Letter to Ludwig Kugelmann, July 31, 1868

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 31 July 1868


First published in: Marx and Engels, Works, First Russian Edition, Vol. XXV, Moscow, 1934
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 43


ENGELS TO LUDWIG KUGELMANN

IN HANOVER

York, 31 July 1868

Dear Kugelmann,

This scrawl must be excused by the fact that I am on my way for a few days to bring my dear spouse[1] to the seaside resort at Bridlington (I bet you couldn't guess how this name is pronounced), and by the haste in which I send you the enclosed composition.[2] The business is splendid, that is, if it can be done and Kertbény is not bragging.[3] The enclosed scribble has been composed, as far as possible, in the spirit of the rag,[4] but it should possibly be made milder here and there. Marx thinks the title 'A German Socialist"[5] would be better, which would be very nice, if Monsieur Kertbény did not object; but this must be prevented above all, so I find your suggestion, being the 'milder' one, is better.[6]

Marx has, for the time being, kept your letter with him, and since it is already late today anyway, and everybody in the hotel is hurrying to bed, I shall have to answer it next week. I put Lupus' photogram aside for you some time ago; luckily it is still one of the old good prints; recently I had another 24 prints made, but in the meantime the negative had faded so much that they turned out very badly. As for me, a blood vessel burst in the conjunctiva of my left eye a fortnight ago, and left behind a red patch on the apple (south-west side) which has not yet vanished, and with which I would not like to be eternised. So you will just have to wait for a while.

N.B. There are two corrections, marked A and B, written here later; please insert them in the right place.[7] It would be desirable for Kertbény neither to know the author of the article, nor see the original handwriting.

So until next week.

Yours

F. E.

  1. ↑ Lydia Burns
  2. ↑ A reference to Kugelmann's letter to Engels of 26 July 1868, which stated that, according to Kertbény, Keil of Leipzig agreed to feature Marx's biography in Die Gartenlaube magazine. However, the biography written by Engels was not printed. In July 1869, Engels revised it for Die Zukunft newspaper, and it appeared in No. 185 under the heading 'Karl Marx' on 11 August 1869 (see present edition, Vol. 21).
  3. ↑ See this volume, p. 73.
  4. ↑ Die Gartenlaube. Illustrirtes Familienblatt
  5. ↑ See this volume, p. 76.
  6. ↑ In a letter to Engels of 26 July 1868 (see Note 106) Kugelmann suggested that Marx's biography be printed under the heading 'Ein deutscher National ökonom'.
  7. ↑ Ibid.