P2P 5 Letter from David Swenson to Literary Secretary H Larson at ___ Princeton? publisher

P2P 5 Letter from David Swenson to Literary Secretary H Larson at ___ Princeton? publisher

September 24 th,
1935•
Miss Hanna Astrup Larsen
literary Secretary
American-Scandinavian Foundation
166 East 64th street
New York City.

Dear Miss Larsen: I was about to write to you to report progress when I received your welcome letter. with its assurances that there would be at least some Kierkegaard publication doon.

I have my translation of the "Smuler” in such condition that with the settling of a few still unsolved problems. such as a word or phrase here and there. and with a final going over for polish. I should be willing to buv it put in manuscript form for publication. This sura or I made a completely new translation of the whole. in the direction of making it more nearly literal. having felt that my translation of last spring was perhaps unnecessarily free. and too much' in the nature of a paraphrase. While this English translation must be shaped for the general reader who has the necessary culture. it is not impossible that scholars will be inclined to use it; which makes it necessary to translate all the technically crucial passages at least. quite literally. at least as far as the English idiom will permit. I am sending this translation to you under separate cover. as you request. ‘.'he unsolved problems include the title-page. I am canvassing the following alternatives. all of which have been suggested by one or another interested party. fragments. Chips. Scraps, Bits. Morseld. Crumbs. I would prefer Fragments if it were not so likely to be taken literally and not ironically; it really suggests literary remains. But that is all in the future as yet. I shall mention. however. two other unsolved problems. Firsts whether to use Reason or understand as the translation of Forstand in Chapter III; secondly. whether I dare allow myself the expansion of Offence into Offended Consciousness in the same Chapter. where Forargelse is personified. There is a proverb I have had to leave out. in Chapter V. "corn Saft altid ender i Spisekammeret". Perhaps you could help me to an English equivalent. I know of none.

I left Lake \7ales earlier than usual this summer. because I needed more apparatus in the way of dictionaries. etc.. than I had access to at Lake Wiles. In this way I missed coming to New York on my way to Mpls. as I did not suppose enough people would be in town to make it worth while. If It se ms necessary. I may be able to come to Hew Tbrk at Christmas time. In connection with the meeting of the Am. philos. Anon.

I am engaged in writing a few notes to go with the translation. My thought has been to include a translation of the Creek and the Latin In the text. to explain Danish literary allusions. and perhaps. but very sparingly. to suggest a few references to American and English philosophical literature exemplifying one or two of the more important points made. If the "Smuler" is the first Kierkegaardian book to be

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published in English dress. I suppose there is no avoiding the necessity of providing an introduction. I think that such an introduction should be mainly biographical, including of course the literary history of his Pseudonymous and religious writings, and some account of his
influence, perhaps. But I should not wish to have it try to give an accounting or evaluation of his ideas. except slightly and in passing. Kierkegaard should he allowed to speak for himself through subsequent translations. find the appetite should he kept whetted.

I suppose you know that Professor Eduard Geismar of the University of Copenhagen is to give a series of five lectured at Princeton on Soren Kierkegaard next spring, in the week of arch 15 to £2. I expect to secure his promise to come to Minnesota the week I arch 29 to April 3.
I would like to have him stop off at Chicago as he go es through. and perhaps lecture himself at the University or the Divinity School. He should also visit Wisconsin (Dane County); I am informed that they want him at Iowa; we can transport him by automobile to nearby institutions from Minneapolis, especially Luther College at Decorah, and St. Olaf at Northfield. He has told Dr. Lowrie. who seems to be managing his trip in the past, that he would like to go to the Coast. I think perhaps this would not be impossible. if we could get the University of Washington at Seattle, and the University of California at both Berkeley and at Los Angeles to invite him for a lecture, say at fifty dollars per lecture. I have wangled as much as $125 out of the University here with some help from Chicago and Iowa and perhaps Wisconsin, his expenses would be assured. Tie leaves April 20 from New York. I write you about this at such length because I think it would be very suitable for the Foundation to help a little in routing him; it would put him in touch with people he should see. particularly Danes. whom Doctor Lowrie cannot reach or does not know about. Dr Lowrie plans to have him visit Yale and Harvard before he goes west. and speak at Union and General Seminaries in New York when he comes back.

If we are ready to publish something next spring. Professor Geismar's lectures and visits should help the sale very opportunely.

I did get the manuscript and the books last summer; please pardon the oversight in not making acknowledgement. I was so busy I must have forgotten it entirely.

Sincerely yours,

David F. Swenson