"On women, marriage, prostitution" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | HRC/CAT/OS/3a-vi |
| Archive | Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Saturday 15 November 1884 |
| Address From | 144 Marina, St Leonards, East Sussex |
| Address To | 24 Thornsett Road, South Penge Park, London |
| Who To | Havelock Ellis |
| Other Versions | Cronwright-Schreiner 1924: 45; Draznin 1992: 214-5 |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Texas at Austin, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscript Collections. This letter has been dated by reference to an associated envelope and its postmark, which also provides the address it was sent to. Schreiner was resident in St Leonards at three addresses from mid October 1884 to the end of April 1885.
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1Sat Night
2
3So tired. Going to bed. Good night, Harry.
4
5Sunday Morning
6
7I got your letter. It’s nice to get one.
8
9I wrote that I was well because I was when I filled that form. You
10don’t think if my chest had been like it is now I would have thought
11of being a nurse. It was because I was so perfectly well in my chest
12at Lilly KIoof that I thought of coming home to nurse.
13
14I don’t think you are not true about Miss Jones. My mistake is that
15I feel as if you couldn’t in any thing be not absolutely true to me.
16I always feel kind of blind absolute trust in a thing when I love it.
17It isn’t quite wise, but I must feel it. You are to some extent
18right in what you say about Goethe. My chest is getting worse & worse
19every day. It is the weather. I have not yet even got out my papers.
20Oh Henry, I would give all the rest of my life if for one year I might
21be able to breathe like other people. Please finish that criti-cism
22article. I want so to see it printed.
23
24Your Olive
25
26I have such great pain in my chest.
27
28Thank you very much for that letter of Louie’s friend. Have you not
29got my Louie’s likeness I have packed out the
30
31^box & every thing & can’t find it or her letter. We were sitting by
32the box you know^
33
2
3So tired. Going to bed. Good night, Harry.
4
5Sunday Morning
6
7I got your letter. It’s nice to get one.
8
9I wrote that I was well because I was when I filled that form. You
10don’t think if my chest had been like it is now I would have thought
11of being a nurse. It was because I was so perfectly well in my chest
12at Lilly KIoof that I thought of coming home to nurse.
13
14I don’t think you are not true about Miss Jones. My mistake is that
15I feel as if you couldn’t in any thing be not absolutely true to me.
16I always feel kind of blind absolute trust in a thing when I love it.
17It isn’t quite wise, but I must feel it. You are to some extent
18right in what you say about Goethe. My chest is getting worse & worse
19every day. It is the weather. I have not yet even got out my papers.
20Oh Henry, I would give all the rest of my life if for one year I might
21be able to breathe like other people. Please finish that criti-cism
22article. I want so to see it printed.
23
24Your Olive
25
26I have such great pain in my chest.
27
28Thank you very much for that letter of Louie’s friend. Have you not
29got my Louie’s likeness I have packed out the
30
31^box & every thing & can’t find it or her letter. We were sitting by
32the box you know^
33
Notation
The form Schreiner refers to is her 25 November 1880 application to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary (see NELM Olive Schreiner: Havelock Ellis 2006.29/2). Draznin's (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription. Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) extract includes material from a different letter and is also incorrect in other ways.
The form Schreiner refers to is her 25 November 1880 application to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary (see NELM Olive Schreiner: Havelock Ellis 2006.29/2). Draznin's (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription. Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) extract includes material from a different letter and is also incorrect in other ways.