{"id":461,"date":"2021-02-16T16:01:42","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T15:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.urz.uni-halle.de\/twain\/?page_id=461"},"modified":"2021-04-01T21:35:11","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T19:35:11","slug":"kim-nitzschke","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.urz.uni-halle.de\/twain\/kim-nitzschke\/","title":{"rendered":"Kim Nitschke"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“Mark Twain’s R\u00fcckreise nach der Heimath” Freie Presse f\u00fcr Texas<\/em>. 12 Jun 1899<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Mark Twain’s R\u00fcckreise nach der Heimath<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Mark Twain’s return journey home<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Nach mehrj\u00e4hrigem Aufenthalt1<\/a><\/sup> wird Mark Twain Wien verlassen und sich nach den Vereinigten Staaten zur\u00fcck begeben. Man schreibt aus Wien: In den n\u00e4chsten Tagen wird der bekannte amerikanische Humorist Mark Twain unsere Stadt in Begleitung seiner Gattin und seiner beiden T\u00f6chter verlassen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

After a stay of several years, Mark Twain will leave Vienna and return to the United States. One writes from Vienna: In the next few days the well-known American humorist Mark Twain will leave our city accompanied by his wife and his two daughters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Den Aufenthalt hier hatte Mark Twain, wie man wei\u00df, mit R\u00fccksicht auf die musikalische Ausbildung seiner begabten Tochter Mi\u00df Clara Clemens gew\u00e4hlt und die junge Dame oblag hier bei Leschetitzky und sp\u00e4ter bei der S\u00e4ngerin Fr\u00e4ulein Marianne Brandt ihren Studien2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

It is known that Mark Twain had chosen to stay here for the musical education of his talented daughter, Miss Clara Clemens, and the young lady studied here with Leschetitzky and later with the singer Fr\u00e4ulein Marianne Brandt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Der Aufenthalt in Wien war von vornherein auf zwei Jahre pr\u00e4liminirt und sollte im Herbste dieses
Jahres zu Ende gehen. Thats\u00e4chlich hatte die Familie Clemens bereits eine Sommerwohnung in der N\u00e4he von Reichenau3<\/a><\/sup> gew\u00e4hlt, wo der Fr\u00fchling und Sommer verbracht werden sollten; allein diese Dispositionen wurden im letzten Momente ge\u00e4ndert, da sich die Nothwendigkeit der Anwesenheit Mark
Twain\u2018s in London4<\/a><\/sup> herausstellte. So wird Mark Twain den Hochsommer in den schottischen Hochgebirgen verbringen und sich dann im Herbst nach seinem Heimathlande Florida, das er jahrelang nicht gesehen, zur\u00fcckbegeben. Einem Besucher, der ihn in seinem provisorischen Heim im \u201eHotel Krantz\u201c5<\/a><\/sup> mit den Vorbereitungen zur Abreise besch\u00e4ftigt fand, best\u00e4tigte Mark Twain, da\u00df ihn nur gesch\u00e4ftliche Verbindungen gezwungen h\u00e4tten, seine Abreise zu beschleunigen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

The stay in Vienna was preliminarily scheduled for two years and was to end in fall of this year. In fact, the Clemens family had already chosen a summer residence near Reichenau, where the spring and summer were to be spent; only these dispositions were changed at the last moment, since the necessity of Mark Twain’s presence in London became apparent. Thus, Mark Twain will spend midsummer in the Scottish highlands and then in fall will return to his homeland Florida, which he has not seen for years. To a visitor who found him busy in his temporary home at the “Hotel Krantz” preparing for departure, Mark Twain confirmed that only business connections had forced him to hasten his departure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

\u201eIch werde auf meinen Wiener Aufenthalt immer nur mit wahrem Vergn\u00fcgen zur\u00fcckblicken,\u201c \u00e4u\u00dferte Mark Twain, \u201ees ist eine Stadt, in der es sich so gut arbeiten l\u00e4\u00dft. Was ich gearbeitet habe? An einer Portr\u00e4tgallerie, an Berichten von interessanten Leuten6<\/a><\/sup>, mit denen ich in meinem Leben zusammengekommen bin, von meiner Kindheit angefangen bis heute, da und dort, in der ganzen Welt …. Darunter sind Leute von allen Rangklassen und gesellschaftlichen Stellungen, wenn sie nur die eine Bedingung erf\u00fcllen, interessant zu sein. Es sind Monarchen und F\u00fcrsten darunter, aber auch Schneider und Schuhmacher, Kutscher \u2014 o, die k\u00f6nnen sehr interessant sein! dann Poeten, Advokaten, Novellisten und Humoristen \u2014 Diebe, Desperados, F\u00e4lscher, Buchdrucker und Pastoren, Piraten, Neger, Indianer,
K\u00f6che und Kellner \u2014 Historiker und Pferdeschwindler \u2014 die feine Gesellschaft, die unfeine Gesellschaft, Chinesen, Engl\u00e4nder, Irl\u00e4nder, Wiener \u2014 kurz alle Nationalit\u00e4ten. Ich habe hunderte von Namen auf meiner Liste. W\u00e4hrend des letzten Jahres meines Wiener Aufenthaltes hab\u2018 ich einen Band fertig geschrieben. Wien war f\u00fcr mich eine Fundgrube. Es ist eine herrliche Stadt, ich wiederhole es noch einmal, und hat interessante Leute; man kann keinen Stein werfen, ohne einen interessanten Menschen zum Kr\u00fcppel zu machen ….<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

 “I shall always look back on my stay in Vienna only with real pleasure,” Mark Twain expressed, “it is a city where it is so good to work. What was I working on? On a portrait gallery, on reports of interesting people who I have met in my life, from my childhood until today, here and there, all over the world …. Among them are people of all ranks and social positions, if they only fulfill the one condition of being interesting. There are monarchs and princes among them, but also tailors and shoemakers, coachmen \u2014 o, they can be very interesting! then poets, advocates, novellists and humorists \u2014 thieves, desperadoes, forgers, printers and pastors, pirates, negroes, Indians, cooks and waiters \u2014 historians and horse swindlers \u2014 the fine society, the not so fine society, Chinese, English, Irish, Viennese \u2014 in short, all nationalities. I have hundreds of names on my list. During the last year of my stay in Vienna I have finished writing a book. Vienna was a treasure trove for me. It is a splendid city, I repeat again, and has interesting people; you can’t throw a stone without crippling an interesting person ….<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Und wenn ich noch einmal nach Wien komme \u2014 bei diesen Worten ergriff Mark Twain eine Tageszeitung und deutete auf einen Bericht \u00fcber die letzte Sitzung des Landtages, in welchem \u00fcber die Entscheidung des Verwaltungsgerichtshofes ,,debattirt\u201c7<\/a><\/sup> wurde \u2014 wenn ich noch einmal nach Wien komme, dann sind solche Dinge unm\u00f6glich. Ich habe Leute \u00fcber politische Verrohung in Amerika sprechen h\u00f6ren. Aber es giebt keine Partei in Amerika und keinen Auswuchs einer Partei, die es wagen w\u00fcrde, an dem Heiligsten, was es in einem Rechtsstaate gibt, an der Achtung vor dem Richterstande, zu r\u00fctteln ….\u201c\u2014<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

And if I come to Vienna again \u2014 at these words Mark Twain grabbed a daily newspaper and pointed to a report on the last session of the parliament, in which the decision of the Administrative Court was “debated” \u2014 if I come to Vienna again, then such things are impossible. I have heard people talk about political brutalization in America. But there is no party in America and no outgrowth of a party that would dare to tamper with the most sacred thing in a constitutional state, respect for the judiciary ….”\u2014<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Mark Twain wird auf der Reise nach London an mehreren Punkten, wie Dresden und Berlin, einige Tage verweilen. In London werden zu seinem Empfang gro\u00dfe Vorbereitungen getroffen, da man sich f\u00fcr die herzliche Aufnahme, die Rudyard Kipling8<\/a><\/sup> in Amerika erfahren hat, zu revanchiren gedenkt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Mark Twain will spend a few days at several points on his trip to London, such as Dresden and Berlin. In London, great preparations will be made for his reception, since one intends to return the warm exception that Rudyard Kipling experienced in America.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Source:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMark Twain\u2019s R\u00fcckreise nach der Heimath.\u201c Freie Presse f\u00fcr Texas<\/em> (San Antonio, Tex.), 12 Jun. 1899, p. 1, c. 3. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers<\/em>. Lib. Of Congress. <https:\/\/chroniclingamerica.loc.gov\/lccn\/sn83045227\/1899-06-12\/ed-1\/seq-1\/<\/a>><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1<\/sup> Mark Twain, accompanied by his wife Olivia and his daughters Jean and Clara, stayed in Vienna from September 27, 1897 until May 26, 1899.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2<\/sup> Before coming to Vienna, Clara Clemens had already studied with different acclaimed musicians in Europe, like Helen Hope Kirk and Moritz Moszkowsky (San Francisco Call 2). Her focus at that time was still mostly on playing the piano. That is why she wanted to study with Theodor Leschetitzky (also written as Leschetzky), a famous Austrian pianist and piano teacher. In My Father Mark Twain<\/em>, Clara Clemens explains that she had heard many stories, good and bad, about Leschetitzky and that she was intrigued to become his pupil (189). It is not clear, how Mark Twain really thought about his daughter\u2019s musical ambitions, as he mostly talked about music in a satirical way. But on some occasions, he showed pride for his daughter (Dolmetsch 94). Nevertheless, Clara Clemens was allowed to study under Leschetitzky and the Clemens family stayed in Vienna. In summer 1898, Alice Barbi, an American singer, convinced Clara Clemens to undergo vocal lessons instead of piano lessons, after hearing her sing. So Clara Clemens ended her lessons with Leschetitzky and started to be taught by the famous singer Marianne Brandt. Clara Clemens made some attempts as a concert singer (example: The New York Times 23 September 1906<\/a>), but ended her professional music career after her marriage to Ossip Gabrilowitsch, a student of Leschetitzky (Dolmetsch 106). || Sources:<\/strong> Clemens, Clara. My Father Mark Twain<\/em>. Harper Brothers Publishers, 1931 (Internet Archive<\/a>); Dolmetsch, Carl. Our Famous Guest: Mark Twain in Vienna<\/em>. University of Georgia Press, 1992 (Internet Archive<\/a>); “Twain’s Talented Daughter will be Professional Singer.” The San Francisco Call<\/em>\u00a0(San Francisco, Calif.), 9 Nov. 1900, p. 2, c. 1. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers<\/em>. Lib. Of Congress. https:\/\/chroniclingamerica.loc.gov\/lccn\/sn85066387\/1900-11-09\/ed-1\/seq-2\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3<\/sup> Reichenau an der Rax is a little town with healing climate near the Alps. See the town’s website<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4<\/sup> In 1899, Mark Twain started his plans to publish a deluxe edition of his works. Parallel to an American edition published by the American Publishing Company, a British edition was to be released in 1899 by Chatto and Windus called The Writings of Mark Twain De Luxe Edition<\/em>. The collection consisted of 22 volumes; 1903 a 23rd volume was added to spark sales again and 1906\/07 two more volumes were added by Harper and Brothers. All books were bound in green cloth (like the American edition) and included the Mark Twain watermark, Mark Twain\u2019s autograph in the first volume and a special title page designed by Tiffany and Company. Additionally, some sets also contained original manuscripts and letters. Those sets are believed to be special orders (Schmidt). Originally, 1000 sets were planned to be released, but due to bad sales prospects Andrew Chatto only requested 620 copies (Welland 199). In the end, only 250 copies were produced. By 1906, Chatto still had eight sets of the deluxe edition and 65 copies of volume 23 left (Schmidt). While planning this edition, Mark Twain saw a high value in it. He placed this value mostly on the limited number of sets, as he said that he does not actually expect anybody to read this edition. Mark Twain said in an interview: \u201cThere’s some human instinct which makes a man treasure what he is not to make any use of, because everybody does not possess it\u201d (Scharnhorst 335). When the deluxe edition was released, it was sold for $50 per set. Today, The Writings of Mark Twain De Luxe Edition <\/em>is sold for thousands of dollars (set no. 37<\/a>, missing two volumes, $10000; or set no. 26<\/a>, in new binding, $9000). || Sources:<\/strong> Scharnhorst, Gary (ed.).\u00a0Mark Twain: The Complete Interviews<\/em>. University of Alabama Press, 2006 (Google Books<\/a>); Schmidt, Barbara. “A History of and Guide to Uniform Editions of Mark Twain’s Works” Twainquotes<\/em>, www.twainquotes.com\/UniformEds\/UniformEdsCh4-c.html<\/a>. Accessed 26 March 2021; Welland, Dennis.\u00a0Mark Twain in England<\/em>. Chatto and Windus, 1978.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5<\/sup> June 1945, the luxury hotel was renamed to Hotel Ambassador. More information about the history of the hotel provides the hotel’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6<\/sup> This book announcement was a joke made by Mark Twain in his last week in Vienna and everybody believed it. In another interview with Dr. Johannes Horowitz, correspondent for the New York Times, Mark Twain further extended his joke by explaining that his book will not be published until 100 years after his death, because this way he does not have to consider offending anyone (Scharnhorst 128 f.). The Viennese people were very concerned, fearing what the usually outspoken Mark Twain has to say about them. This joke resulted in a quite negative press reaction (example: Reichspost 26 May 1899<\/a>). A few days later, Mark Twain felt obligated to clarify his joke through his friend and journalist Eduard P\u00f6tzl (Neues Wiener Tageblatt 27 May 1899<\/a>). The reason for this joke, as Carl Dolmetsch concludes, was to draw attention to his actual works written during his time in Vienna (311). || Sources:<\/strong> Dolmetsch, Carl. Our Famous Guest: Mark Twain in Vienna<\/em>. University of Georgia Press, 1992 (Internet Archive<\/a>); Scharnhorst, Gary (ed.).\u00a0Mark Twain: The Complete Interviews<\/em>. University of Alabama Press, 2006 (Google Books<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7<\/sup> Shortly after arriving in Vienna, Mark Twain started to take an interest in the local politics. On October 28, 1897, he attended a sitting of the Austrian-Hungarian parliament for the first time. He describes it in great detail in his essay Stirring Times in Austria<\/em>, first published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine <\/em>in March 1898. Mark Twain writes that the sitting was constantly disrupted by heckling of the politicians (213). Curses and threats were made against the speaker (215). Everybody had wooden planks that they banged on their desk to make loud noises (216). Many sittings of the parliament went like this, making a normal debate nearly impossible. || Sources<\/strong>: Twain, Mark. \u201cStirring Times in Austria\u201d How to tell a Story and other Essays<\/em>. Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1900. pp. 200-249 (Internet Archive<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

8<\/sup> Rudyard Joseph Kipling (1865-1936) was born in Bombay, but grew up in England. He is best known for his novels The Jungle Book<\/em> (1894, 1895) and Kim<\/em> (1901). In 1907. He received an honorary degree from Oxford, like Mark Twain in the same year, and at the end of the year he was awarded with the Nobel Prize for literature (Pinney). Kipling was a fan of Mark Twain\u2019s works, that is why in 1889 he went to visit Twain in Elmira, NY. In a travel book, Kipling wrote: \u201cI had hooked Mark Twain, and he was treating me as though under certain circumstances I might be an equal\u201d (Kipling 186). Interestingly enough, Mark Twain only found out until a year later that Kipling was a to be celebrity. After that initial meeting, Mark Twain and Rudyard Kipling continued to exchange letters and met on several occasions throughout their lives (Baetzhold 432). Additionally, both authors inspired each other in their writings. To learn more about that look at Leland Krauth\u2019s chapter on Rudyard Kipling in Mark Twain & Company: Six Literary Relations<\/em> (Google Books<\/a>). || Sources:<\/strong> Baetzhold, Howard G. “Kipling, (Joseph) Rudyard” The Mark Twain Encyclopedia<\/em>, edited by J.R. LeMaster and James D. Wilson, Garland Publishing, Inc., 1993. pp. 431 ff. (Internet Archive<\/a>); Kipling, Rudyard. From Sea to Sea and Other Sketches: Letters of Travel<\/em>. Vol. 2, Cambridge University Press, 2011 (Cambridge<\/a>); Pinney, Thomas. “Kipling, (Joseph) Rudyard” Oxford DNB<\/em>, doi.org\/10.1093\/ref:odnb\/34334<\/a>. Accessed 27 March 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Screenshot:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Selection of research project:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research process leading up to the chosen article started with looking at the available German-language newspapers on Chronicling America<\/em> for my assigned time frame (1891-1900).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using the advanced search function, the following parameters were applied:<\/p>\n\n\n\n