Cosima's Diaries

Diary Entry of September 24, 1871

Overview

A close foehn day includes a walk with nephews and children, then discussion of the Old Catholic meeting in Munich, whose program Wagner and Cosima value. Wagner works with deep absorption, and visiting Schleinitz nieces express interest in helping Bayreuth. Evening readings from Keller and remarks on Gotthelf leave Wagner scornful of literary bungling, while distant cannon fire remains unexplained.

Content

Sunday, September 24:

Close foehn atmosphere, a walk with our nephews and the children. At lunch R. tells us news about the meeting of Old Catholics in Munich. An important event; we like the program.

R. works and is very immersed in his work. Visit from Minister von Schleinitz’s nieces; they want to do something for Bayreuth.

In the evening R. reads us G. Keller’s “Spiegel das Kaetzchen”; we all dislike it, and R. says, “These people are all bunglers.” And of Jeremias Gotthelf he says, “The arrogance of these fellows who want to write for the people, when they should be having themselves told something by the people.” We hear cannon fire in the distance, but do not know what it means.