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a handwritten letter written in black ink on a piece of papera close up of a piece of paper with handwriting on itan old postcard with a stamp on the front of itan old envelope with a handwritten letter and a stamp on it
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760 - STEFAN ZWEIG (1881–1942)
See original version (French)

Estimate €1,200 - €1,500
Sale commission
Description
STEFAN ZWEIG (1881–1942) Autograph signed letter to Karl Klammer. No place or date. Berlin, 10 April 1902. Restored along the horizontal fold, with traces of adhesive tape. At the end, a note in pencil, probably by Karl Klammer: ‘Send copy to Dr Grimm’. Envelope preserved with stamp and postmark. On the back of the envelope, Klammer has noted five poem titles in pencil. In-8°. 2 pages. 18 x 11.7 cm. Envelope 10.8 x 13 cm In German. Letter to the officer, poet and translator Karl Klammer (1879–1959), then at the military academy in Wiener-Neustadt. Zweig spent the summer term of 1902 at the University of Berlin and wrote his first contribution there for the serialised section of the Viennese ‘Neue Freie Presse’, to which he remained a contributor until 1938. […] Thank you very much for your translations, which show me that Dehmel did not exaggerate too much, despite his excessive praise. I shall probably place you, alongside Schaukal, at the very forefront, and I shall be delighted if your success lends support to my own. What follows, however, should prove to you the sincerity of my thanks. You wrote to me about ‘the author’, and Kiki also mentioned your verses to me one day, which he would like to publish. Personally, I strongly advise against it, as I would be embarrassed to know that your book – and I have no doubt it will be good – falls into the hands of people who do nothing for it, other than recoup their printing costs and perhaps even more. You probably don’t know much about the publishing conditions at ‘Neue Lyrik’; I know more than enough about them, although I’ve never had any personal dealings with them. Before I finish, I shall let you know what I have taken on board – which will no doubt be the bulk of it – and may well send you some suggestions for improvement. […] In 1899, Dehmel helped the young Klammer, who pursued a military career until 1919, to be published in the Berlin magazine ‘Pan’ and in the ‘Wiener Rundschau’. His 1907 translation of Villon, from which Brecht copied long passages without permission for his ‘Threepenny Opera’, became particularly famous; Klammer received 2 per mille of the takings for this. Thanks to the opera’s immense success, he was able to use this income to buy a wine tavern in Grinzing. At the buyer’s request, we would be happy to provide a general report on the condition of the lot described above. However, as we are not professional conservators or restorers, we strongly advise potential buyers to carry out their own inspection or to consult a specialist of their choice to obtain a comprehensive assessment of the lot’s condition. Descriptions of items provided in the catalogue or by correspondence are for information purposes only and should not be regarded as a definitive assessment. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSION REGARDING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD ‘AS IS’, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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About the sale RARE BOOKS & MANUSCRIPTS: Antique books § Autographs, rare editions, photographs § Works on paper
Auction location
Auction time 10/29/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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