“Píšu Ti sice málo, ale často na Tebe myslím” [I don’t write to you often, but I often think of you]. About the Correspondence of Hugo (and Bibi) Cover Image
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„Píšu Ti sice málo, ale často na Tebe myslím“. Zur Korrespondenz von Hugo (sowie Bibi) Haas und Friedrich Torberg
“Píšu Ti sice málo, ale často na Tebe myslím” [I don’t write to you often, but I often think of you]. About the Correspondence of Hugo (and Bibi)

Author(s): Katja Kernjak
Subject(s): Literary Texts
Published by: AV ČR - Akademie věd České republiky - Slovanský ústav and Euroslavica

Summary/Abstract: The Austrian writer Friedrich Torberg and the Czech actor Hugo HAAS had most likely known each other already in the interwar period, since TORBERG had Czech ancestors and lived part of his youth in Prague, where HAAS had been building up his career as a stage and film actor. This contact intensified, when they met each other again in Paris, one of their first exile-stations, and later on in Portugal, where both were waiting for a chance to get to the United States. There they engaged in a small, but regular correspondence, since they lived mostly in different cities. This correspondence is kept now in the Austrian National Library. The article shows some of the most interesting topics which occur in the letters - people who were known to both of them and in what social environment they lived in during the exile. Surprisingly they hardly comment on their common European background and the situation at home in general. Much more they discuss their situation in the exile, mainly their troubles and worries about work. Both were – as an actor and writer – of course strongly dependent on their languages and had now to adapt to new and foreign-language surroundings. The correspondence shows that TORBERG was much more realistic concerning the chances of success or even of earning enough money to survive, whereas HAAS had first to accustom himself to the new position of an unknown and mostly also unneeded actor. Nonetheless both succeeded in finding work and consolation. The article shows also that they tried to help each other whenever possible. It describes the attempt of Torberg to arrange for Haas the leading part in a play by his friend Franz WERFEL – “Jakobowsky and the Colonel” – which in the end sadly failed. A very interesting topic is the language itself – it was for both of them as already mentioned important; for their work, but also personally. HAAS was a Czech patriot and insisted in speaking Czech whenever possible. He did this in an at times almost exaggerated manner, which highly annoyed TORBERG who saw in this attitude an inclination to nationalism. This led – among other things – almost to an end of their friendship. The article concludes with examples of the always present and special humour which characterizes both TORBERG and HAAS – and which they didn’t lose even in hard times.

  • Issue Year: XXIV/2013
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 35-54
  • Page Count: 20
  • Language: German