ROME, November 20th, 1884
Dear Jonas Lie:
MANY thanks for the letter which just reached me here. I do not know your address in Paris, so I am sending you these lines at once, hoping that they may still reach you in Berchtesgaden. I suppose you can imagine what great joy it gave me here in the solitude to receive such a message from you and your wife at the occasion of “The Wild Duck.” How it will be looked upon and judged at home I do not know as yet.
You may be sure that we have often thought of you and spoken of you lately. A rumor stated that you still had a large part of your new story unfinished, so that it was doubtful if it could appear in time for Christmas. But now I see you are through and we wish to utter our most hearty wishes for its success. I hope and expect that this time also you have put forth a work that will stand on a level with your two latest masterpieces, “One of Life’s Slaves” and “The Family at Gilje.”
But when will the time finally come that we shall be able to enjoy fully the fruit of our work outside the Scandinavian countries? It is said that they are now considering at home the possibility of making international agreements. But in that way alone they cannot remedy the injustice already done us older poets. It is the duty of the state to increase our poet pensions, and I think you ought now to take some step in that direction before the Storthing meets. If the new cabinet really means its protestations of liberal and modern views, then there ought not to be for a moment any doubt as to what is its plain duty in this matter.
I regret very much that you could not be present at the meeting at Schwaz this summer. There were several subjects which did not receive the explanation that they might have had if we three could have met together. Otherwise I am extremely glad about my meeting with Bjornson; I have come to understand him far better than before.
Now I will only wish that the cholera may not make your winter in Paris too disagreeable. At present it seems to be receding, and, moreover, the cold has set in and that the doctors consider desirable. Here the hotels are all empty but the sanitary conditions are good.
Once more I thank you for your letter and wish you good luck to your new book. My wife asks me to give her best regards to you both. I add mine to hers.
Yours most sincerely,
HENRIK IBSEN