Auction 73 Jewish and Israeli History, Culture and Art
Aug 11, 2020
Israel
 8 Ramban St, Jerusalem.
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LOT 1:

Letter Handwritten and Signed by Theodor Herzl, About a Play he Authored – Hamburg, 1890

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Letter Handwritten and Signed by Theodor Herzl, About a Play he Authored – Hamburg, 1890
A letter handwritten and signed by Theodor (Binyamin Ze'ev) Herzl. Written on the Hamburger Hof Hotel stationery and addressed to a "Dear friend". Hamburg, October 24, 1890. German.
A letter by Theodor Herzl dealing with the production of a play he had written at a theater in Berlin: "I escaped the burdensome rehearsals and came here for one day. I will return tomorrow morning. Hasemann (presumably, Wilhelm Hasemann, the director of the Walner-Theater in Berlin] has not yet contacted me and I too intentionally did not turn to him […] but now I am interested in talking to him and bringing the matter, if possible, to its conclusion. I believe that he is most suitable" (German).
Presumably, Herzl is referring to the "burdensome rehearsals" for his play "What will People say?" (Was wird man sagen?), an autobiographical play about marriage. The play premiered in Berlin in October 1890, was a complete failure and received harsh criticism. After its failure, Herzl fell from favor and no theater agreed to accept his plays.
Later in the letter, Herzl writes, "I want to prepare the couplets on the way home. Now too many subjects are running through my mind" and announces that he will return to Vienna in eight days.
[1] leaf, 22 cm. Good condition. Fold line across the letter (with small tears to edges, restored). Tears to all four corners, some restored (affecting the edge of Herzl's signature).

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