From George Dalton to Felix Schafer (29 January 1973)
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
Dear Mr. Schafer:
I apologize for my boorish silence. Partly it was the pressure of work; but also, my disinclination to hurt your feelings.
Your manuscript is very difficult and deals with very esoteric matters. The socialist accountancy literature is of historical importance, but Karl's articles of 1922 and 1924 have not yet appeared in English. F.A. Hayek's COLLECTIVIST ECONOMIC PLANNING (Routledge, 1935) did not translate them, although they are listed in his bibliography. So Karl's work on socialist accountancy is unknown to those who don't read German. Your comments on Karl's views really assume the reader knows the articles.
A second difficulty is that the themes you discuss - transparency of human relations, Marx, the essence of Fascism, The Great Transformation, anthropological writings, and others - are discussed so briefly, that I don't think they can be understood by anyone who has not already studied Karl's writings deeply.
Your manuscript sparkles beautifully towards the end, when you lovingly describe the human atmosphere in the Polanyi household. I implore you to write about such matters at greater length. You are in a very special position to do so. And these are much more important matters, really, then further exegesis on what Polanyi really meant, and how his later writings reflect ideas he had very early. There is already a great deal of exegesis and interpretation of Karli's writings: S.C. Humphreys article in History and Theory, and much else. What does not exist abundantly is precisely what you (and Ilona) are capable of providing: detailed information on Karl's early life and thoughts, and how he influence those around him. Please do consider writing a memoir about Polanyi the man and the teacher whom you knew as a young man in Vienna; a personal memoir rather than an analysis of his writings: who Karl's other students were; the excitement of intellectual exchange; the ferment of the 1920s in socialist circles when the Russian Revolution was so new.
I am deeply sorry that I cannot be more helpful. But I honestly don't think that your brief treatment of very difficult and very esoteric themes can be made into a coherent journal article.
Sincerely,
George Dalton
Letter Informations
| Lge | Name |
|---|---|
| FR | De George Dalton à Felix Schafer (29 Janvier 1973) |