Preface [of

Abstract

"Dag Hammarskjöld was known for his wide interests and contacts, and for his capacity to interweave nature, art, science and politics into a tapestry of varied but complementary colours and textures, creating a harmonious and integrated whole. [...] Hammarskjöld’s impressive correspondence, which went far beyond the limits of his professional duties as narrowly defined, included exchanges with many individuals representing these various spheres of life and thinking. Among the thinkers he engaged with intellectually was Martin Buber. [...] The notion of dialogue promoted by Buber was similarly an integral and substantial part of Hammarskjöld’s approach to life. [...] This essence of dialogue remains more relevant than ever in times where ‘otherness’ is all too often misconstrued as alien. [...] The ‘age of mistrust’ has not yet come to an end. It continues, despite eff orts such as this to bring back into public discourse ideas that remain as relevant today as they were at the time of the correspondence between Hammarskjold and Buber. [...]", p. 4, 5.