Letter from Sigmund Freud to Sándor Ferenczi, February 19, 1911

Vienna, February 19, 1911
IX., Berggasse 19

Dear friend,

I pity you, that you tussled with such a pack of swine, and I admire your patience, since you are, in fact, doing right by them. I am hardly in the mood for a polemic with Adler, whose neurotic character is revealing itself more and more clearly as a secondary disturbance.

The news these days has to do with America. Putnam has confirmed his presence in September at the Congress in Lugano.1 Before that he will spend some time in Zurich, and since I, too, want to be with Jung for a while in September (with my wife), the nicest thing would be if you also came. We will discuss details later.

I will send back your interesting little observation,2 as you wished, and hope to find you again soon with increasing regularity in the Zentralblatt's file. There is already an overabundance there. The gaffes in no. 43 will not have escaped you, no less than their connection with the Adlerian complexes.

Owing to an absolute lack of time, I am not progressing, despite good health and Rank's willingness to help with the Interpretation of Dreams (3d ed.). My brother4 has now fallen ill with severe influenza, which looked very serious (pneumonia) at first but is running its course all right. And so there is one disturbance after another. What I am calling “the great synthesis”5 is lying dormant and waiting for freer hours, which I probably won't find until July-August in Karlsbad.

Regards to you and Frau G.

Cordially,

Freud