Brown, Marie A.–ZT 23.1.1883

Marie A. Brown till Zacharias Topelius 23.1.1883

Grand Hotel
Stockholm, Jan. 23rd / 83.

Prof. Z, Topelius.
Dear sir.

1 Your last kind letter was a great comfort, not only from its welcome contents, but coming as it did in the midst of great affliction. The day before I received it, (Jan. 7th) my mother and I met with a terrible accident, which, but for a miracle, would have been fatal. We were out walking, when a sleigh drove round a corner so rapidly that we had not an instant to save ourselves. I heard nothing until the cry of the people who saw it, and we were under both horses. I escaped unhurt, save for the extreme nervous shock, but mother’s head was injured, and so seriously that it was feared she could not live. She has had two weeks of frightful suffering, but is now better. To have been so near my release from a world, which has become wellnigh intolerable to me, to be brought back, when I might so easily have died, to take up all|| my burdens again, to enter into that battle with those devils in the U. S. − seemed to me the most cruel thing that has ever befallen me. I am almost worn out with the struggle and my many troubles, all, all proceeding from the world’s injustice to me, for I have had little or no recompense or consideration for anything I have ever done.

2 All through the watches of these weary nights, when mother has been racked with pain, and I racked with a mental pain scarcely less than hers, the thought of Fältskärns berättelser” and the fresh series of vexations I would probably enter upon in trying to get them published by Mr. Bonnier, has been a constant torment to me. I fear I will have trouble with him right along, and my friends fear the same. The last time I saw him, he told me flatly that Prof. Topelius did not wish to give me a letter of authorization, until it was proved whether my work was worthy or not. I told him positively that this was not the case, that I had just received a letter from you expressing quite the contrary. He was still incred||ulous and insisted upon seeing this letter of yours. I do not wish to show it to him, he has no right whatsoever to see your letters to me. He said, moreover, that the author had not empowered him to do anything with regard to the authorization or the form of it, so he would not help me in the least in this matter. − Now it seems to me, if you value my efforts in the past, or desire them for the future, that you will be able to write such words to Mr. Bonnier as will make your desire to have me as the translator of “Fältskärn” quite clear to him, and if you will arrange with him as to the form of authorization, the terms, all the business arrangement, it will be an infinite service to me, for as to undergoing this unlooked-for annoyance here from him and the conflict with J. McClurg & Co. in addition, it is more than my flagging powers can stand. It is the only thing of the kind I have had in Sweden, there has been, with this one exception, no doubt thrown upon my literary ability. Prof. Oscar Alin, in Upsala, one of the authors of Sveriges historia, refused|| even to look at my press-notices, and said, “I do not need any testimony of that kind, Miss Brown’s literary standing is too well known in Sweden”. In view of the way I have been universally received here, Mr. Bonnier’s attitude is little less than insulting, and I resent it deeply. With the history matter everything is as smooth as oil; I have the cordial support of all the authors, Mr. Linström, the publisher is a gentleman and a man of high ambitions, and Dr. Montelius thinks we will also have the support of Prof. Nordenskiöld in regard to an English publisher, for our choice lies with Macmillan, who published the “Vega”.

3 As for the form of authorization why not give me the same as to your German or Danish translator? The form can be simple enough. An authorization is in its very nature exclusive, a monopoly; there cannot very well be two authorized editions. An edition is either authorized, or unauthorized, either with the author’s sanction or without it. You could not give such a letter to me, and then give one like it to some other English translator.

4 You see this will be a very arduous matter for me at the best, for I may have to make an|| entire new translation of the series, and that in my present weary and despondent state, is no pleasant thing to contemplate. That wretched firm have the audacity to charge me $ 900 for my manuscripts of “Fältskärn”, whereas they only paid me $ 500 for them. This demand of theirs, in writing, is one of my strongest points against them, and I will fight them, hold them up to public scorn just so long as I have strength to hold a pen or the wit to devise a new scheme of attack against them. My latest, I think, was a brilliant move; I have sent my sworn statement of the whole transaction with J. McClurg & Co., to over 50 American newspapers for publication. When I happened to say before our Amer. Consul here, Col. Elfwing, that I wished to appear before some lawyer and take oath, he said: “come to me, I’m your man, I will put you through”, and I could see, from the twinkle in his eye, that he thought I had hit upon a bright idea. Now if the firm contradict what I say, they will|| have to perjure themselves. I had a letter yesterdayoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning from a Swedish friend in Chicago, who tells me that the firm have made some very ugly threatsoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning if I dare to put anything in the papers against them. Threats only make me more determined. They are very wicked and malignant, quite worthy of that sink of iniquity, Chicago, when people are knocked down and robbed in broad daylight. − I only ask that things may be madeoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning a little easy for me here, so that I may not have the double battle, and as Mr. Bonnier throws all the power in your hands, and saysoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning he will do just as you direct, all my hope lies with you and I think you may be able to adjust things well and in such a way asoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning to relieve me from anxiety on this score. The firm have already published the 1st vol., under the changed title: “In the Time of Gustav Adolf”, and declare that they mean to go on with the seriesoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning and defy all my attempts to stop them. I mean to stop them, and I shall.

Yours with sincere esteem


Marie A. Brown.