Mitteilungen 2016

131

[page 253-254, Swedish

] “I went down the iron road around 8 o’clock, where

I waited until the train left, which happened at 25 past 9. There were many 2nd

class passengers, and there was quite a crush when the door was opened. A French

lady who went out of the door at the same time as I did cried out, “There are

pickpockets here!” and my wallet was probably taken from my side pocket at

this very moment, for it was not there when I looked a little later. This was a very

serious matter, as all my travel tickets were in my wallet. I hurriedly bought new

tickets – fortunately, I still have some English money – and I told the conductor

in case the things had been handed in elsewhere. I hoped I would not experience

any problems when I brought out my keys and reported the contents of my trunks

at my destination. I was so worried and upset that I couldn’t sleep all night, even

though I needed the rest. Unfortunately, this train is very slow.”

The travel journal ends very early on the morning of the 24th July 1859 at a small

train station where Schliemann waited for the early train to Vienna. Via Prague and

Stetting Schliemann finally reaches the end of his journey in St Petersburg.

The anecdotes above show what Schliemann experienced and what his impres-

sions were. The Italian and Arabic parts, together some 192 (!) pages, still have

to be translated and it is expected that these translations will yield even more per-

sonal information about Schliemann.

When studying this diary, but this applies to all his diaries, it is imperative to

critically look at the texts. To what extent are they original and are not quotations

from travels guides? You also have to ask yourself with which purpose the diary

was written. Is it merely a true representation of his observations or is his aim to

describe the experiences in such a way that they can be read out at a later date to

a select company?

It is also interesting to critically look at the different types of descriptions. On

the one hand Schliemann is a sharp observer of facts: he meticulously describes

temples (including measurements), flora, fauna and landscapes. On the other he

seems to reproduce personal events and experiences in over-exaggerated or ex-

treme ways: “the grubbiest hands, the worst I have ever experienced, the wound

bled profusely, etc.” One should probably allow here for the possibility of

Selbst-

dramatisierung

Translated by Ronald Bathgate, London.

I should like to thank dr. David. A. Traill for this remark, made during the Kolloquium.

I should like to thank dr. Julius Cobet for this remark, made during the Kolloquium.