As part of the exhibition “The Global Power of Love. A Journey Through the Centuries” at the Austrian National Library (March to November 2026), a letter from Ludwig Wittgenstein to his partner Ben Richards was on display. The letter, begun on 25 April 1951, contains a postscript that was apparently added on his birthday, 26 April. Only a few days later, on 29 April, Wittgenstein passed away.

The correspondence between Wittgenstein and Richards, comprising more than 300 surviving letters, was published in German translation in 2023 and appeared in the original English in 2026.

Links:

• The Global Power of Love. A Journey Through the Centuries (Austrian National Library)
• Interview with the editor Alfred Schmidt (Wittgenstein Initiative)
• “I’m thinking of you constantly with love”. Zur Korrespondenz Ludwig Wittgenstein – Ben Richards (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek)

Sources:

• Citron, G., & Schmidt, A. (Eds.) (2026). I Think of You Constantly with Love: The Letters of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Ben Richards. Bloomsbury.
• Schmidt, A. (Ed.) (2023). „I think of you constantly with love …“: Briefwechsel Ludwig Wittgenstein – Ben Richards 1946–1951. Haymon Verlag.
  

The post Letter to Ben Richards – Austrian National Library first appeared on Wittgenstein’s World.

In March 1949, Ludwig Wittgenstein spent a few days with Ben Richards at the St. Lawrence Hotel in Howth, near Dublin, for some rest and relaxation.

Source: Ludwig Wittgenstein: Gesamtbriefwechsel/Complete Correspondence (2nd Release). Innsbrucker Electronic Edition 2013. InteLex.

The post Howth, Ireland first appeared on Wittgenstein’s World.

At this spot on O’Connell Bridge in Dublin, a street photographer took a picture of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Ben Richards in 1948. At that time, Nelson’s Pillar could still be seen in the background; today, it is “The Spire”.

The post O’Connell Bridge first appeared on Wittgenstein’s World.