Memories of Rudolf Steiner

I rang the bell, the door opened, and there stood Rudolf Steiner in person. I was so taken aback that I dropped the basket, which burst open and all my clothes and underclothes, together with my other belongings, were lying at the feet of the Doctor. A ball of wool got away and rolled between Dr Steiner’s feet into the long corridor. Somewhat surprised, but amused, he said, “I have never been greeted in this way.”

Anna Samweber (1884–1969), a coworker in Berlin with Rudolf Steiner and Marie Steiner-von Sivers, presents a lively, often moving collection of anecdotes and recollections. Recorded by Jacob Streit during an intensive two-day session, this short work offers a warm, illuminating and intimate picture of Rudolf Steiner, the man and his work, during a critical phase in the development of Anthroposophy.

Anna Samweber (1884-1969) grew up in Munich and always referred to herself as "the baker's daughter." After finishing school, her parents sent her to a convent in northern Italy to train as a teacher. Whe worked as a governess for a family in France and latr for a German family in Odessa. As the Russian Revolution heated up, she fled back to Munich, where she encountered Rudolf Steiner and spiritual science. She witnessed many milestones of anthroposophy, including the burning of the first Goetheanum.