Brown, Marie A.–ZT 17.9.1890

Marie A. Brown till Zacharias Topelius 17.9.1890

From Mrs. J. B. Shipley
(née(fra.) född Marie A. Brown).

Sept. 17:th, 1890.

Dear Professor Topelius.

1 At last, after this very long silence, I can write you what you will be well pleased to hear. I have brought an action against Jansen, McClurg & Co., and the trial has just been called. As it was utterly impossible to attend in person, I sent my Deposition yesterday, having only sworn to it before the American Consul. I prosecuted the firm a year ago last June, when I was in Chicago, but the case has only now come up in court. It is in charge of a very able lawyer, Judge Henry Booth, a man of the highest standing. He is very clear-headed, a philanthropist and thinker, and an excellent orator. He has said from the beginning that I had a very strong case, and would win. In proof of this he has undertaken my case with||out even a retaining fee, simply out of friendship for me, and to have justice done me.

2 I am now married, and living in a cosy little home in England, enjoying the first happiness I have ever known. I was in the United States from Oct. 1887 until July 10th 1889, and has was married immediately on my return to Europe. During my entire stay over there I was subjected to unmitigated persecution and injustice, all caused, directly or indirectly, by the base calumnies of Jansen, McClurg & Co. There was a plot, directly upon my arrival in Boston, headed by Mrs Ole Bull and other enemies bent on making out that I had no ability and was a literary impostor, but I fought that down and lectured 7 times in Boston, the first time to an audience of 2,000 persons. In Chicago I lectured before the very society of which Gen. Alex. McClurg was vice-president – The Chicago Historical Society. He did all he could to prevent the lecture, but I beat him, and reaped very|| handsome press-notices. In Winnipeg, Manitoba, I lectured under the auspices of the Historical and Scientific Society, the Mayor of the city presiding, and at Minneapolis, at the University of Minnesota. My subject was the Norse discovery of America, in fact my sole object in going back to America was to vindicate Leif Erikson’s claim before Congress. I send you, by book post, my Plea before the Senate Committee, and another pamphlet on the Suppressed historical facts, that is to say, the evidence is buried in the Vatican and other Romish libraries. Congress took no action on the matter, as the country was already committed to the Columbus celebration, and the people generally paid but very little heed to the truths I was demonstrating so cogently. But now I am getting the upper hand; the subject is being fiercely discussed in the American newspapers, and I am constantly writing upon it. Just at present I am keeping it up in the N. Y. Tribune. But the best of it all is|| that my husband is a writer too, a very able one and particularly good on historical subjects; sooläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning now it is two strong pens instead of one. Besidesoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning a gentleman who is making researches in the Vatican Archives for the English Government, hetillagt av utgivaren will make a search for us there at the same timeoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning and try to unearth those Vinland documents.

3 From what I have now written to you thus briefly, you will see that I am succeeding with everything I have in hand. Moreover we have things so arranged that we can render powerful aid to Finland, and compel the world to recognize her high intellectual rank among nations. My husband is as ardent as I am, andoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning we both burn with indignation over the oppression Russia is attempting. The sympathy for Finland is very strong in England, and we hope to accomplish much in her behalf. I have begun the work by bringing out a new edition of Nadeschda (of which I will send you a copy) and will soon announce an en||tire Finnish line of works, of which your “Surgeon’s Stories” and “Ensign Stål’s Tales”, will be the chief attractions. My publisher in New York, John B. Alden, stands ready to undertake these, when the right moment comes. He thinks there would be a large sale for a new edition, proclaimed to be the only normal and authorized one, and with Carl Larsson’s illustrations. I think, also, that Mr. Eliott Stock, in London, would be willing to undertake the English edition. But in all probability, in order that we might secure a liberal share of the profits for you and for ourselves, we shall have to invest the money for the manufacture of the “Surgeon’s Stories”, for we find all publishers so niggardly. By investing the money we can get good terms, but in no other way.

4 But as I have sued Jansen, McClurg & Co. for $ 30,000 damages, I sh and I have every chance of gaining the suit, I shall have the money, and will yet introduce Finnish literature with|| éclat! I shall under no consideration call the works of Topelius and Runeberg Swedish literature! Trust me for that!

5 Now it would be of the greatest help to me in my law-suit, if you would write me such a letter as Judge Booth could read in court, and that I could afterwards publish in American papers. One showing that you stand by me, as you once expressed it, my “faithful Finnish ally”, and approve my course as thoroughly as you condemn that of Jansen, McClurg & Co. I am sure that you will not refuse me this act of friendship and – justice.

6 The alterations in my translation were made by a Dane, Thorkild A. Schovelin Schovelin, who did not know Swedish. They were made on the proofsheets, not on the manuscript. I have the testimony of the printers that my manuscripts were printed from, of the whole six volumes! I enclose some specimens of how that wretched Dane corrected (?) and improved (?) my MSSmanuscripts.

7 Hoping to receive a welcome reply very soon, I remain

Yours with friendship and esteem

Marie A. Shipley.

 

8 The kind of alterations made in my translation of “The Surgeon’s Stories” by Mr. Schovelin:

9 In the first place, he puts the English title of rank Lady, instead of Fru, and Fröken, wherever these occur. Thus old Fru Märta, at Korsholm becomes Lady Märta, and Fröken Sinclair, the governess of Countess Ebba Bertelskiölds children, become Lady Sinclair. (See pp. 244, 275, 2:nd vol. Chicago Edition).

10 He translates hvad tusen “by a thousand barrels of devils”. (p. 121. 2nd vol.)

11 On p. 318, of the 3rd vol., he translates: “Det var Kajaneborg, som sprang i luften”, thus: “It was Kajana Castle jumping into the air”. It should be: “It was Kajana Castle that blew up, or that was blown up”. This is a ridiculous and abominable blunder.

12 I rendered the Swedish miles by six English ones. He changes these all back, and so makes horrible confusion of all the distances mentioned in the books, – The whole thing is an outrage!

13 I could tell you of many more as bad as these. He also changes the name of Ebba, daughteroläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning of count Bernhard, into Cecilia in the 2:nd Cycle, and in the third (3:rd) he leavestillagt av utgivaren it as it was, thus giving 2 names to one character.

14 Instead of straightening our Burk’s gibberish in Cycle 4, so as to be fairly intelligible to an English reader, he leaves it in all its glory, completely hiding theoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning thread of the honest Kivekäs’s meaning. He uses American slang, and second-classoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindning book language, “if he (Hård) had been along”. (been with us.)

Added by

J. B. Shipley