Josef Suk and Hugo Boettinger. From the bottom of the heart

This publication presents for the first time the complete surviving correspondence between the composer and violinist Josef Suk (1874–1935) and the painter, draughtsman and caricaturist Hugo Boettinger (1880–1934). It offers a unique insight into their professional and private lives. Suk, who was a violinist in the Czech Quartet and a teacher, speaks only marginally about his compositional work. In contrast, Boettinger, often signing with the pseudonym Dr. Desiderius, provides a vivid testimony of concerts, exhibitions, and the Prague art scene of the first third of the 20th century. His drawings, which accompany the book, lend the letters a distinctive wit and humour. The result is a readable and visually attractive portrait of two creators whose friendship was able to bridge the boundaries of different artistic fields.