View source for From Ilona Duczyńska to Felix Schafer (15 February 1973)

{{Page |n°=80}} My dear wawi,

Forgive me for only writing now. The "final spurt" with my book is a reason The other is a certain headache over your manuscript. I got it and Kari and I were lying in it. Of course, I'm only responsible for form and expression, so it's already clear to me that such an incredibly "German", i.e., systematizing and formal method of treatment has no chance. Dalton writes that in such brevity one cannot treat things that are unknown to the English-speaking reader, since they have never been published in English. Here I have the remorse, because I was pushing for brevity. Of course, what I mean is to give back <u>the essence</u> shortly. In free formulation, certainly not hanging on the systematics. (If I were not so convinced that writing is a darned difficult profession and if I had not rewritten e.g. my first chapter of 50 pages four times and the second one twice, I would not dare to come pressed with these wisdoms. The greatest rarity is that something written is "sitting" at first. In Karl's posthumous writings we often find 7, 8, 9, 12 versions... he exaggerated that too. Your manuscript is a vast synopsis of something that isn't "written". In fact, no one can do that instead of you, not even Kari. So much for "form"; for "content" I am ha, as a non-economist I am not responsible, but would like to say that here the two responsible persons are far apart. Dalton thinks, what interest is there in what Karl Polanyi thought in Vienna in the twenties? That is a very poor view to take on the history of ideas, be they economic or not.

{{Page |n°=81}} I'm trying to give you back what Kari said. A great person like K.P. has only a very limited number of basic ideas. They vary, but they come from one and the same "matrix" (as Karl would have said); and making variations on them is essential and will be tried many times. Many will write about them and each in his own way. She is all for really writing and publishing your work. I fully agree with her.

A small critical remark on my part about the "tone". It is noticeable that where Karl refers to Marx, or where his deep-rooted socialist convictions should be expressed, you take an apologetic tone. Why? Because of the fucking Americans? Something like treading water would certainly not be a happy contribution to Karl's "image".

But now for something that seems very important to me. Dalton was deeply impressed with the last personal pages of your writing. He didn't know that your memoir about Karl existed -- everyone, without exception, everyone who read it was delighted with it. I propose that it be published in a shortened English version (which I would like to make and give to you for your review) under your name as part of the broad biography which I am to produce with the help of other friends (such as Kenneth Muir in England about the time of the Christian Left). There the different stages of life, which also had their own character in thought -- Budapest with the Galilei Circle, Vienna, with D'Orsaygasse, Volkswirt, the House of People (Volksheim), Vorgartenstrasse, London with Christian Left, Pickering with the old age and his efforts all appear. It is meant for the volume "The Social Philosophy of Karl Polanyi, 1908-1964, which then is to contain the selected {{Page |n°=82}} partly unpublished, partly forgotten, partly posthumous writings, and a study by Karl, who takes over the editing. The known writings and the time of Columbia University of the picture to be what is available anyway.

The article - and other material, fragments, letters etc. have been lying around for a long time. But it needs translation - and editing work.

I hope to have gotten rid of the protection bundle in a few months and I also have a quite good qualification for publication with a very nice publisher. So that Kari and I hope to approach this beautiful work already in late spring or early summer. We can only do it together, if only because of the trilingualism of the texts and because it is primarily Kari's "pigeon".

Plans: Back to Pickering these days. A month there. Hope to visit Europe at the end of March until the end of April, mainly for publishing. Then again Pickering and Montreal for a good few months. - Your manuscript is with Kari. Her address for all is: Professor Kari Levitt, Department of Economics, McGill University, Montreal, Que. Canada.

I hug you.
 
== Letter Informations ==
'''Original Publication''': [[Von Ilona Duczyńska bis Felix Schafer (15. Februar 1973)]]<br />
'''[[Karl Polanyi Archives (KPI Classification)|KPA]]''': [[58/11]], 80-82<br />
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