H. Boros Vilma: Stein Aurél ifjúsága: Hirschler Ignác és Stein Ernő levelezése Stein Aurélról 1866–1891 (A MTAK kiadványai 61. Budapest, 1971)

Jegyzetek

140 Ignatius Hirschler (who was a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) was held in great esteem by the family and was respected as a real authority in family matters. He practised - as it appears from the letters - a considerable and very beneficial Influence on young Stein's character. When his younger son was born, Aurel Stein's father was actually bankrupt; it was his elder son, the generous Ernest Stein who attended to family matters and who discussed things and problems with his uncle, the "pater familias" as he called him in his letters. Most of the letters however contain reflection of their readings. In the center of their interest stood Goethe. Both men with a wide range of interest and great erudition discused and minutely analysed Goethe's works in such a delicate literary style that arose Aurel Stein's estimation; so that he handed these letters over to the Academy of Sciences with the purpose to have them included in the Goethe-collection. (This collection was a donation of L Hirschler's friend, Balthasar Elischer and was at that time kept in a separate room.) After the restauration of the Academy's building and the rearrangement of its collections, following the Second World War, it turned out that the collection of letters bearing the title "The oculist I. Hirschler's correspondence" contained interesting and unknown facts about Aurel Stein's family and about the scientist's education. In the Archives of the Academy there are some further letters and documents: Aurel Stein's letters to the President of the Academy, to the Secretary-General of the Academy written always in Hungarian and by his own hand (see e.g. the letter published in facsimile on page 37). Having been elected external member of the Academy of Sciences he drew up a short curriculum vitae for that occasion. This curriculum vitae - to be found also in the Archives of the Academy - was choosen as an Ariadne's clew by the author for this present study, completing It with newly discovered facts taken from the correspondence. However, it is not the facts and dates that are of special importance in the correspondence, but much rather that these form a background, out of which started a prominent personality, known today as one of the greatest explorers of the world.