On 9 August 1933 thirty-seven-year-old Werner Kraft (1896–1991), a librarian, literary scholar and author, wrote this letter to his acquaintance Margarethe Heller (1893–1982), whom he had met several years earlier through a mutual childhood friend, the philosopher and religious historian Gershom Scholem. The two had been living in exile for quite some time, Kraft in Danderyd near Stockholm, Heller in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The letter reflects the hardship suffered by emigrants. Their careers abruptly terminated, they often did not speak the language of their country of exile and were dependent on others for help. At the same time they were anxiously following developments in Germany.

Werner Kraft was considering continuing on to Palestine, but he first wanted to try to "settle here in Europe." Although not particularly optimistic about the outcome, he asked Heller to inquire at the university library in Edinburgh "whether there are any opportunities for Jewish librarians from Germany in the British library system."

Kraft closely followed the German-language press and took the opportunity to comment on current events. Two days earlier the Nazis had murdered the Jewish journalist and Social Democrat Felix Fechenbach and Kraft wrote in his letter: "How hellish life has become in Germany. Poor Fechenbach!" Concerning Karl Kraus, the Austrian writer and editor of the journal Die Fackel, he quoted another source, reporting: "He‘s physically well, but his silence reveals just how much he is suffering from the unspeakable conditions we are experiencing."

Lea Weik

Djursholm – Danderyd
near Stockholm, Sturevägen 56
After 28 August: Stockholm Sibyllegatan 31
at Blumenthal

9 August 1933

Dear Mrs. Heller,

I was pleased to hear from Emil that you and your husband are doing well. How widely scattered people have become! As you can see, we have also suffered this fate. I still don‘t know what I am going to do. I‘ll probably go to Palestine, even though I don‘t have the slightest prospects. Curiously enough, I am still officially employed and continuing to receive my salary. So order reigns amidst the terror. Palestine, although it is the Holy Land, alarms me somewhat. I would therefore like to make one last attempt to settle here in Europe and want to ask for your help in an entirely hopeless matter. Could you perhaps talk to the director of the local university library and ask him wether there are any opportunities for Jewish librarians from Germany in the British library system and what office one should contact for this purpose? I could also make a stop in England on my trip to Paris. Some brief personal details: I am the senior librarian at the Vormals Königliche und Provinzial-Bibliothek. My "subjects" are

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German, French and Italian. I am sure that the library in Hanover would provide a positive assessment. By the way, information about my career can be found in the Jahrbuch der deutschen Bibliotheken. No doubt all this will lead nowhere, like the inquiry I am requesting, but perhaps you can pursue it anyway if you have nothing better to do. One should leave no stone unturned. I would be grateful! Unfortunately, my English is not very good, but I can learn the language. How nice that you will now have the opportunity to get to know the magnificent culture of this great robber folk! I imagine that once you are able to read Shakespeare, Keats, Shelley, Ruskin and Blake as well as you do Goethe, you will look down at me. At least I can read Proust almost fluently, who is himself no lightweight, and I have now translated a number of "ideas" (which I came up with myself) into French with the help of Ernst Bl‘s wife so that I might publish them. I can send them along if you feel like reading them. If you still have time for non-English books, I can highly recommend Julien Green‘s Le voyageur sur la terre. The four stories left a deep impression on me. I would be particularly interested in hearing your opinion about a short one, "Christine," which is quite enigmatic! How hellish life has become in Germany. Poor Fechenbach! What do you make of our Rundschau? They were recently so cowardly—disguising their cowardice as an "idea" —as to claim that the tolerance in Lessing‘s Nathan

(notes at the head of page 1)
was linked to the times. Allow me to quote from a letter written on 11 July by Prof. Jaray, Vienna, an architect by profession and the selfless compiler of the index for Die Fackel: "Kraus is in Vienna. When I left the city, he had been there for at least fourteen days. He‘s physically well, but his silence reveals just how much he is suffering from the unspeakable conditions we are experiencing. It is uncertain when Die Sprache will be published. Based on all that I have heard, work on it has probably been set aside for the time being. The same goes for the publication of the next edition of Die Fackel, which is said to have been completed some time ago." –

My greetings to you and your husband,
sincerely,
Werner Kraft