infinite field of highly fruitful, enlightening discoveries will open up to you, and all your previous research will remain of value to you. Well, keep working and stay positive. There is a reason for your existence. We need you. Best regards!

Sincerely yours, E. Husserl