Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Autograph letter signed ('A. Einstein') to [Otto Juliusburger], Princeton, 29 September 1947.

In German, ⅔ page, 280 x 216mm. Envelope. Provenance: Stargardt, 4 July 2000, lot 521 (part of lot).

'People like us ... stand forever curious as children before the great puzzle in the midst of which we have been placed'. Einstein congratulates his old friend on having reached his 80th birthday – 'I can hardly believe it's possible! ... People like us die of course as all do, but as long as they are alive, they do not grow old. I mean that they stand forever curious as children before the great puzzle in the midst of which we have been placed. This provides a distance from everything that is unsatisfactory in the human sphere – and that is quite a lot'. He reflects however that whatever disgust he feels in the morning at 'what the N.Y. Times serves up', it is at least better than the Nazis... The letter closes with good wishes to Juliusburger, including for the strength to complete his life's work.

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