Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz's archives (r.papieski@stawisko.pl) hold 42 postcards and 4 letters that Fela wrote to him over the years. Below are Google translate from Polish (except for the cards written in German during World War II, as indicated). While I have the originals in order that the archives have numbered them (which is close to, but not completely, chronological order), I have tried my best to put these in chronological order.
Dear Sir,
I am reading with great joy about the success of the play "Summer in Nohant"[1]... I am overcome with a great desire to send you greetings and a heartfelt handshake. How I would gladly read at least this new piece, but can I count on your kindness, since I have not even received the promised "Red Shields"[2] yet? And here Lucca - it is the cruelest desert! I am the only and exclusive representative of Poland and I have to bring and import everything from the country myself... Please think about it!
I wish you a joyful Christmas and a Happy New Year. And if you ever miss Italian wonders - please do not pass by the threshold in Lucca, beyond which when a guest comes home... For your wife and daughters, many greetings from an old memory - F. Baumgarten-Campetti
Dear Sir,
I was very, very pleased to hear about your arrival in d. We will therefore be close neighbors, because everything is less than an hour away by train. There is also a direct tram, although a bit slower. But above all, I would advise you to choose a different time of arrival. The establishments in Montecatini do not open until April, and spring is not always good here either. I have experienced April here twice, it was cold and windy, it is probably nicer to undergo treatment when the sun is really warm. As for brochures, I did not find any in Lucca – unless it was because of our proximity, or perhaps because of the complete lack of foreigners (those who visit the city stay for only a few hours). However, I know that hotels and guesthouses in Montecatini are generally very good and start at thirty-five, even thirty lire a day. As soon as you tell me when you intend to arrive, I will send you more detailed addresses. Thank you very much in advance for the promised pieces. And will it not end with a promise again? The Esteemed Sir will have a lot of work to do telling me about Poland – I am hungry, honestly. As a reward, I will try to have my husband drive the Esteemed Sir in his Ford around various corners of Tuscany.
Please give my warmest regards to Mrs. Iwaszkiewiczowa. Is she feeling better in Warsaw? I await news from the Esteemed Sir and I convey my respects,
Felicja Campetti
Your letter, dear Mr. Jarosław, “squeezed” a tear from my eyes, and a big one at that, such as even famous cinematographic heroines would not be able to fabricate with the best glycerin. I was sad for myself and for you. I will start with myself, since it has already dripped from my pen on the first one. Sad for myself, because as I read the letter I involuntarily experienced what I address to no one: that I am distant from my life and that I am left here alone like my tower in front of the windows, which was once supposed to testify to some individuality amidst the greyness of the surroundings, and now it testifies to nothing and simply exists, has been left alone. The mood of this city is terribly grey and one could say – sexless, which is worse than non-erotic. Nothing here rubs against each other and nothing simply happens. Every action loses its value and beauty. It is also an incredible luxury that we have here in contrast to big cities, conveniences and this – a kind of – happiness that my mother-in-law takes away my economic problems,[4] they do not help or favor work and cannot be used despite all my strong will and desire burning directly to action. The work that has been started drags on endlessly and gives me no satisfaction. It is also the fact that you have completed two works that contributed to the thickness of that tear that I mentioned above… Well, what is there to mention about the “raging” carnival? This word is only read in the newspaper when talking about the future parade in Viareggio.
Sadness for you, however, refers to those illnesses, which have been surrounding you lately. I understand you perfectly. And I, who am very healthy by nature, turn away from doctors and hospitals, thanking God that we are keeping well at home. I shake off the little ailments of my nephews and push them away directly from me. I know that it is more difficult for you to do this, but after all, your daughters are also growing up …………. plus …….. and they will be less and less sensitive to every breeze. Why do you immediately come up with some thoughts about fate?
As for the failure to notice certain phenomena that you have noticed in yourself, which – it seems to me – you are tuning in too sentimentally, I do not agree with the conclusion that this is a sign of aging. In my opinion, you have reached a certain selective absorption of what is more valuable from your surroundings, you are sifting through what is more durable and more worthy, and I think that if there were a writer of truly great stature among us today, you would be the first to notice or recognize or feel him. That you are no longer carried away by the current of youthful ecstasies and do not integrate with what the present moment is living. Even, as the Dane says – is it supposed to be a sign of aging? Geniuses often had this already in their youth and wore it as a stigma of innate maturity, in your case it is probably a certain level of development, after which I expect a new stage. The fact that you feel that for now you will not write anything new is proof of the end of a certain circle. Others will follow soon.
You ask where I was in the summer, in the fall. Well – in my wonderful little town. And in the countryside, from which I often escaped the invasion of very grey aunts and others. We were only in Assisi. There is a great deal of spiritual beauty there, traces of lofty and wonderful feelings, only my hand itched to chase away a whole host of traders in these possessions. And now, in a few days I am going to Rome, to finally breathe a little more deeply. I will be there for a week or more, and if you have someone to whom I can pay my respects – please write to me immediately, the letter will arrive in time.
I cannot write any longer today, I want to remind you that you promised me “Summer in Nohant” and that you also promised to send me a few more interesting novels or recent Polish works. Please forgive this request, but I will insist without mercy on you that you keep your promise. Take comfort in carnival, I have nothing here. It often seems to me that
je vais mourier, seule, dans mon coin.
Les enuis dout j’ai besoin
et les etoiles sout trop loin[5]
If you have any – even older – issues of new magazines – and thanks for them. Warmest regards to your wife and girls. I send you a strong handshake.
Felicia Campetti
Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz
Montecotini Terme
Hotel Croce di Malta
Dear Sir,
I greet you warmly! How glad I am to see you. Wednesday, the 21st of this month, will be very convenient for us. It is a holiday, my husband is at home all day, please come early in the morning. Please kindly let me know whether you will arrive by train or tram, and I will leave for the meeting at the precisely appointed time. I warn you in advance that my house is modest, still "unfinished", and of course I do not have such an extraordinary cook with an ox... So what is the cottage rich with.
I recently sent a few words of thanks to Stawisko for the books. But more about that verbally. I am counting on a quick and precise answer from the Dear Sir, at what time we can leave for the meeting here.
With cordial greetings
Felicia Campetti
Dear Sir,
I sincerely, very sincerely thank you for remembering me. I will try to prepare a beautiful culinary surprise for you, which you will probably appreciate, eh? As for whether I will manage to please my husband – I doubt it. Given that sour cream[6] is not only unknown here, but not considered an edible spice worthy of decent people – everything I do will suffer from the taste we love so much. And what to do with the tradition of centuries?
And we have been picking strawberries in our garden for a long time – eaten with wine and bucellato[7] (bread – a specialty of Lucca)!! - and I am very sorry that you are not here at this time. There are roses – in abundance – and wild orchids. Please come by. The grapes are blooming and look beautiful this year. You see – I lack …….. spiritual nourishment – and especially Polish food. Please do not forget about this very painful hunger. I would be very grateful for a few words about whether the treatment helped and how things are going for the Esteemed Sir. I send many warm thoughts, greetings to the Family. F. Campetti
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
I supposed that it would not be long after returning home that you would find a free moment for me, but I did not suspect that the reason for your silence would be so sad. I am very sorry for Terenia's suffering, I console myself only with the fact that - fortunately - these things disappear without a trace in children, leaving rather the surroundings than the sick person himself, in great tiredness I wish with all my heart a speedy recovery and so regret that Italy is far from Poland and that I cannot even be of any service. I impatiently await news about the improvement and complete health of the little one.
I also wanted to talk to you about many things, but how can I occupy your thoughts with issues that would probably seem very distant from everyday matters now. I tried to find the right moment for a lengthy conversation during your stay here, but such a moment does not arise on demand and we saw each other too briefly for the mood to be created. Please remember only that whenever you wish to address me – no thought of hindering me in something or encountering an inappropriate disposition should stop you from simple, sincere words.
Dr. Krupiński wrote to me about your announced premiere in Krakow, but not about how the people of Krakow liked “Lato” and whether you came to the show. However, it was probably the third success in a row? I have been without Polish newspapers for several weeks again and I have no idea what people are talking in their ears there. The world of Lucca is like… lukket, when you do not force yourself to acquire every scrap of news. It is an ideal place to reach true nirvana, and your nerves seem to gain the strength of the Guinigi tower[8] and soon look, and they will grow into an everlasting oak.
Thank you very much for the card. But why does this rather spectacular photo have to be provided with an incorrect signature? Or maybe now write “żołnierz” with two ż? Is this also what the new spelling requires?[9]
We are going to the countryside in a few days. But I am not changing the address, because I drive into the city for a few hours almost every day. The heat here was terrible, but it has subsided for a few days now. A new wave of it will probably hit us in July.
Warm greetings to you, your wife, and your daughters. I am eagerly awaiting good news
Felicja Campetti
Dear Sir,
I kindly ask for a few words of news, which I have been waiting for in vain so far. I am in constant correspondence with Mrs. Helena, who also asks about you and asks to send you warm greetings. She is feeling well and continues to work. She often sees visiting concert performers, takes part in our lives, seems to be at every concert, valuable, of course.
Not many changes with me. My sister from W. writes to me quite often, she went through an extremely unpleasant period, now she lives in the hope of seeing my eldest sister.[10]
I hope your family is in good health. I am writing these words in the assumption that they will reach your hands and that they will bring you memories of the moments spent together.
Warmest greetings,
Felicia Campetti
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
Thank you very much for your messages. I am glad to read that you are together and that you are feeling well. It must be very beautiful in the countryside now. We had a frosty and long winter, the lemons lost all their leaves, and the young fruits froze, and only the first leaves are only now sprouting, indicating some life in the shoots. On the other hand, the palms are completely destroyed, as is the jasmine. Well, we will have to console ourselves with the rest. I have not had enough news from my friends in Copenhagen and I am very worried about what is happening with Miss G. I have the impression that she has lost her job and I can imagine her despair. Apart from that, sadness reaches me from everywhere. I live as before and enjoy the view of the tall magnolia and the beautiful tower with the oak tree on its top. It has remained untouched, green and spreading, and has not turned yellow from the frost.
How is your work and what books are coming out? Could you tell me a little about it? I wrote to Mrs. Helena. Krup. is in Bucharest with his sons, he was even supposed to come here and I don't know why he hasn't been here yet.
I send you my warmest regards, still waiting for good news,
Felicia Campetti
[From the German]
Please tell me if Mrs. Helena has been in touch. She hasn't written to me, and I often think of her. Also of my sister, who is suffering greatly in W[arsaw].
I'm doing almost the same here. I just feel a bit lonely and often think of my neighbors. I've been getting pretty good news from D.
How's your work going? Looking forward to your return soon, I send my warmest regards to you and your wife.
Yours,
Felicia Campetti
Dear Sir,
At the beginning of August this year, a world congress of Esperantists will be held in Warsaw, in which my husband and I intend to participate. I would like to take this opportunity to see you, and I kindly ask for a prompt reply as to whether you will be in Warsaw at that time and where we could possibly meet.[11]
Not knowing your exact address, I am sending this card in the hope that it will reach you and that a prompt reply will make it easier for me to find you in Warsaw, where the course of the congress will not leave me much time for personal matters.
I hope that after so many, so many years, you have not forgotten me completely.[12] I combine my bows and expressions of respect.
Felicia Campetti
My husband asks me to greet you on his behalf.
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your answer. I am no less pleased with our meeting than you are. I have not spoken to you so far for reasons too obvious to write about, but how is it that you, having been to Italy with your wife several times, have never tried to send a card, even without the exact address (they know me here like a bad dog), to see what the result would be? Well, but we will explain that verbally.
For now, the fact is that our Italian cazorama, to which we belong, is arriving in Warsaw on the afternoon of the 31st of this month, and that same evening the so-called intercona vespero will take place, that is, an evening of getting to know each other, the importance of which is great. And the very next day the opening ceremonies of the congress and the sessions, the excursions, the receptions begin. If the Honourable Sir returns from Leipzig on 4th August, there will be a few days left in which I will be able to squeeze in a few hours to spend with you. During the Honourable Sir's absence, I will call your wife, but I would like you to write to me immediately, whether I should contact the Warsaw address or the Stawisko address? I kindly ask you to inform me exactly.
The Esperanto Housing Committee has designated the "Warszawa" Hotel, Plac Powstańców, as our Warsaw headquarters during the congress. Since I have never heard of this hotel and do not know what category it belongs to, I would be grateful if the Honourable Sir could inform me whether it is really "luxurious", as we asked the organising committee to do. I would not like to come across a third-rate hotel and pay the highest amount.
Just in case, to make it easier for you to find us in Warsaw, I am giving you the numbers of our registration cards, that is, Nno 935 and 934. The Congress Directorate will immediately inform the Honourable Sir of our place of residence. This way we can't "get lost" and miss each other in Warsaw.
Until a quick, joyful meeting! Greetings and warmest regards to both of you and your sister
Felicia Campetti
Special regards from my husband. We are leaving Lucca on July 26, so I would be glad to receive the Dear Sir's reply before then. I am writing this card in the countryside, where there is no post office, to send it by air.
Dear Sir,
Of course I will not be able to express to you in writing how worried I am about the news of your indisposition and, consequently, the dissolution of our meeting.
So – until next time. Let us live in hope. Thank you most sincerely for the books. I have not unpacked them yet, but in Lucca I will taste their contents and I am already looking forward to it.
I would like to ask you for a certain service. There is a lady in Lucca, a Polish woman (although she does not know the language at all), the wife of a high-ranking financial official. She has a young, exceptionally talented musician son – with a pure tone and a high artistic level – who, listening to his mother's stories about Poland, would like to come here and play for a Polish audience. Would it be possible to organize two or three concerts for him in Warsaw and elsewhere? Who should I contact and what should I do so that this boy, who constantly adds his mother's surname (Ormezowski) to his surname Maggio, can show how our boys abroad reach high artistic levels. Since I know that you are Szymanowski's cousin, perhaps you would be so kind as to ask what can be done for our young countryman. I have known him for several years, and he is, apart from being an artist, also an extremely charming character.
I am writing in the congress hall. Please forgive my haste. I join you in wishing him better health and with very warm regards. So – see you soon.
Felicia Campetti
Dear Sir,
I am back home after a long and rather tiring, though extremely interesting journey. I immediately got caught up in the whirlwind of household matters, a pile of letters and troubles connected with arrears in the countryside. At times it does not seem to me directly that it was I who was in Poland and that it all ended so suddenly. And yet every image, every phenomenon, has been deeply engraved in my memory, overwhelmed by such a vivid feeling.
However, I feel a grudge against you, I really do. I promised myself to talk to you for a long time. After all, our meeting was only a prelude to the real conversation, simply setting a day and time for a real conversation. I wanted to learn so many things about our literature, to consider the possibilities of some Italian-Polish cooperation, which is sorely lacking here...
All plans are in vain. Couldn't you really devote a little more time to me? I sincerely regret it. But perhaps you could tell me in writing whether it would be possible to establish some closer relationship with a publishing house that is interested specifically in Italian fiction? Here in Lucca I have lost all thread of new publishing possibilities and I do not know who to turn to.
Thank you once again for the books. I will read them carefully one by one.
How I regret that I could not see your wife. Please give her my warmest regards.
I join you in bowing in the hope that I will soon see you here with us.
Felicia Campetti
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
Thank you very much for your letter. I would have liked to reply to it in more detail, but I am stuck among the boring painters and workmen who are repairing our neglected rooms a bit and, among other things, putting in – after 15 years! – new panes of glass in the windows, broken during the bombing of the city. They were patched up in pieces until now.
So that's all for now: I think I will give you proof that I know how to tell the wheat from the chaff when I tell you that I advised a lawyer friend of mine, who, having a mother and sister in excellent conditions in London, intended to move there too, to stay put. I did not fail to notice the high intellectual level that emanated from every corner of the…. even boiled, I only regretted that such a limited time did not give me the opportunity to meet the people I was actually interested in.
I read a few of the books you gave me. I will not attempt to evaluate or criticize them, which you probably do not lack, but I have noted with joy that among so many universal feelings and elements of the human soul that you touch upon and illuminate, I have quite often encountered those that concern me personally, and this makes your works dear to me.
I am very, very glad to be able to welcome you here. I will show you a side of Lucca that is little known to the casual traveler. But please do not warn me at the last minute, because we often sneak out of the city to the surrounding area.
Tomorrow we have the grape harvest in the countryside. We are going there this afternoon to prepare vats, jugs, buckets and God knows what other vessels. It is a pity that you will not be able to watch it sometime. Ten people busy tearing off golden, violet, pink clusters.
Warmest regards,
Felicia Campetti
Dear Sir,
You have played a great trick on me and I cannot even hold it against you, because again the Italian cold-blooded people who are nagging come here in the winter. Well, too bad, pasiensa. You absolutely must go at a different time of year and certainly to Lucca. For now, I congratulate you on your new dignity and your introduction to Italian literature. "Glory and Fame" is not included in the jubilee edition, is this your last work? And which of the stories were selected for local magazines? I do not know whether I will be able to take part in this event, because the publishers have already secured a translator in advance, and besides, it is difficult to get in touch with the editors from Lucca, you would have to talk to them personally, and I cannot leave home for now. I very, very much regret that I did not manage to talk to you about it.
Did you receive a photograph and excerpts from the criticism of Franco Maggio's play? You didn't mention it to me, and I'd like to know who to contact so that this young artist could come to Poland for a few concerts. Is that possible?
I join you with my warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas and a New Year. Please give my special regards to your wife.
Felicia Campetti
The tower visible from my windows in all its glory.
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
To my inquiry – sent to you at the end of last year – who will translate your novel “Glory and Fame”, accepted by Garzanti’s publishing house, I have not received any answer so far and I admit that I am a little surprised and even worried. So I interrupt my patient waiting, renewing my request to kindly inform me when and in whose translation the work will be published. I was in Florence in the winter and if I had certain information, I could perhaps speak to Garzanti’s representative, because I earnestly wish to play even a small part in acquainting Italians with our modern literature. And there is a great time for this – few people know that it exists and that it flourishes.
I offer cordial greetings in the hope of a speedy response,
Felicia Campetti
Dear Mr. Jarosławie,
Along with your letter of the 2nd of this month, I received a message today, completely by accident, from a journalist friend of mine, who deals exclusively with Russian literature, a message confirming Garzanti's decision to publish the novel "Fame and Glory" and the volume of "Short Stories", without mentioning the title of either. However, I provide the exact surname of the translator: Franca Wars Frova. Is there a Polish woman behind it? I do not add.
For my part, I will write to Ms. Dalai today, asking for more details, so that I can - if the answer comes in time - sell them to you before he leaves Warsaw.
I repeat my request to visit Lucca, even for half a day. Is that completely impossible? It is so much easier to communicate and coordinate all the "movements" in a personal conversation. I kindly ask you not to miss the opportunity.
I send you my very warmest greetings and bows,
Felicia Campetti
Please let me know when you are coming to Lucca, as we are sometimes in the country, at our villa.
Dear Sir,
I was of course counting on the announced letter from Rome arriving at the end of July, but you clearly had no time for correspondence, or perhaps you did not go to Italy at all – because I have not received the letter yet.
In the meantime, I have written a letter to Mrs. Dalai, who immediately replied to my questions about the choice of which of your works would be the first to be published and even enclosed a copy of her letter to the esteemed Sir, from which you probably finally learned about Garzanti's decision. In addition, Mrs. Dalai claims that according to the custom adopted by publishers, the first to obtain the copyright of a given writer also has the "moral right" to the rest of his works, before they are offered to other publishers. She also asks me to give her the titles of the works that I consider most suitable for Italians, adding that she would entrust me with the translation of such works. It seems to me that "The Sun in the Kitchen" and the description of Sicily, so relevant here (and somewhat... abused) would be appropriate. But I await your judgment and your wish before I answer Mrs. Dalai. I am also not sure whether you did not promise something to Mondadozi.
So I await your prompt reply, sending my warmest greetings and bows,
Felicia Campetti
Dear Sir,
After receiving your letter of the 17th of this month, I wrote to Mrs. Dalai immediately, informing her that you had accepted my choice of the story "The Sun in the Kitchen" for translation into Italian, while you considered "Sicily" to be of little interest to Italians. As for the latter, I would like to point out that Sicily, like Calabria, is the Italian "mezzogiorno", until now was in a very deplorable state, perhaps due to the contempt with which public opinion surrounded it, and only recently has the "cassa del mezzogiorno" energetically taken up the task of "rivalorizzare" the neglected and ridiculed treasures of this island. Therefore, a beautiful and, I would say, loving description of Sicily by a foreign speaker and author recently introduced to the country would, in my opinion, have a great significance in deepening what has already been done on the island and in popularizing that beauty which until now has escaped the attention of Italians themselves, who travel almost exclusively to the once and for all recognized tourist spots. This is what I made Mrs. Dalai understand by asking about her judgment, but I have not received any answer yet. Perhaps because of the paralyzing August holidays "ferragosto", or perhaps for other reasons. I do not want to delay informing you any longer about how things stand here and as soon as I receive some news from Mrs. Dalai, I will write what she has decided.
We are sitting in this dark and quiet corner that is Lucca. This year's heat has been exceptionally lingering, because we have only been feeling the Italian summer for a few days.
From time to time we go to the countryside, where we stay for a day or two at most... In return we make small "cupatine" here and there, because we have beautiful surroundings and the sea - Viareggio - almost nearby.
I am sending you and your wife my warmest greetings and bows,
Felicia Campetti
Dear Sir,
Your letter written on the 1st of this month, the one sent on the 3rd/10, I received here in the countryside during the grape harvest, only today. As you can see, airmail only delays the delivery of correspondence. I am sending this card immediately – in the hope that the “mundane” post will still find you in Stawisko – to inform you that I will be in Lucca at the end of October, however we always have some unexpected trips to various parts of the country, because my husband, as vice-president of the local Case popolari, is obliged to represent the association at frequent meetings. Therefore, I repeat my request to inform me a few days before your arrival here, not forgetting the address, so that I can confirm my presence in Lucca.
Would it be pleasant for you if I announced to the newspaper that you will be a guest in Lucca, which – of course – would bring in some journalist eager for an interview? Please reply. I am very happy that we will discuss all the details in person. I join you with cordial greetings and bows, warmly welcoming you to our country,
Felicia Campetti
Dear Sir,
I received your letter of the 1st of this month on the eve of our departure for the mountains (Cortina d’Ampezzo, our Zakopane) and after my return I found a short note from Mrs. Dalai in which she apologizes for the long absence of reply caused, as I had anticipated, by the holidays and the flood of work after my arrival. She thanks me for my proposal and promises to consider it. Nothing more.
So the matter will drag on, of course, as is the custom here, and I do not know when I will be able to give you any specific news.
I have not written to Bompioni yet, I would like to get more details about his Almanacco first.
I would be very happy to talk to you, here, about everything. Maybe you will manage to sneak away to Italy again. After all, Gerzanti or Bompioni – if negotiations with them have progressed in the meantime, could, as a down payment, help you in the material matter. Please, just do not put off until the last minute letting me know when you expect to come, because at that time we have two trips planned: to Florence and to Perugia, and it would be sad if we missed each other this time too. I therefore expect a prompt reply and I send my very warmest regards and greetings to your wife and to you, Felicia Campetti
Dear Sir,
So this time too all my beautiful Italian plans have been blown away. How I regret it, especially since my conversation with you determined whether I would undertake the translation of which work would be the first to go. I was waiting for our meeting and I have not yet replied to Mrs. Dalai. The wicked flu!
And in the meantime, I think you have probably finally come to an understanding with Mrs. Dalai about the choice and even other details. I would be glad to know what about it. I hope that you will inform me about everything soon.
How are you feeling now? Both my husband and I have been unwell recently. But the weather here has also been incredible for several weeks: incessant rain, humidity and sadness without a single day's break. Who would know the climate of Italy, the beautiful autumn in this gloomy view, where there is a lot of drizzle.
I am sending my warmest greetings and bows to you and your wife,
Felicia Campetti
Dear Sir,
I am pleased to welcome you finally to Italy. And I hope that this time you will not pass me by shamefully. Yes, we will be in town around March 1, unless some last-minute surprise comes our way, but I doubt it. Please just let me know you are coming a few days in advance, also because it is difficult to count on the punctuality of the post here. Also, please let me know whether you will arrive by Pullman or train and at what time, and I will meet you there. If you could spend more than a few hours here, I should mention that, because I will book a hotel room, which is not always easy in this small town. The Pullman stops here in St. Martin's Square.
So we are waiting for you in Lucca with pleasure. Warmest regards, wishing you a pleasant stay in Italy,
Felicia Campetti
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
I am replying to your letter of the 7th of this month, hoping that my letter will find you still in Rome. I also regret that the rain has largely spoiled your view of Lucca, which, to appreciate properly, must be seen "on foot". And the limited time of your stay did not, of course, encourage extensive, mainly deeper, conversations, which are not on the tip of the tongue, like the first sentences after such a long time without seeing each other.
Thank you for your promise to send me some Polish books. If you please - also your novel "Glory and Fame", because the same problem has been occupying and troubling me for years, and I will tell you why.
Next - if you would be so kind as to inform me whether the Nobel Laureates' Library in Poznań still exists and publishes translations of works by authors - prize winners, I would be sincerely grateful. This is what I allow myself to burden you with.
I am pleased to read that you hope to return to Italy again and even more than once, and with your wife. If that happens to be in the summer months, perhaps you would like to spend some time with us in the countryside – a typical Tuscan one, where you would have a good room and great peace for rest.
Since your departure, they have brought me piles of camellias and bunches of violets from our garden, so beautiful that… there is no doubt that they are real!
I send you my warmest greetings, and your husband also asks me to send you many greetings
Felicia Campetti
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
You will surely be able to imagine what a surprise it was for me to hear that Franco ………. had been called to Poland for concerts. It was his mother’s dream, and he, listening to her stories about Poland, was eager to “give” something to his ancestral homeland. I hope that the boy will not disappoint the hopes placed in him. Not only me, but distinguished Italian, French and Spanish experts are delighted with him. I would like to thank you very much for your intercession in this matter, which had been going on without success for almost three years.
And now something for you: I have recently received from Gazzanti a volume of the translation of the short stories “The Maids of Wilko”. I have not yet looked at ……… and I do not know how it was translated, but the fact itself is very pleasant to me and I congratulate you on your success. I am happy to keep the book on my desk. I had previously read an interview with you in Rome in “Illustrazioni Italiana”, and ……..then I know that …… no. 7 of “L’Europa Le...ariz” printed separately “Le luei iella piccola ………” preceded by a short biography of Bur. Was this reported to you? So, like that little soldier from Andersen’s fairy tale, you entered “in, to, tre” into Italian literature!
I am now expecting your book “Fame and Glory”. As you can see, my finger is not enough for me – I demand a hand as well.
Warmest regards to your wife and you,
Felicia Campetti
Dear Sir,
I haven't heard from you for a long time and I don't even know how - after Gazzanti's death - the publication of your next novels is going. Here in bookstores I haven't come across any of your works after "The Maids". And I would be glad to know something about it.
And also, were you at the Franco Maggio concert? Supposedly it was a great success, but since it was Franco's father who said that, and I haven't seen him himself yet (he will only be back these days), I am of course extremely curious whether Franco has not disappointed my hopes and whether his talent has really been received as enthusiastically as his mother, who accompanied him, reported. I know that I can count on your impartial - and strict judgment. Please let me know about it.
Here winter is ending and m...... still - hopes for... something new, something better are being reborn. Winter was quite sad this time.
I am sending my warmest regards to your Wife and my beautiful bows to you.
Felicia Campetti
Just before sending this card, I read in “la Vazione” that you will be arriving in Florence around the 11th of this month to participate in the “Assamblea dei letterati europei.” And I am due to go to Florence at that time. Will we meet? Please give me the address of the hotel. F.C.
From Etna I send greetings to you and your wife. Please give my regards to Mr. Międzyrzecki, who – it seems – has forgotten that he promised to send me his works.
Felicja Campetti
Dear Sir,
I do not know if you received my postcard from Etna, where my husband and I were, touring half of Sicily. Please confirm this for me, since I was not the one who put the postcard in the mailbox.
At the end of this month we are going to Copenhagen for about three weeks. Address: Hotel "Cecil", Niels Hemmingsens gade. If you need anything, I will gladly arrange it. After receiving the Italian translation of the short stories "The Maids of Wilko",[13] I do not know what happened to your other works. Has there been a standstill?
I am once again asking Mr. Międzyrzecki to keep his promise to send me one of his works.
Warmest greetings,
Felicia Campetti
Please excuse the handwriting – I am writing on the edge of the table
Copenhagen 9.8.62.
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
I received your letter. Thank you. The Congress leaves little free time, so I am writing when I am free from various “duties”. Please forgive the stupid card.
The custom of burial described by Banj has traditionally survived to this day. The priest throws the first handful of earth, …... ……….. ……….., relatives add flowers and then disperse, and the gravediggers complete the rest. This was the case when my friend was buried years ago, and it remains so. There may be exceptions when the family insists on assisting until the grave is filled. Is this information exhausting for you?
Copenhagen – hilas – and this one smacks of the modern spirit. The weather of the Danes, their ………… etc. have suffered. It seems that this is how it has to be everywhere and there is nothing we, the old people, can do about it. Warmest regards, Felicja Campetti
Thank you for "The Lovers",[14] I read the book immediately. It is a cruel truth about women and men that you reveal there. Thank you once again! We are in Sardigna – where next to ……….. ………… and the celebrities ……………………………. are shooting ……… I am writing on my knee, best regards
Felicia Campetti
Gaetano Campetti
Dear Sir,
I do not know if you received my card, written from Copenhagen, in which I answered the question about burying the dead in Denmark. So I repeat that they have maintained the tradition to this day and nothing has changed since Benga's times.
I received his works from Mr. Międzyrzecki, which I read with great satisfaction.
I have been feeling quite weak in recent ………. and the treatment I have tried has not had any effect so far.
Please write how you are feeling and how your work is going.
Warmest greetings and wishes for the New Year
Felicia Campetti
Greetings from Valle d’Aosta
Please send me news
Felicia Campetti
Gaetano Campetti
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
I did not reply to your letter of April 15, hoping to hear whether you had decided to go to Italy. And so far I do not know what you have decided. I hope that perhaps you have gone to other parts of Europe.
In the meantime, I have received a letter from O.O.K.E.S. informing me that due to the large number of requests to belong to this Comunita, they have excluded me for the time being, and that maybe later, etc. I am a bit sorry, but I will wait patiently. No reply from Poznań either. So maybe they do not care so much about Michaelis' novel after all, or maybe it is just a megalomania of the publishing house? I would be glad to hear what you think.
In a few days I am going to Bern. My eldest sister's husband has died and I want to visit her. I am writing this in case you come here now, when spring has finally come to us. Because so far it has been awful and cold with that penetrating damp chill that is more bothersome than the frost in Sweden. Around mid-March I am back in Lucca. Just in case.
Are you feeling better now? I have got rid of all my ailments, but somehow I cannot get back to my previous weight. Maybe because, in addition to my brother-in-law, I have also recently lost my best friend in Denmark, who constantly informed me about all the events in the literary world of Denmark and Sweden that were so useful to me. It is a great loss for me, especially emotionally, because his wife was the closest person to me, and their home has been their stronghold since the first days of my stay in Copenhagen.
Warmest greetings, Felicia Campetti
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
Since spring, when you informed me that you had decided to come to “this Italy” to rest after the hard work of winter, I have not received any reply to the two or three cards I sent, and here I allow myself to ask whether you have really wandered here on lonely roads, looking for new non-tourist corners of Otacja, or whether this time you have chosen a different part of our everywhere beautiful Earth.
And here comes winter again, sad here and inappropriate, as if a poorly chosen dress, for the climate and type of landscape. But this too will pass! And with spring Italy will smile again.
Warmest greetings, Felicja Campetti.
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
A few days ago I received a completely unexpected visit from the Lisowskis, which I was very happy about, because I was beginning to wonder about your long silence. Mr. Lisowski reassured me about his health, explaining the neglect of correspondence with his great work, which I willingly believe. However, I cannot help but remind you that you promised to send me a translation of Bang's book "Ved Vejen" and I firmly demand... that you keep your word.
I spent a few afternoon hours with Mr. and Mrs. L., showing them around the city, but of course it was not possible to cover everything. I think they were satisfied with what I could point out to them as the most characteristic of Lucca. Is Mr. Lisowski also a writer? I did not even ask him about it - Mrs. L. is an actress, that much I know.
At the end of July, an article by the Norwegian professor J. Vogt about Poland was published in "Preitik....". He was apparently at the congress there and speaks very favorably of Poland. Did you happen to meet this professor? Because I hope that you also took part in the celebration of the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Jagiellonian University.
I send my warmest greetings to you and your wife,
Felicia Campetti
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
I have not yet replied to your letter from early January, and there are several reasons for this delay, which would be difficult to explain in writing. I was pleased to hear about your planned visit to Italy in the summer, and perhaps a short trip to Lucca, but has it not ended with just a project? Please let me know. We do not leave the city in the summer, because we are selling our villa in the countryside, which involves many problems and difficulties. However, we do go on one-day trips to the nearby mountains or to the seaside, so if you could make your intentions of coming, I would ask you to let us know a few days in advance.
I hope that your health has improved to the point that you will be able to enjoy not only the beauty of Italy, but also the ever greater comforts and improvements that tourist companies are trying to make the stay of visitors more pleasant.
How is your wife and the whole family doing? We – da vecchietti – are doing quite well.
I send you my very warmest greetings and bows
Felicia Campetti
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
I have not received any replies to my cards for a long time. A few months ago I read in the newspaper that you were elected as one of the vice presidents of COM……., so I assume that you were in Rome at some point, so you are feeling well in health. It is probably only the excess of work that prevents correspondence. That is the case with me, by the way. I am burdened with many not very pleasant family matters and I neglect many, many things.
However, I would like to send you my warmest greetings for Christmas, together with many best wishes for the coming New Year.
Felicia Campetti
Dear Sir,
only a few days ago, on February 31, I received two books by …….. yours, sent to me from Venice. As you can see with the date of dedication, they had been lying around for a long time, waiting for an opportunity, or maybe a moment of good humor of the sender? Never mind, they gave me sincere joy, for which I thank you a hundred times. I will tell you about my impressions in person, because you will be here soon, right? If only to look from my windows at the most amusing tower in the world, the Guinigis – with a lush mane of oak on the top. The weather has been very poor so far, and even now, although the sun is already appearing, it is not quite possible to sing hymns in praise of spring ………… . Please kindly let me know when you are coming.
Warmest greetings
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
I have not heard from you for a very long time. At first I thought that your hard work did not leave you time for correspondence. Finally, however, the prolonged silence is beginning to worry me a little, because I have not received a reply to my card with an inquiry about you sent to the Lisowskis a few weeks ago. Why? I ask, very surprised.
Could I ask, even in short words, to explain this silence? I would be glad to know about the health of your dear Sir, Wife - and whether you are planning to visit Italy again.
Not many changes for us, except that before the end of this year we will probably change the apartment - after 30 years or more!
Warmest greetings and expressions of respect,
Felicia Campetti
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
I attributed your prolonged silence, of course, to some unusual accident and, as I see, I was not mistaken. I was very hurt by the fact that your wife's leg was injured, and I fully understand the unpleasant period of illness and the loss of my mother-in-law. I know these feelings from experience, I know what memories they leave behind. So please express my sincere sympathy to your wife. I would be glad to know if the wound has healed and if she can move and walk freely again.
I share the sadness when you return to a city where more and more friends are disappearing. A few weeks ago I also lost a friend - a Swede, the last - and very dear one - who connected me with Stockholm. Seriously ill with a heart condition, she dreamed of staying in the South and dared to go by ambulance to Opatija (Abbazia) for special treatment. We were supposed to meet there. She wrote to me shortly after arriving, but a few hours later, at night, she was suddenly struck down by an infestation. It is hard to describe my pain. She was an extraordinary combination of heart, intellect and nobility.
As for us, our move has only been postponed a little, and that is because the new apartment, with its modern conveniences, is so small that we would have to get rid of about 2/3 of our furniture, which I personally cannot agree to. So we are looking for – how many ……….. - something more appropriate. But I think it will end with resignation – unfortunately!
For this reason, we are not going anywhere this beautiful summer. We were only in Yugoslavia, I also looked into Opatija to find out the details of the death of my friend, to whom neither her son nor sisters could come. Yes – with age – one experiences many things. I am very tired, and yet I feel more and more intensely the incredibly fast pace and transformations of our existence – the whole world… A spectacle! Greetings and best wishes
Felicia Campetti
If you please, could you tell me whether the Lisowskis' house number is Wiejska 14 or 19? Please bow to them.
Warmest greetings to you and your wife.
Here is the address: Via Beccheria, 29
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
as you have correctly guessed, moving was a difficult transition for me. Cramming modern furniture into four tiny little spaces from our spacious apartment was not easy and painful. Unfortunately, we are so attached to our material possessions that no amount of reasoning is able to drown out the regret of parting with what seems necessary and indispensable to us. I still cannot come to terms with a place where I have to snake my way between furniture that is so inappropriate for the space I occupy. But there was no other choice, we had to decide to avoid living somewhere "fuori ... ra", where an unpaved street or poor communication would condemn me to exclusion from the intellectual life that is already scarce in this city. I only won because we have central heating and, heck! even an elevator.
However, my problems were thrown into the dust after the terrible disaster that hit Italy, especially Florence. Everything that has probably been described to you or shown on TV cannot reflect reality. The sight of thousands of books destroyed by water and mud, brought here for "healing", alone forces you to cry sincerely, to despair. And what about so many ruined lives, families.
My woman's aunt, who helps me with my homework, was swept away with her entire house by the whirlpool and fury of the water - and there are thousands of such. And what can I say about masterpieces of art? Never, never has so much sadness and despair befallen Florence.
And here is a tiny ray of hope: the Comunale theatre – after incomprehensible, heroic efforts, and both the servants and the most outstanding artists worked – inaugurated its season yesterday – on bare boards and without other decorations – one of the most difficult operas and the audience, before the performance began – with applause, standing up, acknowledged the vitality of… art! And water was still dripping from the floor into the basements.
Here are our affairs… And what about you? What’s new in the literary world? I would love to know something! F.C.
Dear Mr. Jarosław.
Your letter of June 19th reassured me about the health of your entire family, and at the same time pleased me that you could once again swing around new corners of Italy. I understand that Lucca no longer has any attractive power for you.
Besides, I was and still am a bit suffering. Well, with the years some devil will also stick to you.
I do not know if you know that in recent times there has been some interest in Polish literary works. In Venice, at the opening of the Festival, a work by Mikołaj Rej was performed at the Fenice Theatre: "The Life of St. Joseph" - which was very favorably judged. In addition, a novel by Jerzy Kosiński (a name completely unknown to me) was published here in Italian under the title "The Painted Bird" (uccello dipinto). And this was also received flatteringly. You pointed out that a new volume of your poetry has recently been published, in addition to the theatre play. I dare not ask, but how I would be glad to familiarize myself with this work…
We live here as before quite peacefully, almost in seclusion. If it were not for these fatal losses and illnesses in the family… But – courage and patience – and away with sorrows!
Warmest greetings
Felicja Campetti
Dear Mr. Jarosław,
I don't know if it's because of the change of address, which I already reported months ago, or for some other reason, that I haven't received any replies from you to my two previous cards. I kindly ask you to inform me about the health of you, your wife and your entire family. Because we had a real flu epidemic here, as some doctors believe - left to us by the autumn floods, it is suspected that it may have spread to Poland and I would very much like to know about the state of your health. Personally, for weeks I was unable to shake off the terrible weakness, resistant to all medicines and pills. Now it's better. Are you still cooperating with the publishing house "Twórczość"? I have a small article here - I can't call it a novella, but it is like a confession of a young writer, which I would like to publish in Poland, as a contrast to all the arch-boring yé-yé writers and "shouters". Would you be so kind as to inform me in what direction "Twórczość" is currently being led? I hope that you will miss Italy again and that then we will be able to talk at greater length.
I combine my warmest greetings with wishes for a Merry Christmas
Felicia Campetti
Merry Christmas!
Please write.
Greetings
Felicja Campetti
Notes:
A comedy in three acts about Chopin's summer stay with George Sand, which premiered December 4, 1936.
A historical novel published in 1934.
A commune in Tuscany noted for its spas.
GIven all the family concerns around money, I can imagine this was very important!
Need to find if this is a quote, and, if so, from what.
Certainly have memories of Mom and Dad having sour cream in their borscht, and obviously we continue with it on latkes (and quesadillas, etc.), but seems the Polish śmietana may be a heavier cream than we are used to.
Warrants a Wikipedia entry; looks yummy.
Iconic tower in Lucca.
There was a major Polish spelling reform in 1936.
Italy didn't enter the war until June 10, but Aunt Rosa (in Warsaw) would have already been been experiencing the war. Aunt Franka was the eldest sister.
We know from his writing (and following item) that they did meet up that August.
This is the first item in the archives since the wartime correspondence.
Short story Panny z Wilka, first published in 1933; haven't found the Italian translation she mentions.
Novel Kochankowie z Marony, first published in 1961.