Abraham Karl - The complete correspondence of Sigmund Freud and Karl Abraham: 1907-1925: completed ed

ABBREVIATIONS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The spiritus rector of this work has been Cesare Sacerdoti, formerly of Karnac Books, who initiated this project and, despite serious difficulties, supported it throughout. I am deeply indebted to Andr Haynal in too many ways to be mentioned here; suffice it to say that without his help this project would not have been realized. My special thanks go to Caroline Schwarzacher and for much more than the translationin many respects this volume is a joint work by her and myself. Klara Majthnyi King has been indefatigable and conscientious. I gratefully acknowledge the support and assistance of my friends and colleagues Carlo Bonomi, Florence Borner, Eva Brabant, Bettina Decke, Judith Dupont, Norman Elrod, Michael Good, Bernhard Handlbauer, the late Peter Heller, Axel Hoffer, Peter Hoffer, Robert Kramer, Marina Leitner, Patrick Mahony, William McGuire, Mark Paterson, the late Helene Rank Veltfort, Alvaro Rey de Castro, Paul Ries, Paul Roazen, Thomas Roberts, Elisabeth Roudinesco, Sonu Shamdasani, Giorgio Simonetto, Maud Struchen, and Urban Zerfa.

E.F.

Erratum:

Due to a production error, an important amendment by Dr Falzeder was left out of the book:

As shown on the original holograph, the letter now numbered 130F and dated 3 July 1912 was dated 3.7.12 by Freud. However, this letter must, in fact, have been his answer to Abraham's letter of 25 February 1912 (now numbered 122A: busy practice, Eitingon, fetishism): cf. also Abraham's letter of 24 July 1912: Your last letter is already six weeks old. Letter 130F should therefore have been dated 3 March 1912, which would result in its being renumbered 123F (with Letters 123129 being renumbered accordingly).

Neither the editor nor the translator is responsible for this omission.

1919

349A

Berlin-Grnewald, Schleinitzstrasse 6
20 January 1919

Dear Professor,

First my congratulations on the good news you have had of your son Martin! Eitingon told me about it yesterday. We are deeply happy for all of you that this great worry has been lifted from you.

In your letter you notified me of the 4th volume of the Kleine Schriften. I waited to write so as to be able to confirm that the book had arrived, but it did not come until yesterday. I cannot but admire the sheer quantity that you have achieved in such times. I have begun at once to read the so far unpublished analysis, in the meantime thank you for the enjoyable hours you gave me yesterday evening, and I shall come back to it in the next letter.

Meanwhile I heard from Rank that the foundation of the Verlag has taken place. I heard a few more details from Reik this very day. You must excuse the fact that I have not yet got into touch with Hitschmann, nor have I sent in my Budapest paper. It is not usually my way to be careless about these things. I have not been well recently because of the stubborn bronchial and nasal catarrh that I brought back from East Prussia. I have now been treated for a week by Fliess, with very good results. Until a few days ago I had bad nights and was glad when I had finished my practice. I had to use the free time for resting. But I have now done the greater part of the paper and hope to complete it in two days. I should be grateful, dear Herr Professor, if you would inform Rank of it; I shall be writing to him in detail as soon as I am no longer so tired in the evenings.

Frulein Haas is leaving tomorrow with her nephew. She was a pillar of my practice for a long time. Her obsessional symptom has not disappeared, but in other respects she is better. The nephew has been to a large extent a success.

In Berlin we are apparently over the worst of the riots, and we are approaching the final external peace.In our furnished flat, in the middle of the most beautiful part of the garden city, we can bear it for the present, but are longing for a permanent home. The food situation here is naturally less favourable than in East Prussia, but has at any rate not deteriorated any more in the last few months. What does it look like where you are?

Liebermann too is now discharged from the army. Dr Bhm, who was in Munich up to now, is probably also settling in Berlin.

Most cordial greetings, also from my wife, for you and all your family!

Yours,

Karl Abraham

. Freud, 1918b [1914].

. Abraham, 1918[57].

. Felix Bhm [18811958], member of the IPA since 1913. He worked at the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute from 1920 to 1936 and became secretary of the German Psychoanalytical Society in 1931. His was instrumental in the aryanization of psychoanalysis during the Nazi regime.

350F

Vienna IX, Berggasse 19
5 February 1919

Dear Friend,

First, let me state that it is bitterly cold here in this room, and then let me add that I have heard with pleasure from various sources about your improved state of health and the arrival of your review. But I have nothing yet from E. Simmel; I have had no word from him, and you do not mention him in your letter either.

The preparations to set up the Verlag are progressing very well. Rank is really outstandingly competent and keen. The second issue of the Zeitschrift is almost completely in type, the first is on the way from Czechia, and paper has been bought. There is talk of Rank's going to Switzerland to meet Jones there and perhaps build up the organization a little further. while the storm lays waste to everything outside.

Activity in the societies here, in Budapest and in Holland, is lively. We hope the same will soon be true of yours in Berlin.

The last few weeks have brought me several new editions and translations, of which the most recent is the Leonardo. has appeared, and a Danish translation of the American lectures is assured.

I have been lingering not unintentionally on the bright side of things. Depicting the other side would take us too far afield. I am very busy, but. Of Martin, who is in Genoa, we have since had no news. In any case, he would not be missing any work here. I was recently visited by an American from Wilson's staff. He gave us confidence in the President.

I send my cordial greetings to you and your dear wife.

Yours,

Freud

. Reading uncertain; could also be a 4.

. Simmel, 1919a.

. On 10 February, in a circular letter, Pfister and Mira and Emil Oberholzer proposed the founding of a Swiss Society for Psychoanalysis. The organizational meeting took place on 21 March, the first meeting three days afterwards, with guest lectures by Jones, Rank, and Sachs on Psychoanalysis as an Intellectual Movement; affiliation with the IPA was also decided upon there.