Beckett in Hamburg - 17th October 1936

Saturday, 17th October 1936

1st Telephone Conversation with Claudia Asher.

The International Office conveys the name of a "pilot" by telephone: Claudia
Asher*, Schäferkampsallee 37, calls her, meeting arranged for the following day.
She teaches Beckett German, accompanies him on many of his walks through town. But from his side no great sympathy evolves towards her.

After a fortnight in Hamburg, the atmosphere is – once again – at an all-time low.

*Claudia Asher was born in Hamburg on 24th June 1902 to the solicitor Dr. Otto
Heinrich Asher and his wife, Franziska Henriette Claudia Busch. Her father, of
Jewish origin, dies young. Her brother and sister already left Hamburg in early
1936 in fear of mounting reprisals. Claudia stayed with her mother, was
compelled to give up her wish to become a singer due to an infection of the vocal
chords, and despite completing her studies in German and English, her descent prevented her from receiving a post as teacher. She married Friedrich Feldhoff, a sales agent for stationary, remained without children and died in Wedel in 1979.

A draft exists for a letter she addressed to Samuel Beckett in the year 1969.
She remembered him all her life.

Letter to Beckett

Claudia Asher

Unangenehme Stimme hatte sie. Probieren kann nicht schaden. Oder doch? Hundewetter again.

At lunchtime, Beckett stuffs himself with a depraved Gemüsetopf in the SS (Stadtschänke, not Saal Schutz) drags himself through a großes Pilsener to the Dammtor train station.

In the evening a conversation with Martion Alles kommt auf so viel an.