Letter to Paul Lafargue, November 18, 1889

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 18 November 1889


First published in French in F. Engels, P. et L. Lafargue, Correspondance, t. II, Paris, 1956
First published in English in Frederick Engels, Paul and Laura Lafargue, Correspondence, 1887-1890, Vol. 2, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, 1960
Published in English in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 48


ENGELS TO PAUL LAFARGUE[1]

AT LE PERREUX

London, 18 November 1889

My dear Lafargue,

Herewith cheque for £20. If the editors of your newspapers do not understand foreign languages, it would be sensible for them to send out their papers, with- out the others (the foreigners) having to reciprocate with what is, for the French, incomprehensible gibberish. But I can't see that this would be any reason for the French not to send their papers to people who can read them and who are more than willing to make use of them in the interests of the French Party.

The Pumpses are still here and it is hoped that things will be settled today.

Last night I read Laura's translation of the Sénateur[2] to some friends. Everyone was delighted. That ought to be printed, Aveling said—But where? I asked—in the Pall Mall Gazette—whereupon Aveling's face assumed almost unlimited vertical dimensions.

Suppose Laura was to set about translating some of Heine's stuff— next time she comes over here she could go to the British Museum, compare the translations that have already appeared, and choose some different piece—it might be possible to do something with it over here. Heine is fashionable at the moment and the translations are so British!

Give Laura a kiss from Nim and myself—Nim is pretty fit.

Yours ever,

F. E.

  1. ↑ This letter was first published in English in Frederick Engels, Paul and Laura Lafargue. Correspondence. 1887-1890, Vol. 2, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, 1960.
  2. ↑ Beranger, La Sénateur (see this volume, p. 408)