Letter
2 Pages
Transcription: Turid Hagelsteen
Translation: Francesca Nichols
Transcription
Jeg lovede i forrige post at sende fotografiet
af "de tre generationer" Höst, som I var saa
venlig at laane mig, – det er natùrligvis
et dyrebart billede for Eder, og jeg kan
tænke mig I kùnde blive bange for, at
der kunde tilstöde det noget, – derfor sender
jeg det idag med tak for laanet – det var
meget morsomt for mig at se paa det af
og til og söke at erindre mig Höst fra
den förste gang jeg saa Dem i Bergen –
det sidste lille fotografi – "pasfotografiet"
var paa en maade endnù interessentere, – da
det ikke (i modsætning til det förste) var öde-
lagt af nogen retoùche, – dette lille "pas-
fotografi" antager jeg, I vil med lethed faa copier
af, og jeg tör da kanske bede om at faa be-
holde det en tid endnù – helst for bestandig –
Jeg plages af mine kvælningsanfald – ellers
havde jeg gjerne straks reist et eller andet sted –
helst med hele familien; thi her er nù frygtelig
dyrt at leve og endnù dyrere at drive gaard med
leiet hjælp – og at faa kjöbe sine livsfornödenheder –
har altid været vanskeligt her, og værst nù – da
folk ikke veed hvor ùblùe de skal være med sine
priser. Jeg maler lidt, men plages af kvælningsanfald,
Opp ned tekst øverst:
Skal sende 10 Kg. smör med mine brödre – skal forsöge mere selv naar jeg reiser.
ogsaa af den grùnd bùrde jeg reise et andet sted, hvor
der var et for mine lunger bedre klima, men hvor-
hen veed jeg ikke. Kan I give mig noget raad –
der er jo den vanskelighed med stipendiet, at man
kùn faa 1000 kr at begynde med, og det skal man
klare sig med et kvartal, förend man faar flere
penge; – det er jo da ùmùligt at benytte, ùden
at man har driftskapital, – det er ùmùligt
at klare sig med 1000 Kr. kvartalet her hjemme nù, –
end sige naar man skal reise i udlandet med familie.
I Danmark er der selvfölgelig billigere at bo end her,
men det koster jo at flytte med hele familien, og
saa er der jo kommet vanskeligere pas-bestemmelser,
og skal man have lidt indbo med sig, saa er der jo
alskens toldbestemmelser, – det skal være vanskelig
bare at tage farver med sig, – man slipper kanske
frem et stykke, og saa staar man fast og risikerer
at miste sine dyrekjöbte farver – hvoraf mange ikke
kan erstattes – (jeg mangler allerede mange af de farver, jeg
er vant til, og der er ingen ùdsigt til at faa igjen).
Havde jeg bare kjendt en skibsreder, som havde skibe
der gik paa syd Afrika, og som for rimelig pris
vilde fragte mig med familie did; – men saa fik jeg
vel ikke stipendiet, – jeg har sögt engang tidligere; (da jeg havde
stipendiùm) om at faa reise til Afrika, men fik nei.
Ja ùndskyld, at jeg plager Eder med min raadvildhed!
Vi har faaet indbydelse til at besöge familien Prytz
igjen, – men jeg er bange for at komme i for stor tak-
nemlighedsgjæld til de snille mennesker. Med önsket
om en god Amerikatùr for Höst og med bedste hilsener fra
Engel og mig er jeg Eders hengivne Nikolai Astrup
Translation
I promised in my last missive to send the photograph
of "the three generations" of Höst, which You were so
kind as to lend me, – it is naturally
a precious picture for You, and I can
imagine You might be afraid, that
something could happen to it, – I therefore send
it today with thanks for lending it to me – it was
very amusing for me to look at it every
now and then and attempt to remember Höst from
the first time I saw You in Bergen –
the last little photograph – "the passport photograph"
was in a way even more interesting, – as it
was not (as opposed to the first) des-
stroyed by any retouching, – the little "passport
photograph" I assume, You will easily be able to get
copies of, and I thus dare ask if I may
keep it a while longer – preferably forever –
I am tormented by my choking fits – otherwise
I would have gladly taken a trip somewhere –
preferably with the whole family; because here it is terribly
expensive to live and even more expensive to run a farm with
hired help – and to buy the necessities of life –
has always been difficult, and worst of all now – as
people are not sure how exorbitant they should be with their
prices. I paint a little, but am disturbed by choking fits,
Upside down text at the top:
Will send 10 Kg. butter with my brothers – will try more when I depart myself
And for that reason too I should travel to a different place, where
there was a better climate for my lungs, but where
I don’t know. Can you give me some advice –
there is that difficulty with the grant, that one
can only get 1000 kr to begin with, and one has to
manage with that for a quarter, before one can get more
money; – it is thus impossible to take advantage of, without
having working capital, – it is impossible
to manage with 1000 Kr. per quarter here at home these days, –
not to speak of when one shall travel abroad with a family.
In Denmark it is of course cheaper to live than here,
but it costs to move with an entire family, and
then there are complicated new passport regulations,
and if one wants to bring a few household goods, then there are
all sorts of customs regulations, – it is evidently difficult
merely to bring paints with you, – one may get through
for a while, but then one is stopped and risks
losing one’s dearly acquired paints – among which many can-
not be replaced – (I am already missing many of the paints, that I
am used to, and there is no likelihood of getting them back.)
If only I had known a shipowner, who had a ship
that sailed to South Africa, and for a reasonable price
would transport me and my family there; – but then I would
probably not get the grant, – I have applied once before; (when I had
a grant) to be allowed to travel to Africa, but was denied-
Well forgive me for bothering You with my helplessness!
We have received an invitation to visit the Prytz family
again, – but I am afraid of becoming overly indebted
to these kind people. With wishes
for a good journey to America for Höst and with best wishes from
Engel and me I remain Your devoted Nikolai Astrup