The translation selection of Catt's memoirs and diary as well as Lucchesini's diary is edited and published by one Dr. Fritz Bischof in 1885. Bischof points to Koser's epic work in this regard, especially re: Catt's truthfulness or lack of same; he, Bischof, doesn't want to present his readers with Catt's historical novel, so he has only printed those parts of the memoirs that can be traced back to the diary entries, if somewhat more fleshed out, and even then he makes a footnote every time Catt misdates something or puts different entries together. Or changes identities. I hadn't noticed before, but one difference between Fritz telling Catt in the diary about the lead up to the Voltaire-Maupertuis climax between the same story in the memoirs is that in the memoirs, Catt has him send the previous reader, de Prades, after Voltaire to give him the "now listen, no more attacks on Maupertuis, and here's the NDA to sign!", whereas in the diary, Fritz sends... Fredersdorf. Which, you know, makes sense. Fredersdorf apparantly had no trouble showing up at Voltaire's bathtube. What this doesn't tell me, though, is: in which language did Voltaire and Fredesdorf converse? Because while as I said many an entry before, I don't doubt Voltaire did pick up some every day German to order his meals or ask for the way, I doubt it was enough to have the dialogue Catt says Fritz said they had. Did Fredersdorf learn French behind Fritz' back?
Bischof points out that Luccheisini, being a Italian Marchese, was of different social rank than Catt from the get go and hence rates invitations to the fabled Sanssouci suppers in addition to hanging out with the King a deux. Reading the translation, I feel I didn't do too badly going by the footnotes in the original edition. Additional info:
- Lucchesini seems to have really liked Fritz' poetry; at first I thought he was pretending, but then he started to snark about Fritz' utter lack of scientific know how beyond the most superficial level while of course pretending to be an expert, so he has no problem writing down when he disagrees with Fritz on something or thinks Fritz is talking rubbish
- which Fritz does a lot; when Lucchesini calls him out on two stories he tells of the two Medici queens in France, Catherine and Maria, which happen to be utterly wrong (yours truly having occupied herself with both eras somewhat, I'm in a position to know), Fritz defends himself by saying he has super secret sources for both anecdotes and so he KNOWS it's true, which is typical
- contempt for German literature, check, then he adds fine, a beginning has been made, who, asks Lu, and Fritz says "Canitz", a poet in his grandmother's time. Yep, that's the author De La Literature Allemande, alright. I bet he was proud he could at least remember one writer.
- Lu also note that it shows Fritz only knows the great Latin writers like Horace and Cicero in French translations, which can't capture the sheer linguistic beauty of Horace's odes, or the wit of Cicero
- Lu, as opposed to Fritz, and like the Duc de Croy, is actually interested in contemporary exploration and mentions Georg Forster's book on travelling with James Cook (remember #saveJamesCook?) to Tahiti; Georg Forster wrote his travel reports in German, which at leat supports Zimmerman's claim that Lu could read it.
- Fritz' Gluck dislike is based on having the first act of Orphee performed on an arrangement for Cello, piano and violin. That's it. Totally qualifies him.
- lots and lots of positive Algarotti mentions, perhaps Lu reminds Fritz of the last Italian he spend a lot of time with? Anyway, Algarotti is very fondly remembered. The only vaguely critical thing Fritz says is that he tried to please everyone. Otherwise it's praise for his knowledge and memory ("he travelled with his library in his head, always accessible") and his charm all the way.
- if you're wondering how Fritz handles dead Voltaire: Voltaire was the worst! The WORST! Let me read this letter of Voltaire again, and mine to him to you out loud, because there's some fine poetry in it. Also, here's a story of Voltaire being witty. We haven't read Voltaire enough recently. Did I mention he was THE WORST?
- re: Fritz appropriating complete credit for Poland, it did occur to me that 1780/81 was when he and Heinrich had their record one and a half year of not talking or writing to each other. AW gets edited out of the trip to Strasbourg again when Fritz says he was there only with Algarotti.
(BTW, Jessen has a letter from Fritz to Heinrich when Fritz checks out his new territories (won, you know, without a drop of blood) actually containing the phrase "this land, which I received through your hand".)
- at one point they talk about vampires, I kid you not; Fritz of course calls them a total superstition and wonders that there are people who are otherwise sound sceptics who still believe in that stuff, which makes Lu think Fritz might be one of those people after all. (Basis for a vampire AU?)
- no mention of Katte, or Küstrin, even when Fritz is going there; FW mentioned only once or twice, Lu notes that Fritz talks of him with much respect and gives him all the credit for building the basis for his, Fritz' power.
- Fritz the amazingly wrong predicter: future menace ViennaJoe will conquer Rome, make the pope his patriarch and Christianity will splinter even more and decline; England is over and done with, a power on the downward slide ever since the end of the Seven Years War, when Bute, totally bribed by the Austrians (with what money?), stopped subsidizing Fritz and Holderness let himself outnegotiated by the French (this is not how the French would see it)
- seriously, Fritz has not forgiven the English for stopping the subsidies; mind you, the insistence that England is an exhausted and one with power might at least partially hail from them losing to their American colonists, but they also gained Canada from the French, and the British Empire hasn't reached its zenith yet since complete control over India is yet to come; it still shows Fritz has zero idea of non-European politics and economics, and how much Britain florishes based on all the incoming money from the colonies
- I can see why Lu never achieved Catt's popularity, though; not nearly as much personal stories (true or made up), no extreme danger and extreme glory situation as in the 7 Years War, and Lu notes down Fritz repeating anecdotes, as old people do, and holds forth on subjects he's just not informed on.
- nothing homoerotic I could spott, not even in code, aside from the Algarotti and Voltaire stuff.
Lucchessini, Catt and Fredersdorf, oh, my
Bischof points out that Luccheisini, being a Italian Marchese, was of different social rank than Catt from the get go and hence rates invitations to the fabled Sanssouci suppers in addition to hanging out with the King a deux. Reading the translation, I feel I didn't do too badly going by the footnotes in the original edition. Additional info:
- Lucchesini seems to have really liked Fritz' poetry; at first I thought he was pretending, but then he started to snark about Fritz' utter lack of scientific know how beyond the most superficial level while of course pretending to be an expert, so he has no problem writing down when he disagrees with Fritz on something or thinks Fritz is talking rubbish
- which Fritz does a lot; when Lucchesini calls him out on two stories he tells of the two Medici queens in France, Catherine and Maria, which happen to be utterly wrong (yours truly having occupied herself with both eras somewhat, I'm in a position to know), Fritz defends himself by saying he has super secret sources for both anecdotes and so he KNOWS it's true, which is typical
- contempt for German literature, check, then he adds fine, a beginning has been made, who, asks Lu, and Fritz says "Canitz", a poet in his grandmother's time. Yep, that's the author De La Literature Allemande, alright. I bet he was proud he could at least remember one writer.
- Lu also note that it shows Fritz only knows the great Latin writers like Horace and Cicero in French translations, which can't capture the sheer linguistic beauty of Horace's odes, or the wit of Cicero
- Lu, as opposed to Fritz, and like the Duc de Croy, is actually interested in contemporary exploration and mentions Georg Forster's book on travelling with James Cook (remember #saveJamesCook?) to Tahiti; Georg Forster wrote his travel reports in German, which at leat supports Zimmerman's claim that Lu could read it.
- Fritz' Gluck dislike is based on having the first act of Orphee performed on an arrangement for Cello, piano and violin. That's it. Totally qualifies him.
- lots and lots of positive Algarotti mentions, perhaps Lu reminds Fritz of the last Italian he spend a lot of time with? Anyway, Algarotti is very fondly remembered. The only vaguely critical thing Fritz says is that he tried to please everyone. Otherwise it's praise for his knowledge and memory ("he travelled with his library in his head, always accessible") and his charm all the way.
- if you're wondering how Fritz handles dead Voltaire: Voltaire was the worst! The WORST! Let me read this letter of Voltaire again, and mine to him to you out loud, because there's some fine poetry in it. Also, here's a story of Voltaire being witty. We haven't read Voltaire enough recently. Did I mention he was THE WORST?
- re: Fritz appropriating complete credit for Poland, it did occur to me that 1780/81 was when he and Heinrich had their record one and a half year of not talking or writing to each other. AW gets edited out of the trip to Strasbourg again when Fritz says he was there only with Algarotti.
(BTW, Jessen has a letter from Fritz to Heinrich when Fritz checks out his new territories (won, you know, without a drop of blood) actually containing the phrase "this land, which I received through your hand".)
- at one point they talk about vampires, I kid you not; Fritz of course calls them a total superstition and wonders that there are people who are otherwise sound sceptics who still believe in that stuff, which makes Lu think Fritz might be one of those people after all. (Basis for a vampire AU?)
- no mention of Katte, or Küstrin, even when Fritz is going there; FW mentioned only once or twice, Lu notes that Fritz talks of him with much respect and gives him all the credit for building the basis for his, Fritz' power.
- Fritz the amazingly wrong predicter: future menace ViennaJoe will conquer Rome, make the pope his patriarch and Christianity will splinter even more and decline; England is over and done with, a power on the downward slide ever since the end of the Seven Years War, when Bute, totally bribed by the Austrians (with what money?), stopped subsidizing Fritz and Holderness let himself outnegotiated by the French (this is not how the French would see it)
- seriously, Fritz has not forgiven the English for stopping the subsidies; mind you, the insistence that England is an exhausted and one with power might at least partially hail from them losing to their American colonists, but they also gained Canada from the French, and the British Empire hasn't reached its zenith yet since complete control over India is yet to come; it still shows Fritz has zero idea of non-European politics and economics, and how much Britain florishes based on all the incoming money from the colonies
- I can see why Lu never achieved Catt's popularity, though; not nearly as much personal stories (true or made up), no extreme danger and extreme glory situation as in the 7 Years War, and Lu notes down Fritz repeating anecdotes, as old people do, and holds forth on subjects he's just not informed on.
- nothing homoerotic I could spott, not even in code, aside from the Algarotti and Voltaire stuff.