IN BRIEF Gertrud Heidegger, ed. “Mein liebes Seelchen” Briefe Martin Heideggers an seine Frau Elfride 1915-1970 (“My Dear Soul” Martin Heidegger’s Letters to his Wife Elfride, 1915-1970) Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, September 2005, 416 pp. ISBN 3-421-05849-0 These letters provide further interesting clues to the character of one of the most important of twentieth century philosophers. Praised in the German press for the frank picture they provide of the man, warts and all, these letters shed further light on this most controversial of thinkers, his tolerance of anti-Semitism and at least initial sympathy towards National Socialism. The editor, his granddaughter Gertrud, acknowledges the role her grandmother played both as a mother and as the long-suffering wife of a serially adulterous husband. There are also fascinating insights into Heidegger’s First World War experiences and his attempts to re-establish his reputation post-1945. Gertrud Heidegger born in 1955, is the eldest daughter of Jörg Heidegger, the eldest son of Martin and Elfride Heidegger. She is a nurse and lives with her family in the Heidegger house in Freiburg. Translation rights available from Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt Tel: +49 89 45554310 Email: sabine.kohl@dva.de