Heine, Heinrich

informing him that Dr. Sichel has restored his sight for the time being, describing the stabbing pain in his pupils, explaining that he has asked Herr Wanner to forward any post he has received for him, asking Venedey to remind him of his current address ("Cité Bergère N.^o 3"), describing some criticism he received in the Abendzeitung in an article by the 'learned and honest Traxel', adding with amusement that Traxel also described Börne as having two adjutants, Kollof and Venedey, who both occupy themselves with writing, and noting that the last word in Traxel's article was printed in exceptionally large letters

...Ich glaube, liebster Venedey, daß Ihnen die Nachricht von der glückliche Herstellung meiner Augen Vergnügen machen wird. Dr. Sichel hat mich vor der Hand wieder hellsehend gemacht; nur leiden die Pupillen noch an stechenden Schmerzen, welches aber nur Schwäche ist...Der gelehrte und redliche Traxel hat wieder in der Abendzeitung einen Artikel geschrieben, worin er mich von oben bis unten éclabousirt; auch Ihrer gedenke er und sagt daß Börne zwey Adjudanten gehabt, die Herren Kollof u. Venedey welche beiden sich auch mit Schriftstellerey befassen...



1 page, 4to, integral autograph address panel, seal tear to integral, nineteenth-century wrappers, Paris, 18 September 1837, light spotting, some later pencil annotations, browning and a few small stains to verso of integral; together with an old facimile of a verse from the second part of 'Jehuda ben Halevy' ("Jahre kommen und vergehen...") from the 1851 collection Romanzero

Heinrich Heine. Säkularausgabe, Bd. 21, Nr. 663; Eugen Wendler, Friedrich List (Berlin and Heidelberg, 2015), p. 161

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A good letter written during the time of Heine's exile in Paris to the writer Jakob Venedey (1805-1871), a former barrister and prison-escapee from Germany where he had been arrested for revolutionary activities. Five years earlier, in 1832, the poet had suffered from paralysis in two fingers of his left hand, the problems he experienced with his eyesight in 1837 being a further ominous manifestation of the neurological disease (today widely regarded as having been multiple sclerosis) which would result in paralysis 11 years later, and his death at the age of 59 in 1856.

The political writer and satirist Ludwig Börne, mentioned here by Heine, was the author of the brilliant and satirical Briefe aus Paris (1834). Together the two exiles had acted as role models for the younger generation of German writers known as "Junges Deutschland" (Young Germany). Three years after Börne's death (earlier in 1837), Heine published a highly critical memorial to him (Ludwig Börne. Eine Denkschrift), one which was widely condemned by his fellow radicals.