Objects

A letter from the father from the Warsaw Ghetto, early June 1942. Address details written in his hand, with the return address indicated as the address – as in each letter – of Maria Karczmarek (Powiśle, Warsaw).

This is yet another letter, slightly modifying the same ironclad pattern that the father used to follow in his correspondence with his son: information about parcels and the family's use of them is followed – usually at the end and briefly – by remarks about the weather, only to be followed by an account of everyday life, as always intended by the sender, cautiously optimistic (although revealing that the atmosphere at home was sometimes tense due to Melania Perl's anxieties).

Content (spelling has been partially updated):

My Dear! We get all your parcels. We've got some Ovomaltina [a Swiss chocolate product], chocolate pasta and, most recently, some kind of groats, Herkulo, I think. We eat all of it with an appetite. I particularly enjoyed the Ovomaltina, which I happily added to my every drink. No changes here. Summer is already in full swing; spring has passed in the blink of an eye. It's gone at a warlike pace. I have a lot of work to do at times. As one of the responsible administrative officials, I have a lot of different things to deal with. But I feel pretty good. Mother's no longer complaining as much now; she's calmed her nerves. The flat is quite bustling, with our youngest lodger contributing in no small part to this. Apart from that, not much's happening, and life's monotonous. Warm hugs and kisses.

L

3/6 1942