You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
291A
Allenstein, Kreuzstrasse 2 pt.
1 May 1916
Dear Professor,
I have just moved into “our” flat and am expecting my wife and children in a fortnight's time. It is a five-room, furnished flat on the ground floor of a fairly old house entirely in midst of nature, a reasonable substitute for a summer holiday. My first task is to write to you so that these lines will reach you in time. In accordance with your wish, your birthday1 shall be celebrated very quietly. Surely, however, I may participate in this celebration—in the absolute silence imposed by distance—by sending my most sincere good wishes to you and all your family. Nevertheless I wanted to give you at least a small sign of my affection and gratitude. Since the Festschrift that was originally planned has not materialized, I have taken the liberty of preparing a small issue all on my own. I am sending the manuscript2 by registered post at the same time as this letter. The work was in preparation for a long time, which is all to the good, but was put to paper hastily, within a few days, and then only in the rare hours of leisure. I hope it will contribute to keeping our journals going. (I expect it to cover at least 20 printed pages.) It does in fact contain some new ideas, for instance on narcissism.
When I think, dear Herr Professor, of the abundance of original ideas contained in every one of your new publications, I see all the more clearly the difference between our achievements, that is to say the achievements of your five closest followers,3 as compared with your own. The five of us, however, seem to be able to accept this fact well enough and to be quite immune from the Jungian type of reaction. The undeniable fact that you have passed your 60th year appears completely irrelevant to me in the light of the continuous and upward progress your papers have shown over the last few years. It is something conventional, rather like putting the clocks forward one hour, as we did last night. May you retain for many ye