Rahel Sanzara Collection

The bulk of this collection consists of correspondence written by Berlin banker and businessman Walter Davidsohn to his wife Rahel Sanzara. There are no letters written from Sanzara to Davidsohn. Most of the correspondence from Davidsohn to Sanzara consists of handwritten or typed letters, with a few small notes, postcards, and telegrams. Throughout his letters, Davidsohn calls himself “Toddy” and Sanzara “Klaus” or variations on Klaus. There are frequent mentions of an illness Sanzara suffered in the 1920s, an injury to her foot in 1932, and more serious illness in 1935. The correspondence from 1926-1928 is sent to Sanzara during her stay in various hotels, while the correspondence sent from 1929 on is sent to her in Berlin while Davidsohn traveled in Italy, Switzerland, France, and England. In addition to personal matters, the letters discuss the political atmosphere, economic crisis, and cultural scene of Europe during the late 1920s and early 1930s, particularly in Germany, Switzerland, and France. The correspondence also reflects a rift in the relationship between Davidsohn and Sanzara. The correspondence suggests that Sanzara was endeavoring to publish a novel in 1932, and that the couple’s separation was at her request. In one of his last letters from 1935, Walter writes that he is boarding a ship that will sail from Le Havre to New York.

Outside of the correspondence from Davidsohn to Sanzara is the correspondence in folder 7, which relates to the author Ernst Weiss, who committed suicide in Paris in 1940. The correspondence in this folder shows that Rahel Sanzara knew Ernst Weiss and had acted in a production of at least one of his dramas. Most of the correspondence in this folder was written to Klaus-Peter Hinze, a professor at Cleveland State University who was conducting research on Ernst Weiss in the 1970s. His correspondents include, in alphabetical order, Elias Canetti, Albert Ehrenstein, Grete Fischer, Friedrich Holzlin, Hermann Kesten, Golo Mann, Hans Werner Richter, Elisabeth Rulf, and Anna Seghers.