Brown, Marie A.–ZT 11.4.1883

Marie A. Brown till Zacharias Topelius 11.4.1883

Grand Hotel, Stockholm
April 11th, 1883.

Dear Prof. Topelius.

1 I doubt if any act of your life has given deeper happiness than this last one of yours toward me! And it was so very, very necessary, for I stood on the brink of destruction. I see now that Jansen, McClurg & Co. would never have attempted this game of theirs, had they not felt sure that they could gain your support, your authorization of their edition. A Swedish friend of mine, in Chicago, told wrote me of a very ugly threat of theirs, couched in these words: “if you do anything against them, they will meet you in a way you little dream of”. I could not imagine what this meant, until I knew that they had applied to you and sent you the book, and that Prof. Anderson’s notice had also been sent you. Then I understood it all, the whole plot, and when I had the opportunity of reading Prof. A’s notice (in “The Literary News”) about 10 days ago, I became seriously alarmed. I saw then that Prof. Anderson must have promised the firm|| your support, as you were a friend of his, and hence they went to work confidently, without a doubt that they could annihilate me. I am very sorry that I do not have the last letter Prof. Anderson wrote me before I left Chicago, promising me his pen and services in support of my translations of “The Surgeon’s Stories”. But it contained such mean, such outragious words about the king of Sweden – and Norway, that I did not wish to have such a letter in my possession, and tore it up. However, the former one is sufficient to convict him and I have hectographed a fac simile of the pregnant paragraph and sent it to 35 American editors. (Please read enclosed copy). The man is a traitor through and through. The cause of his hostility to me is that he is a friend to Selma Borg, and he has always hated me because I denounced her. It is quite evident now that she, too, is in this conspiracy against me, directly or indirectly. Björnson met her in Boston, was charmed with her, of course, is she not a reformer of the true communistic, anarchical type? Björnson is a friend of Prof. Anderson’s, there you have the connection of it all. J. McC. & Co. have written things against my literary reputation in the American newspapers; these have been read by|| that wretched Braekstad in London, another Norwegian and friend of Björnson, and he is using this against me there. Realizing the great danger of my situation, that my whole Swedish cause would be wrecked, if you did not authorize my translation and thus threw the power in my enemies’ hands, with my mother still confined to her bed, and without a crown krona in my purse, I became perfectly desperate and in this extreme emergency went to Mr. von Qvanten, to ask him as a friend of yours, to intercede with you in my behalf and save me from impending ruin. You have probably received his letter. Fortunately Mrs von Qvanten had seen Selma Borg when she was here (in 1876), and had been warned against her before she came; Mr. von Qvanten would not see her, he told me he wished to have nothing to do with such a woman. Mrs von Qvanten has a letter, portions of which she read to me, from a Swedish lady now residing in Philadelphia, and whom I knew slightly, Mrs Yhlen-Olsen, which contains some very important facts about Selma Borg, and these facts, if they could be published, would expose her and put a stop to her infamous career. Not only Mrs Olsen, but Mrs von Qvanten, and a lady|| from Finland whose acquaintance I have lately made,oläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning Mrs Rosa Dannström, pronounce Selma Borg an adventuress, and say that America is the only country sheoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning could live in, that she could not live in either Sweden or Finland. When the von Qvantens heard that she was in this scandalous business of J. McC & Co, and Prof. Anderson they did not wonder that I had suffered so much. “Why”, exclaimed Mrs von Qvanten, “Selma Borg told me that she had translated Fältskärn, but Mrs Olsen had told me beforehand not to believe anything she said, so I knew it was not true.”tillagt av utgivaren

2 I wish with all my soul that Selma Borg’s famioläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindningly would force her to return to them, for she is not fit to be at large; she is a disgrace to them and a disgrace to Finland! What a pity, just when the twooläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning most distinguished authors of Finland are about to be introduced there, that Selma Borg, that low-livedoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning adventuress, should parade herself and pass as a representative Finnish lady! It is dreadful!

3 I would like you to read Mrs Olsen’s letter, if Mrs von Qvanten would permit you to do so, for indeed it is really necessary that you should be informed of these facts, and how essentially that miserable woman has hindered my work of introducing|| Swedish literature in the U. S. If you know Herr Juhlin-Dannfelt, he could tell you some facts, for he was ooläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindningne of her victims, in a pecuniary way. She also victimized the (original) Swedish Ladies Quartette, and more Americans than I could possible name. My Swedish friends exclaim: “how is it possible that she can run so long a course, without being found out?”

4 But now I must tell you of something pleasant, the only bright side to the experience of this horrible winter, and that is the extreme love and kindness that has been shown us by our Swedish friends. As the firm paid me so very little for “Fältskärn” and as I had to pay our expenses out of this sum while I was finishing the translation in Chicago, we became short of money in in Paris, and my mother and myself were reduced to the very verge of starvation. The uoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindningnmerciful French landlady has kept every thing of value we possess, as security for her bill. Col. Staaff and his wife, and Friherrinnan Sophie Stjernstedt lent me money enough to bring me to Sweden, but I had to leave my mother there, in care of what few friends we had there. After a while she was able to get to London, on her way to me here, but as I was utterly unable|| to send her money, (my work in America did not yield me a cent, and my newspaper letters were not paid for) she was again reduced to starvation and for days together had scarcely food enough to keep her alive. What we both suffered is beyond the power of words to express. The next week after she arrived in Stockholm, I received that deeply insulting letter from Mr. Browne, of the firm. Almost crushed under this blow, and constantly harrowed with our poverty, which I could see no way of relieving, if the firm succeeded in ruining me, my mother met with that frightful accident, which so nearly proved fatal. One day Dr. Berg took me outside the room and told me he feared she would not recover, and that I must have a nurse for her, and various appliances that were necessary. “But how can I?” I exclaimed, “I am entirely out of money, and do not know when I can get any, or if I can ever get any”. I told him the only thing I could think of was to go to a wealthy lady friend and try to borrow some money of her, “No, he said”, if you must borrow, why not borrow of me? I will get the nurse, and pay her, and as for us two doctors, you need not think of us at all”. As mother|| had erysipelas, Dr. Berg had to call in another physician for he would otherwise have communicated this disease to his other patients. Mr. Cadier has waited for me here at the hôtel; I have only one bill to pay him, for he has made me no charge, ever since I have been here, as I am a foreign correspondent. So either Dr. Berg or Dr. Lamborg have been here nearly every day and for a long time twice a day, since the 7:th of January, and if they had been mother’s own sons they could not have been kinder. And so many other friends, too, have shown us love and consideration. And now Dr. Berg after all he has done, is trying to borrow a large sum of money for me, so as to save us both from anxiety, for my trouble is that I cannot earn a krona, with all my prospects, until I can effect combinations between my several Swedish publishers and American or English ones. I will have nearly 10,000 kronor from Hjalmar Linnström for “Sveriges historia”, if I can get an American or English publisher, 5,000 kronor from Mr. Bonnier, for “Fältskärn”, with the same if, and this is agonizing in itself, it was simply torture during those long, long weeks when I did not know that I would have your letter of authorization, the|| only thing that could save me from my enemies and save my name in the U. S. Here, thank heaven, I have never needed anything to convince people of my ability. “Nadeschda” gave me my true rank and place, and what I have already translated from Swedish poets, for my proposed anthology, and some 8 or 10 sångar from “Fänrik Stål” have but confirmed my reputation. Rector Siljeström, after praising my translation in the most glowing terms has taken the mss. (about 100 pages, all I have completed at present) of the anthology to Norstedt & Söner. Dr. Wirsén has the other copy of it, which he wished to read. He, an acknowledged critic, said to me, after reading my translation of “Torpflickan”: “Miss Brown, if I had seen nothing else of yours, this would convince me of your ability; it is well done”. He also said, “it will be of great benefit to Sweden if you can get such an anthology published, done as you will do it”. He also assured me that Snoilsky, Bäckström and others would be greatly pleased with the idea. Runeberg and Topelius will be well represented in this anthology. – I enclose a translation of the authorization, which pleases me in every particular. I am sorry you take away poor Larsson’s oaths; how could he help swearing?

Your devoted and grateful friend


Marie A. Brown.

5 Prof. Z. Topelius herewith authorizes Miss Marie A. Brown to translate his work “The Surgeon’s Stories” (Fältskärns berättelser) cycles I–V, and to publish said translation on the following conditions:

6 1. The translation should be complete and made according to the illustrated, seventh Swedish edition, revised by the author, and published by Herr Albert Bonnier, in Stockholm.

7 2. If the translation is stereotyped, the author demands no honorarium for the first [    ]Tomrum copies,but for every 1000 copies over and above, he desires a fair honorarium, which the publisher is to propose and the author accept before the authorization.

8 3. Likewise, if the work is not stereotyped, but printed from the types, the author demands no honorarium for the first edition up to [    ]Tomrum copies|| or under that. On the other hand, he should, as above stated, be compensated for every 1000 copies over and above, and have the right of disposal over subsequent editions.

9 4. For every edition or every 4000 copies stereotyped, 10 copies of the book are to be sent postpaid to the author.

10 5. A copy of Miss Marie A. Brown’s contract with the publisher is to be sent to the author.

11 6. The above conditions concerning the author will also hold good in the event of Miss Brown’s ceding the right of disposal to some other person, for ever, of this translation of hers.

12 We declare ourselves satisfied with these conditions.