November 15, 1956

My dear Ingeborg:

I have been waiting for months for a chance to be able to write
you a personal letter but it does not seem possible. Rather than wait
any longer, I thought I would drop you this note.

As you can see from this letterhead, I am becoming increasingly
bureaucratic while you are undoubtedly in Ischia, Greece or some other
civilized place.

When I was in Cambridge the other day, I received the book of
poems which you wrote. I think they are extraordinarily sensitive and
surprisingly masculine. I don't know whether you consider that a com-
pliment.

I had lunch yesterday with a mutual acquaintance, Kahn-Ackerman.
By the time I got through telling him of the bizarre adventures of our
Austrian poetess, there was no time for the subject that we had originally
planned to discuss.

Do let me know your addresses over the next few months. There
is a chance that I will have to go to a conference in London in January
and, once I get to Europe, I will not leave until we have met.

As always,

Henry A. Kissinger

Miss Ingeborg Bachman
Henselstrasse 26
Klagenfurt, Austria

Ingeborg Bachmann
Via Vecchiarelli 38
Roma

Agost 16 th 1957

My dear Henry,

I was glad to get your letter which brought news! And now I fear
only that your stay in Italy will exactly coincident with my stay
in Germany. I say "stay", but the truth is worth, because I shall
go to Munic for about one year. It has only und purely financial
reasons and it is because I do not know an other way to get out
of some troubles, caused by appendicitis in June and nerves in July,
ecetera ecetera. I have to have Rome september loth, and september 15th
I certainly will be in Munic; and in october I am starting to work
( something quite ridiculous, but it takes not too much time). My
hope is that or"they" or I will not support this very long. It could be
funny, if I would any other possibility , but I do not.

But let me hear soon when you are in Germany! I cannot believe that
you are only going to Italy! You know how much I would have prefered
to meet you here - and not there.

September 14, 1957

My dear Ingeborg:

As I have not heard from you since sending the enclosed
letter to Rome, I am writing you again to both Austria and
Germany.

So you will know my schedule -- I shall be leaving
New York for Paris on September 29th (or more likely the 30th)
and will be at the Pont Royal Hotel, Montalembert 3, until the
third of October when I leave Paris for Rome. From October
third to the sixth I shall be attending the Conference in Fluggi,
returning to Rome on the evening of the sixth. I shall be at the
Hotel Flora from the sixth until the ninth when I shall have to
return to the States.

Couldn't you possibly come to Paris (or to Rome)? With
so little time, I just cannot come to Munich and I do very much
want to see you. Do let me hear from you very soon.

Warm regards.

Sincerely,

Miss Ingeborg Bachmann
Henselstrasse 26
Klagenfurt, Austria

cc: Munich, Germany

Munic, september 17 th 1957

c. o. Piper Verlag
Georgenstrasse 4
München 13 / Germany

My dear Henry,

I really do not know what to answer you, because I was always so sure
that we would meet easily in Europe, and now everything seems to be
against it. I just arrived in Munic, in a few days I have to participate
on a congress, near here, afterwards my brother will come and we have
only a short time to look for an apartment (because he will stay with
me, he is now eighteen and going to the University here) and on october
1 th I have to begin with my work on the television(!). It has not
really to do with the television, thank god, but anyhow I cannot imagine
how they will react when I am asking already the first day for some free
days, going to Paris or Rome. I have the feeling they would trow me
out immeately.

But please do write me, instead of this, your time-table - when you will be
in Paris, when in Rome and so on, I still will think over and try to find
a way. And please do try too - perhaps you can find a way to come
to Munic; here it will be not so difficult for me to spend my time with
you - if the only have the feeling that I am here and not so extravagant
to going to Rome or somewhere instead to be serious and "pflichtbewusst".

Please do write me about all this now soon c. o. Piper!!

Besides I wanted to ask you something for your roman stay. In Rome
an excellent review, "Botteghe Oscure", is published by an extraordinary
woman, Princess Caetani; she is american, the cousin of T.S. Eliot and
the first publisher of such a lot of great poets, from Valery and
Gene Char to Dylan Thomas and Edwin Muir, (also a friend of Allen Tate)
- she is now not in Rome, but her assistent editor, Eugene Walter, and
I would be glad if you could meet him and have a conversation with him,
and perhaps you could look at the copies and give him an idea how he may
she could find any help after all what she has done be her own, financing
since centuries so many famous artists and spending all her money on it,
in a real mad and princely way. Could you leave a note to Mr. Eugene
Walter, Palazzo Caetani, Via delle Botteghe Oscure 32, Roma, telling him
in which Hotel he can call you and ask you for an appointment?

And now I will not give up hope and wait for your answer. I feel so
lost here, everything seems to me grey and ugly and hateful and as much
as I love this language, I am unhappy about the people whou is speaking
it. I did not believe that one could become so much a stranger one day,
and I feel already that this is irreparable.

Yours