Einstein Played the Fiddle and Kafka Told Jokes

Some people are like the wind and the waves for me; they refresh me, disturb the surface of my being for a while, and then disappear for ever.

Berta Fanta, Diary

At the turn of the century, Berta Fanta, the wife of a pharmacist, ran a literary and philosophical salon on the Old Town Square. Her guests included such famous figures of the time as Albert Einstein, Franz Werfel, Max Brod, and, from time to time, Franz Kafka. Here they discussed wise Indian sayings and spiritual ideas, debated Fichte, Kant, and Hegel and thrilled to the secret teachings of Helena Blavatsky. Else Lasker-Schüler also sometimes visited the salon as an honoured guest. --- Vitalis