From László Dapsy 1 June 1873
Pesth | Mészáros utsra 8 / 359
873. Juni 1.
Dear Sir!
As I had the honour to mention you that I intend to translate the Descents of Man,1 the natural philosophical society accepted my proposal: to translate the most conspicious foreign authors on the hungarian language, and for the first instance the society received after my own motion to publish first of all The Origin of Species,2 and only after that the Descent of Man, and I was commited with the translation, and the first volume of it schall be publisched in August, and the second part, from the Chapter VIII at the end of the year.3 It is very elegantly printed, and we shall have the honour to present to you one copy of it when quite ready.
We should to publisch your portrait too on the head of the translation, therefore we should be much obliged to have some information where to get some authentic electrotype copies? If you could be so kind to direct your publisher to let me know the terms how to get them, but very speedily, we should order them.
For the last winter session of the hungarian parliament a very conspicious member of it, Mr Paul Somsich on an occasion attacked your whole theory.4 Because he was in the last year president of the parliament, and now very influential member of the Right, I answered to him publicly in the “Reform” (: one of the the largest hungarian newspaper:)5 very severly attacking him again for his groundless assertion, and he answerd to me also publicly, recalling his former assertion,—and in all this it is the most interesting to me, that the public with many sign of sympathi have receaved me for your defence;— it is therefore not to be doubted that the Origin of Species shall exercise great influence here. I was last summer in Scandinavia, but as I have experienced it of many side, they are yet afraid of it!
With my greatest and sincere respect I remain | Dear Sir! | truly yours | L. Dapsy &c
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.
Mund, Katalin. 2008. The reception of Darwin in nineteenth-century Hungarian society. In The reception of Charles Darwin in Europe, edited by Eve-Marie Engels and Thomas F. Glick. London: Continuum.
Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.
Soós, Sándor. 2008. The scientific reception of Darwin’s work in nineteenth-century Hungary. In The reception of Charles Darwin in Europe, edited by Eve-Marie Engels and Thomas F. Glick. London: Continuum.
Summary
The Natural Philosophical Society [Academy of Sciences] will publish his translation of Origin in August, before Descent.
A distinguished member of the Hungarian Parliament attacked CD’s theory. LD answered, and a controversy ensued.
LD has noted many signs of public support for CD.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-8931
- From
- Laszlo Dapsy
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Pest
- Source of text
- DAR 162: 41
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8931,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8931.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 21