Letter from Sigmund Freud to Anton and Rozsi Von Freund, August 9, 1918

Budapest
August 9, 1918

My dear Hosts

We1 arrived here late yesterday evening after a good journey, very dear friends took us by surprise on the ship, and others gave us a warm welcome on landing. From a first impression I can state that this invitation has once again been a friendly fraud. That something described as “primitive” turns out to be highly organized and fully sublimated would not be accepted in science. Of course we are so modest and adaptable that we will grow accustomed to these conditions, too.

I have simplified the writing table considerably. The picture of our hostess and little girl remains standing in the middle, on the right a bowl of fountain pens, on the left another filled with cigars. Whether science will greatly benefit from this display is still uncertain. The only thing I was able to bring as a gift for our hosts was a poor reproduction of a drawing which gives a faithful picture of how I felt before leaving Vienna.

You may be interested to hear that Heller has become very pliable and easygoing and is preparing a second printing of the lectures.

With cordial greetings to young and old

Your
Freud