In 1909, a young mother called Emma Hauck was admitted in the psychiatric hospital of Heidelberg (Germany). She was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. 11 years later Emma would pass away in an asylum in Wiesloch at the age of 42. Around that time a touching collection of letters was found in the archives of the Heidelberg hospital. All of these letters were written to her husband Michael, begging him to collect her.
Each letter is written with overlapping words. Some are so condensed as to be illegible. Some read
“herzensschatzi komm’ (darling come) over and over; others only repeat the words, ‘komm, komm, komm’ (come) thousands of times.
The letters were never sent.
Eventueel tekst bij boom met ‘gouden achtergrond’ en grote oplage foto
Saudade is a Portuguese word that has no exact equivalent in any other language. It’s a sense of yearning that can never be fulfilled, as for a lost loved one, or a missed opportunity viewed with regret. It is a palpable sense of absence that seems to have its own kind of presence. Saudade is a bittersweet feeling - a profound sense of nostalgia rather than despair.
"My father passed away when I was 15 years old. Before he died he wanted to emigrate to Portugal to write a novel. He never got there to fulfill his wish. Many years later I went to Portugal to photograph the story that has never been written.”