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 vorletzten Karte fragst Du nach meiner Meinung bezüglich Strzygowskis Theorie über Meschatta. Leider kenne ich das Denkmal nur nach einem unvollkommenen Bilde. Daß es der spätantiken Zeit angehört, ist wenig Zweifel; möglich, daß seinem Entstehen die von Strz. angeführten histor. Wandlungen unterliegen. Strz. ist tüchtig und weiß viel, aber ,)" 7" Herz did favours and arranged certain affairs for Goldziher in Cairo. In 1909 he asked the Egyptian Ministry of Education to present books to the famous scholar of Islam. The Ministry complied with his request and presented a collection of twentythree books to Goldziher and Herz took upon himself the task of dispatching of the books. In the letter announcing the arrival of the books Herz suggested that Goldziher write a letter thanking the Minister, Sa'd Bäsä Zaglül, for the gift, who would no doubt be most delighted by such a mark of recognition. 7 1 On another occasion he saw the librarian of the Institut Egyptien to check whether Goldziher had received all the relevant publications of the Institute. 2 In the same letter we read that Herz delivered a letter by Goldziher to [GurgI] Zaydän but the addressee had not yet sent him an answer. In his letter of 13 October 1900 Herz tells Goldziher of his joy about the commission to write a concise history of Arab-Islamic art: "But the most beautiful publishing activity was made possible for me by Prof. Zsolt Beöthy. Only in the summer of last year Zs. B. invited me to write The Art of Islam for the history of art to be published under the aegis of the Ministry of Religion and Public Education. I could not explain the silence of Prof. B. after my letter accepting his invitation. My intention to meet him in Budapest could not be realized bccause he was away. I was directed to Mr. R. Lampel, who was in charge of the publishing house. He (Mr. Wodianer) informed me that Prof. B. had been ill. After having determined everything we exchanged the contracts and so for once I am about to produce something serious at last. I want to overthrow the constant humbug that is being drawn by new works from old ones and offer some new spirit, something positive as much as possible. ( Doch die schönste publizistische Thätigkeit ist mir von Prof. Beöthy Zsolt ermöglicht geworden. - B. Zs. forderte mich noch im Sommer des l. Jahres auf, für die unter der Aegide des Cultusminist. zu publizierende Kunstgeschichte, die Kunst des Islam zu schreiben. Ich konnte mir das Schweigen des Prof. B. nach meinem bejahenden Briefe nicht erklären. Meine Absicht ihn in Bpest zu sprechen war unausführbar, denn er war verreist. Man adressirte mich an Lampel R.. der mit dem Verlag betraut ist. Dieser (Wodianer) erzählte mir, Prof. B. wäre krank gewesen. Nachdem wir alles festgestellt hatten, tauschten wir die Verträge aus u. so bin ich daran, endlich einmal etwas Ernstes zu schaffen. Ich will " This is the Arabic form I lerz is using here. I wonder if he really meant it or rather • 7 1 Letter dated Cairo, 12 February 1909. 7 2 Letter dated Cairo, 24 November 1904. 179
