Brown, Marie A.–ZT 8.5.1883

Marie A. Brown till Zacharias Topelius 8.5.1883

Grand Hôtel
Stockholm, May 8:th / 83.

Dear Prof. Topelius.

1 When your postal came I was just on the point of going to Upsala, and only to-day have I been aoläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindningble to see Mr. Bonnier (the son). The number you name, 3000, is satisfactory, so you can insert it. But now – Mr. Atwater has declined. I received his letter on the 5th of May. He says Mr. Bonnier’s terms are entirely too high, and he evidently wishes the series for such coläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindningontemptibly low ones, that I for my part do not deem it worth while to continue the negotiation with him. I should now like to try Harpers Bros., in New York, and Samson, Low & Co. in London. I wish to go to London, to use my personal efforts, and I consider this absolutely necessary, but I have not the money, and do not see how to get it. I have just written to Dr. Oscar Montelius, in the same way that I now write to you, to ask if the money needed for my travelling expenses and a month’s stay in London could not be advanced from the|| authors and publishers interested in the works I am striving to get published? It would be best for me to go the 1st of June. The books for which I would endeavor to find a publisher are these:

2 “Sveriges historia.”

3 “The Surgeon’s Stories.”

4 “Ensign Ståls Tales.”

5 “Selections from Swedish Poets.”

6 “Swedish Folk-sagor.”

7 The latter work I added to my list when I was in Upsala, for it would be immensely popular in any country, and Prof. Holmgren, seeing how much I was interested, invited the author, Mr. Bondeson, to meet me, and I arranged with him at once for an authorized translation. The first work, any work that I can get accepted will help all the rest.

8 And now I wish to speak frankly to you about one thing. I have felt very much hurt at your inference that I was not able to translate poetry well, and that rhymed verse was quite beyond my powers, so you will forgive me for repeating the words of praise I have received for my translation of “Ensign’s Stål’s|| Tales” and the anthology, as far as I have completed them. I went to C. D. af Wirsén an entire stranger, put “Torpflickan” in his hands, and before he had read the first paper to the bottom, he said: “Miss Brown, if I had nothing but this, this would convince me of your ability, it is well translated”. I left the entire mss. of the anthology with him, for he said it would give him great pleasure to read it. Three weeks later he told me that he had read every word of it, and that all the poems were well done. In a note to me he says: “ber jag Eder vara fullkomligt öfvertygad om min hjertliga önskan att i allt kunna stå till Eder tjenst”. Count Snoilsky, to whom I sent my translation of ”Läkaren” and ”Jultankar i Rom”, replied, very cordially; to quote his words: ”Jag har haft äran mottaga Edert bref, jemte de två öfversättningsprofven, hvilka beredt mig ett särdeles stort nöje, liksom jag ej kan finna annat än förträfflig Eder tanke att genom ett urval af svenska dikter i engelsk tolkning, göra vår hittils föga kända poetiska litteratur mera bekant på båda sidor om oceanen. And again: ”förstår jag dock språket tillräckligt|| för att finna att Eder tolkning både ledigt och troget följer originalet. ”..... Vill ni, till råga på eder godhet, jemväl meddela mig Edra andra översättningar efter mina stycken, skulle det vara mig mycket kärt”. – Prof. Holmgren, after reading some pieces from ”Ensign Stål” said at once, ”this is well done”. So did his wife, so did Mr. Bondeson. The latter was particularly pleased with my translation of “Sven Dufva”, said it was “remarkably faithful”. His majesty, the king was well pleased with my translation of “Östersjön”.

9 I will be glad to send you, at any time, some copies of several of the poems in the anthology, of which I enclose part of the table of contents, if you will put these in the hands of a competent critic, not an English woman; perhaps the editor of “Finsk Tidskrift” would be a good judge; Mr. von Qvanten tells me he has already mentioned “Nadeschda” in his magazine.

10 If I go to England, can you lend me your copy of the 1:st vol., “Gustaf Adolf”, in my translation of course, to show to the English publishers, as I have no copy of my own? You may rest assured that I have courage, determination, but this constant lack of money is very annoying, for it keeps me with my hands tied behind me.

Yours very truly


Marie A. Brown.

Contents:

The Baltic (Östersjön,)	Oscar Frederik.
The Cloud’s Brother,	Johan Ludvig Runeberg.
The Awakening,	Erik Gustaf Geiger.
The Sea-gulls,	Carl Snoilsky.
At Seventeen,	Johan Ludvig Runeberg.
The Little Gift,	Z. Topelius.
The Mariner,	Anon.
Why does it sigh so deeply in the forest?	B. E. Malmström.
The Sun-worshipper,	C. W. Böttiger.
The Strange Bird,	Carl Snoilsky.
Song of Freedom,	Anon.
The Sixth of November,	Frithiof Holmgren.
The Viking,	Erik Gustaf Geiger.
The Eternal,	Esaias Tegnér.
Pensant Phoo,	Johan Ludvig Runeberg.
Two Swords,	C. D. af Wirsén.
Ode to Stockholm,	C. W. Böttiger.
Time and its Mother,	Z. Topelius.
Vain Desire,	Johan Ludvig Runeberg.
To my sweet-heart,	Carl Fredrik Dahlgren.
Selma’s Thought in the Spring,	Z. Topelius.
Selections from Axel and Maria,	Esaias Tegnér.
The Difference,	Johan Ludvig Runeberg.
What I have been,	Wilhelm von Braun.
The Physician,	Carl Snoilsky.
Angelieu,	Bernhard Elis Malmström.
Foot-prints on the Rock,	Z. Topelius.
The Giant,	Esaias Tegnér.
The Grave in Perrho,	Johan Ludvig Runeberg.
The Birds, a Cycle of Springs Songs,	Carl Wilhelm Böttiger.
A Strange Christmas Present,	Frithiof Holmgren.
To the Young,	Bernhard E. Malmström.
Tycho Brahe’s Vision,	Carl August Nikander.
The Youth’s Choice,	Z Topelius.
Heart-beating,	Bernhard E Malmström.
The Telegraph and the Birds,	Carl Snoilsky.
The Little Collier boy	Erik Gustaf Geiger.
To Carl von Linnés Memory,	Frithiof Holmgren.