TLS in German, signed “A. Einstein,” one page, 8.5 x 11, personal letterhead, May 11, 1951. Letter to Dorothea Koenig, in part (translated): “Of course I know of Maja's old acquaintance with Mrs. Glinz-Frey. The fact that she has not received any more letters from my sister is due to her severe illness (advanced arteriosclerosis of the brain), which makes her reading and writing for some time impossible. It's very kind of you to offer your visit. [I] would not recommend it because my sister is extremely impeded in speaking, and on occasion of a visit [she is] painfully more aware of her condition than usual. I dare therefore not to mention your letters.” In fine condition, with intersecting folds. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA.
In need of safe quarter following Mussolini’s implementation of anti-Semitic laws in fascist Italy, Maja—on the invite of her older brother—emigrated to Princeton in 1939. Despite Einstein’s countless wartime engagements, from his devoted help of Jewish immigrants to his constant involvement with nuclear research, he and Maja enjoyed many fond years together prior to her stroke in 1946 and her subsequent decline in health. Though Einstein gleaned much delight in his involvement with the NAACP and the civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois in 1951, the year was darkened by Maja’s passing on June 25, only a month after this letter was written. A poignant and painfully honest letter regarding Einstein’s only sibling.
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