Letter from Freud to Fliess, October 27, 1899

Vienna, October 27, 1899
IX., Berggasse 19

Dear Wilhelm,

Thanks for the kind words in response to my sending you the dream book. I have long since become reconciled to the thing and await its fate in — resigned suspense. If the book did not arrive in time to be on your birthday table, as I had wanted it to be, the reason is the circumstance I had not taken into account, that the post office would accept it only as parcel post. We had timed sending it off as if it were a registered letter. So perhaps it reached you too late: in other respects it will surely arrive too soon. Incidentally, it has not yet been issued; only our two copies have so far seen the light of day.1

Now, as to the other five books I am contemplating — we shall have to take our time with them. A long life,2 material, ideas, freedom from serious interference — and who knows what else; even an occasional strong push from a “friendly quarter.” For the time being the thread is broken again; hence no answer to your questions. I am searching for the right point of attack. Pathological phenomena are in many cases compromise formations in the sexual sphere as well, and are unsuitable for resolution.

My good mood persists unshaken in these bad times, but I am lazy again and have no ideas. At home an epidemic of colds is still claiming new victims. Finally, we really are worried about Ernst, who every few days since his arrival in Vienna has developed a temperature under a variety of pretexts, has diarrhea, looks awful, and notwithstanding it all is so spirited that he will never admit to being ill.