É. Apor , I. Ormos (ed.): Goldziher Memorial Conference, June 21–22, 2000, Budapest.

ORMOS, István: The Correspondence of Ignaz Goldziher and Max Herz

THE CORRESPONDENCE OF IGNAZ GOLDZIHER AND MAX H

ERZ you think. You are too great for me even to think of such a distinction for you, all the more since you had been receiving our publications. Nevertheless I was present at the nomination; you had almost all the votes for you. Congratulations. (Zu Deiner Wühl zum Ehrenmitgliede unseres Institutes habe ich weniger beigetragen als Du meinst. Du bist mir viel zu groß als daß ich an eine solche Auszeichnung für Dich gedacht hätte, umsomehr als Dir unsere Publikationen ja zugingen. Bei der Ernennung bin ich allerdings dabeigewesen; Du hast fast alle Stimmen für Dich gehabt. Gratulire.f

1 I think Herz intended to say here that Goldziher was so great that he considered it beyond his own status even to think of nominating Goldziher to the membership of the Institute Egyptien, especially in view of the fact that the Institute had apparently been aware of Goldziher's significance since it had been sending him its publications. After having examined approximately 150 letters by Herz addressed to various persons and bodies, it is perfectly clear to me that very often he wrote in a hurry and did not have enough time for the careful wording of the text. Among the letters concerning affairs of the Hungarian Academy there is an interesting minor item. In a letter dated Cairo, 7 January 1913, Herz asks Goldziher not to regard it as a sign of false modesty if he asks him to take steps with the Academy to modify the entry on him in the Almanach of the Academy where he is referred to as director of the Arab Museum in Cairo, which he says is of course true, but he says he regards his work as chief architect to the Comité de Conservation des Monuments de l'Art Arabe as much more important and would like to be referred to in this capacity in the forthcoming issues. It is interesting to observe that Herz considers that through his election as a member of the Academy he became, so to speak, indebted to it. This is a recurrent motif in his letters. He mentions it already in his letter to the President thanking for his election: "... with my modest efforts I shall be intent on paying off the debt placed upon me by the goodwill of the Academy, (...azon leszek, szerény munkálkodásommal azon adóságot törleszteni, amelyet az Akadémia jóindulata rámrótt.j

1

4 He appreciates Goldziher's advices as to how this should be done. For instance, he seeks to return his indebtedness by presenting a copy of the splendid monograph on the mosque of Sultan Hasan to the Academy: "The works are going well - there is much to do, perhaps even too much. In recent times the Comité requires that my Bureau attach more weight to literary works than it has been the case up to now. I do not need to specify for you in detail what works will arise for me from it. But I do it gladly, if only 1 would not have to fear that through overwork I would be affected again by my neurasthenia. A month ago the monograph on the mosque of Sultan Hasan appeared at last. It is the first publication of the Comité to 1

3 Letter dated Cairo, 12 May 1905. 1

4 Letter dated Cairo, 26 July 1896. 163