Drohobych. Bruno Schulz writes a letter to Zenon Waśniewski, in which he refers to his assessment of Second Autumn and answers his questions. The letter ends with a short statement about the creative process.
Schulz begins by thanking him for a “good and honest letter” in which Zenon Waśniewski* expressed his opinion on the received excerpt of prose. From the reply, it can be concluded that the editor of Kamena* highly appreciated the poetic value of Second Autumn*. “I really do not value my writing so highly and when I compare it with the achievements of Polish poetry, it often seems that my writing is mediocre and poor” – replies Schulz. At the same time, he is afraid that this kind of literature would “pass, like all trends”.
Later in the letter, the regular topics of their correspondence return: meeting plans (which do not come to fruition), issues of artistic techniques (here, in particular, “watercolour and its possibilities”), mediation in the business of Waśniewski and Aleksander Leszczyc*, exchange of pedagogical experiences (this time it is “advice on the strategy for boys at school”), applying for a leave (Schulz’s application “has some chances of success”).
The case of the money lottery, which started in June and then re-emerged twice, continued. Schulz informs Waśniewski that he bought two tickets for both of them, 10 zlotys each. “It is obvious”, he explains the rules of this partnership, “that it does not matter which ticket wins; we split it fifty-fifty. These are the numbers: 164276 and 93131. The first draw is already on the 18th of the current month. […] However, this requires us to renew this stake every month”.
When asked by Waśniewski about his writing plans, Schulz replies that it is difficult for him to speak about it, but promises that he will read prepared excerpts when they meet. He concludes: “It’s a hell of a difficult thing to get something out of yourself”. This phrase begins one of the most important Schulz’s statements on creating: “Sometimes it seems to a man that he has a lot of material and he bends under the weight of the mission he took on. And again, with surprise, he finds an emptiness in himself. These are ordinary vicissitudes: ebbs and flows that need to be dealt with somehow. You have to be stuck at work all the time, not to pause it – for example, to teach at school – because this lack of continuity kills inspiration”. (sr) (transl. mw)
See also: March 15, 1934, March 24, 1934, April 2, 193[4], April 24, 1934, June 5, 1934, June 23, 1934, August 28, 1934, September 14, 1934, September 30, 1934, October 6, 1934, November 7, 1934, November 15, 1934, December 19, 1934, January 28, 1935, March 16, 1935, [March 25, 1935], June 24, 1935, July 13, 1935, August 3, 1935, [August 7, 1935], June 2, 1937, August 4, 1937, [5 January 1938], April 24, 1938. (bt) (transl. mw)
