August 21, 1938, Sunday

With Schulz’s consent, the text was illustrated without his drawings, which was exceptional. Until now, the writer made them himself. Egga van Haardt* created drawings in a style that was far different from Schulz’s. Although they had titles pointing to some elements of the world depicted in the story: At the table, The Moon, The Crazy Tłuja, Adela and the Counter Jumper Tłuja’s Sarabanda, Strange Father, Edward’s Death, Experiments with Uncle Edward, they were visual metaphors rather than illustrations. It seems that Schulz accepted the artist’s individual style. In a letter to Romana Halpern* he mentions: “Egga has already drawn illustrations for The Comet. I think it will be published soon”¹. The story was published in book form only in 1957 in a volume containing The Cinnamon Shops, Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass and The Comet², but without Egga van Haardt’s illustrations. (sr) (transl. mw)