Sandal 24 Febr.

1919

Kjære Hr. Meyer!

Tusend tak for pengene og for Deres store

elskværdighed med at sælge for mig!

Gratùlerer hjærteligst med gùtten! –

hans gebùrtsdag kommer vi nok til at

hùske; thi han har samme gebùrtsdag

som vor sön Arnold. Min kone har

ogsaa faaet en stor gùt – vi var rent æng-

stelige, da hùn gik 1 maaned over beregnet

tid, – vi troede det var en fölge av "spanske-

sykens" eftervirkninger, – da her har hændt

et par sörgelige fölger efter "spanskesyken" med

kvinder i lignende tilstand, – jordmoren havde

ogsaa været her forgjæves, – men saa gik

da heldigvis alt godt, – kùn kom det

lidt braatt paa en vinternat med sne-

storm og store sneskavler i veiene, saa jord-

moren kom ikke frem för alt var over-

staaet, – min kones söster og jeg maatte være

jordmor; – man maa lære sig til mangt her

i fjeldbygden, da komùnikationerne ikke

er rare nù veed vintertid.

Det glæder mig, at De likte "Fiskeren", – jeg 

skal se at faa trykt en samling af mine 

"sort og hvidt"-tryk i træsnit, – maleren

Mùnch kjöbte nogle af dem for en tid

siden, – og De skal iallefald faa dem for halv

pris eller mindre, men det maa da blive

"mellem os".

Jeg har været daarlig og lidet faaet gjort 

med de to billeder, som jeg stadig maler om

igjen ùden at faa dem, som jeg gjerne vilde.

Jeg bùrde jo faa dem færdige för jeg "reiste ùd":–

jeg har heller ikke endnù bestemt mig paa,

hvorhen jeg skal reise, – jeg er rent raadvild

og tager nye bestemmelser hver dag; – for

öieblikket tænker jeg paa Cicilien, – hvor

der skal være et storartet klima for asth

ma-patienter og kort vei til kùnstsamlin-

gerne i Neapel m.m. – jeg har ogsaa tænkt

paa Azorerne, Madeira og de Karnariske öer

hvor der skal være det samme gode klima, – ja

kanske endnù bedre, – men det blir vel alt-

sammen lange og dyre reiser og dyrt ophold

nù efter krigen –. Sydhavsöerne har altid

været mine "længslers maal", men did kom-

mer jeg vel aldrig andet end i fantasien.

   Jeg har slegtninge i syd-Afrika i Natal

(biskop Nils Astrup), og der vilde jeg kùnne faa

billigt ophold, men did er det jo langt; –

Jeg tùrde vel ikke plage Dem med at bede 

om et raad eller en oplysning, om der gaar

skibe, som passerer eller gaar indom de Ka-

nariske öer (Tenerife) paa vei til Syd Afrika.

Jeg kùnde da, ifald jeg fandt reisen for lang

tage af paa de Kanariske öer. Jeg kjendte

engang en asthmapatient, der blev fùldstændig

heldbredet ved et længere ophold i ØstAfrika,

men did er det vel ikke at tænke paa at komme,

ùden mùligens over land fra Natal med jern-

-bane. Koralöer har fra gammelt ord for at 

være gode opholdsteder for asthmapatienter, – men

der ligger vel ingen slige öer saa nær, at jeg kan

naa dem. – Idet heletaget er jeg, som De ser, raad-

vild; – hovedsagen var jo at finde et sted, som

jeg kùnde komme nogenlùnde let til, – og hvor

der var et for min asthma heldigt klima, saa

jeg kunde faa arbeide rigtig ordentlig i ro

og fred for min plage aand, – jeg har saa

mange kùnstneriske bekymringer og tvivl, og

har saa meget paa hjærtet, som jeg aldrig

faar arbeidet mig igjennem her, hvor denne

asthmaen stadig tager kræfterne fra mig.

Nei, nù har jeg plaget Dem længe nok med

mine egne anliggender. – Haaber det staar 

vel til med Deres frùe og den lille, – her er

alt bra – Vi har nù fuld vinter med

snedækket is paa vandet, – vi venter

solen igjen hver dag, – igaar skulde vi seet

dens övre rand i mellem ytre Sandalsfjeldene,

men det var skyet, – i dag faar vi forhaabent-

lig halve solen at se et öieblik i vindùet,

(den skinner först paa det överste af hùset og

birketopperne), – först om 8–14 dage naar den ned

paa de bratte bakkerne her.

Med de bedste hilsener fra min kone og

Deres forbùndne 

Nikolai Astrup

Konvolutt, framside:

Til 25/2–1919

Hr. Capt. H. J. Meyer

Vetrlidsalmenning 27

Bergen

Poststempel:
SANDAL I SØNDFJORD 25 II 19  

Sandal 24 Feb.

1919

Dear Mr. Meyer!

Many thanks for the money and for Your great

kindness in selling for me!

Sincerest congratulations on your boy! –

his birthday we will certainly

remember; for he has the same birthday

as our son Arnold. My wife has

also given birth to a big boy – we were quite an-

xious, when she was one month past her

due date, – we thought it was caused by the “Spanish

flu’s” after-effects, – as there have been

a couple of unfortunate consequences of “the Spanish flu” here with

women in similar conditions, – the midwife had

also been here in vain, – but then 

everything fortunately ended well, – only it happened

a bit suddenly on a winter night during a snow-

storm with large snowdrifts blocking the roads, so the mid-

wife didn’t arrive until everything was

over, – my wife’s sister and I had to be

midwives; – one must learn so many things up here

in this mountain village, since communications are not

much to boast about now during the winter.

I am happy that You liked “The fisherman”, – I 

will see to printing a selection of my 

“black and white” woodcuts, – the painter

Mùnch acquired a few of them a while 

ago, – and You shall in any case have them for half

the price or less, but then it must remain 

“between us”.

I have been ill and not able to do much 

with the two pictures, which I continue to paint over

again without achieving the effect, that I am striving for.

I should finish them before I “go abroad”: –

I have not decided either,

where I shall travel, – I am totally undecided

and change my mind daily; at

the moment I am thinking of Sicily, – where

there is evidently a perfect climate for asth

ma patients and it is a short distance from the art collec-

tions in Naples, etc. – I have also thought

about the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands

which evidently have the same good climate, – or

perhaps even better, – but it will all

of it involve long voyages and expensive stays

now after the war –. The South Sea Islands have always

been the “destination of my dreams”, but I will probably never go

there other than in my imagination.

I have relatives in South Africa in Natal

(Bishop Nils Astrup), and I would be able to live there cheaply, but it is a long trek to get there; –

Dare I bother You by asking 

for advice or information, about whether there is

a boat route, that passes or stops by the Ca-

nary Islands (Tenerife) en route to South Africa.

I might then, in case I found the journey to be too long[,]

debark at the Canary Islands. I once 

knew an asthma patient, who was completely

cured after a lengthy sojourn in East Africa,

but it is probably not possible to reach it,

except possibly across the continent from Natal by rail-

way. Coral islands have been known

to be good places for asthma patients, – but

there are probably no such islands close enough that I can

reach them. – I am, as you can see, totally con-

fused; – the main objective was to find a place, that

I might arrive at rather easily, – and that

had a climate that was beneficial for my asthma, so

that I might work seriously in peace

and quiet for my tormented soul, – I have so 

many artistic apprehensions and doubts, and

have so much on my mind, that I am never

able to work through them here, where this

asthma constantly robs me of my energy.

Well, I have bothered You long enough with

my own matters. – Hope all is

well with Your wife and the little one, – here

everything is good – It is deepest winter with

snow-covered ice on the lake, – we are expecting

the sun to return any day now, – yesterday we should have seen

its upper rim between the outer Sandal mountains, 

but it was overcast, – today we will hope-

fully see half the sun in the window for a second,

(it first shines on the upper part of the house and

the crowns of the birch trees), – not until 8–14 days’ time will it reach down

to the steep hills here.

With best wishes from my wife and

Your obliged

Nikolai Astrup

Envelope, front:

To 25/2–1919

Capt. H. J. Meyer

Vetrlidsalmenning 27

Bergen

Postmarked:

SANDAL IN SØNDFJORD 25 II 19