ABSTRACT
Both Helene Deutsch and Felix Deutsch shared the conviction that their work was a sacred vocation. Helene and Felix were married on April 14, 1912, before she began finally qualifying for her degree; Felix had wanted to be sure to have his last name on her diploma. Felix was an optimistic man, apt to overlook minor troubles; his health could be uncertain, but he was inclined to minimize his suffering. In September 1913 Felix went to Karlsbad to spend his vacation and recuperate; the letters he and Helene exchanged provide a good account of their career preoccupations then as well as an insight into their early married life. Felix liked it best when Helene wrote him with her natural exuberance and her high-spiritedness expressed itself through her idiosyncratic command of German. When Helene wrote about her need to leave Vienna, however, Felix responded with self-assurance and tact.
