from Letters of Note
One of my favorite sites is Letters of Note where Shaun Usher shares letters and postcards from both famous and ordinary people. Recently, he posted a letter from Luz Long, a German athlete who became good friends with Jesse Owens during the 1936 Olympics hosted by Adolf Hitler. At that time, in that place--an amazing bond developed.
The two kept in touch by mail after the Olympics. Long's last sad and touching letter was written during WWII from North Africa where was later killed in action, and he had an important request of Jesse.
To read the transcript click here.
What an incredible friendship.
Oh my gosh, Jen-what a letter! It made me cry....
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in college, I wrote a paper about Leni Riefenstahl who filmed those Olympics for Hitler. It's amazing to know that under all that propaganda and hideousness-there would come about a letter so beautiful. Thank you for this.
I love that Jesse followed through in every way! In the midst of such evil, such a wonderful friendship managed to grow.
Delete"I am here, Jesse, where it seems there is only the dry sand and the wet blood."
ReplyDeleteThe horrors of war are so alive and vivid in these few words. There is no doubt that his straightforward, haunting description is pure poetry. Each time I read it, I heard his voice with an odd German pronunciation and a struggle to get the linguistics just right. How brave of both men to become friends in that time and what a lesson that they are still teaching the world. Thanks for sharing Jenclair.
That line does sum up the horrors of war, doesn't it? And yes, the courage of both men to become friends at that time in Hitler's Berlin is amazing. A lesson for us all.
DeleteThank you so very much for sharing this letter and the others. My eyes are filled with tears as I write this. There is courage and faith and honor out there, even in these seemingly dark days. We MUST remember that and try to share our own with others. Thank you for reminding me of this!
ReplyDeleteI love that someone was able to get the picture of the two of them together!
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