New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-29
NEW LETTERS BY HEINE.
THE PLEAsANrNEss OF HIS FAMILY RELA-
TIONS

nephew, Baron Ludwig von EH'Meh. fruin ~
German, by Charles d. Kay. with four portraiIs
l2mo. PIP. 3j6. lCasseh Publishing CO..
Those who anticipatc from this work a renewal
OF the caustic SAVIOR OF Heines literary type Will
be disappointed as the editor frankly declares
But i, will be very heartily welcomed ny all true
admirers OF ITeine inasmuch as it shows iorth
quite q new and decidedly pleasant aspect OF MS
mind Perhaps IL nav suggest 10 some feaoers
that 100 much has beer laid In the pas' upon
the phase OF that life associated WIN the poe's
Sickness. No one doubts he himself dweIt IN SCUM
OF his later correspondence and In Conversation
with friends very strongly upon the miserie' VI
HE "mattresscraver: and no doubt his suNerinss
were prolonged and frequently acute. DIV 'he
tone Of nearly all the Letters in this volume Is ais
tincty cheerful and even lght-heartcd Some OF
this is undoubtedly assumed, particularly IN inc
letters 20 his mother. from whom he sought 70 con-
cca the most painful feature OF his crucl malauN'
But after making full allowance for this pious
fraud it remains apparent that the poet possessed
a surprising fund Of cheerfulncss and patience;
and moreover, an indomitablc appetite for work
We have said that these letters do not repre-
cont the hooking cynical critic and faut-iinder OF
IIcinc's literary work Nor. indeed. is there what
can properly be called any literary stamp upon
them. Written TO his sisters. his mother. ms
unclcs and other near relatives they do not exhibit
the least trace OF posing for effect. Indeed, the
writer may be said to keep the labor OF his lie
as much as possible in the background to eschew
references to literary topics; to find his material
for discussion in the simple Affairs OF family me
One effect of this is rather singular All Helnc
readers are accustomed to look for biting wit ana
fantastic fancy in his writing. in these letters
there is absolutely nothing of the Kind 1t II
warm hearted man writing to his family, entering
into their pleasures and SORROWS, putting aside
every though, Of cynicsm, every inclination to say
Sharp things at anybodys expense.
Nothing could bc more wholly free from the
atrablious humOr which characteri2rs 80 much OF
his literary work, in fact; and TO this extent the
book is really "A revelation in its way. Hem" was
compacted of prciudiccs and notions which h"
never attempted to formulate seriously Ills likes
and dislikcs were equally lawcss and equally
strong. AS regards dslikcs, he was never punctil-
ious about hiding them when writing for the pub
lie as instance his Dhilippic against Door I'arnr:
hut in the correspondence il IL really amusing 10
note with what cure lr avoids all friction with
his brother law L0tta's husband, who holds
tain opinions cordially dctcstcd by llcnc. Tier"
il to he no disputng between the relatives. ana
there il not, apparently. All their correspondence"
il a. cordial and pleasant a. possible. And this
state OF things is maintained for years, and ~ far
as can bc perceived, never suffers a break llenc
evidently conjured his splcnctic humor when h"
wrote to his family and saved all his native Bit
trrncss for those whom he hatcd-or thought he
hatcd-for in many instances his cnmity was really
only matter Of pcrvcfse and obstinate s'lidecep-
ton. and rested upon basis OF wrongs or, in
deed, Of solid facts i'll any kind. lie does not in
the family letters above nimai"tl, discuss
those literary subjects onr migl' have thought his
A. ia Ia. tisrIf
and easy tone; not often, indeed passing to pcrsi
hag., but skrting it, and affecting, very proba
bly, a buoyancy he did not feel But throc ghout
the strength and purity OF the family affection j.
the chief trait Of this correspondence. ana II doml
mates all the other motives from beginning u end.
Thus il j. new lIeinc - whom the world il in
PRODUCED not nj all the Irnc o: the scmi-dramatic
biographies inclrly all wJfully i'll written which
have issued from tn" Paris pres. In tho - the
main effort seems 10 have been to present the
as a constant "poeeur4 AMI as inclined TO mclo-
dramatic attitudes and speeches
In these letters, on tie contrary. find the
simplicity and the naturalncss Of childhood al
most, and scarce tingc Of acridity. Sometimes.
though not often, catches "A faint echo as from
the works, but AZ rule there is no olor of the
lamp, no suggestion Of growing Yet Icinc, be-
side and hryond his lifelong illness, certainly had
better proved temper. Twice he utterly lost thr
precious manuscripts which had been stored in his
mothers Hamburg house, by fire. In neither case
was any salvage effected, though on TIE second
occasion his sister Lolita put her own life in peril
trying 10 some Of the papers. But in neither
of these very serious disasters does ITcinc appear
II srumbler. ~ course, he laments his irrcparable
losscs-for they were irrcparablc; but he takes a
far more cheerful view OF the situation than might
have been anticipated, and he shows more concern
over the possible losses of his relatives than over
his own. All this constitutes u new light, and a
very agreeable one upon lIeines character, and it
certainly would have been pity TO have missed
it,
The editor has introduced his compilation with
preface remarkable, in respects, for frank
and its freedom from prejudice. Ifrinc, II
should never be forgotten, ran counter to ali man.
ner Of German prejudccs, and there was a time
when he was probably IA we'll hated in his native
country as any man has ever been German senti-
mcnt at the time than it has been
Stree than II ever can he again and IIeinc
perpetually making fun of its sacred things, and
snecrng at and exposing its pettines,,s Some
times his writings were forbidden publication at
other times they only printed TO be furously
assailcd llcne, however, cared little for this
rancor when it did not interfere with the profits of
his pen, and held on his way without ilinching.
His present editor has theory to his life pur
pose, which may, perhaps, best be taken cautiously.
Whether Hcine would have regarded the modern
Germany with dismay and dsapproval is not quite
40 Obvious as Baron Embdcn seems to think.
Whether, indeed, lleine had any real, consistent
view OF politics before him NAV be questioned.
lie wrought eagerly upon the material that came
under his hand. but there is little evidence that no
looked before and after"
What he did wee clearly was the approaching
danger from Socialism in France, and Baron Emb
den cites several Of his predictions on this head,
which are decidedly interesting reading at this
time But tho new correspondence has nothing TO
do with any such matters. 1t is essentially Il