Letter to Wilhelm Bracke, August 8, 1877

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 8 August 1877


First published, in Russian, in Marx-Engels Archives, Vol. I (VI), Moscow, 1932
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 45


MARX TO WILHELM BRACKE

IN BRUNSWICK

London, 8 August 1877

Dear Bracke,

Your letter received. I leave today.[1] You will be getting a letter from me in a few days' time (perhaps even in two) directed to Ems poste restante.

[2]

Engels cannot be of service to you; he is at a seaside resort and will shortly be moving on, possibly to Jersey or the Isle of Man or elsewhere.[3] Such little time for work as he has at his disposal is, moreover,— under present circumstances—wholly spoken for.

As regards B. Becker, I must say that I am totally opposed to his being entrusted in any way with Lissagaray's work.[4] In Paris he abused me and Engels—not to speak of yourself—in no uncertain terms and now in London (where he has been for the past two months) has taken great care to keep out of my sight. His fury—as I had already heard from Paris—was due solely to your publishing Lissagaray's work! His insults and intrigues are a matter of complete indifference to me, but I cannot under any circumstances permit this individual to be mixed up in anything that has to do with Lissagaray.

As for Isolde,[5] she seems to know more about extortion than translation.

Yours,

K. M.

  1. ↑ Marx, accompanied by his wife and daughter Eleanor, took a course of treatment in Neuenahr (Germany) from 8 August 1877 and returned to London about 27 September.
  2. ↑ * stock of money
  3. ↑ Engels was in Ramsgate at the time (see Note 289), and between 5 and 21 September 1877, he and his wife were on holiday in Scotland.
  4. ↑ Considering it very important to familiarise workers with the true history of the Paris Commune, Marx became actively involved in the commissioning of a German translation of a book written by one of its members, Prosper Olivier Lissagaray, Histoire de la Commune de 1871. He requested Wilhelm Bracke, and Engels asked Wilhelm Bios to find somebody to do the job. The sample translation done by Julius Grunzig failed to satisfy Marx, as did that by Isolde Kurz. Although Marx was already overburdened with work, he had to spend a great deal of time and effort editing the translation. In the autumn of 1877, on Marx's and Engels' proposal, Wilhelm Bios was recruited as another editor. Lissagaray's book appeared in German in Brunswick late in 1877.— 155, 172, 189, 196, 222, 230, 262, 266, 285
  5. ↑ Isolde Kurz