Letter from Freud to Fliess, March 11, 1902

Vienna, March 11, 1902
IX., Berggasse 19

Dear Wilhelm:

Just imagine what an “excellency” can accomplish! He can even bring it about that I once again hear your dear voice in a letter. But since you connect such nice things with the news — recognition, mastery, and the like — my usual, harmful urge to honesty obliges me to tell you exactly how it finally came about.

It was my doing, in fact. When I came back from Rome, my enjoyment of life and work was somewhat heightened and that of martyrdom somewhat diminished. I found my practice had almost melted away; I withdrew my last work1 from publication because just a little earlier I had lost my last audience in you.* I could foresee that waiting for recognition might take up a good portion of my life and that in the meantime none of my fellow men would bother about me. And I did want to see Rome again, take care of my patients, and keep my children in good spirits. So I made up my mind to break with strict virtue and take appropriate steps, as other humans do. One must look somewhere for one's salvation, and I chose the title as my savior. For four whole years I had not put in a single word about it, but now I called on my old teacher, Exner. He was as disagreeable as could be, almost rude, did not want to disclose anything about the reasons for my having been passed over, and assumed completely the role of the functionary. Only after I had really roused him by a few disparaging remarks about the activity of the ministry's high officials did he let fall something obscure about personal influences being at work against me with His Excellency, and he advised me to seek a personal counterinfluence. I was able to tell him that I could approach my old friend and former patient, the wife of Hofrat Gomperz. He seemed to like the idea. Frau Elise was very gracious and warmly took up the cause. She paid a visit to the minister and got a look of astonishment for a reply: “Four years! And who is he?” The old fox acted as though I w