"Aesthetics" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | HRC/OliveSchreinerUncatLetters/OS-TFisherUnwin/25 |
| Archive | Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 12 April 1896 |
| Address From | The Homestead, Kimberley, Northern Cape |
| Address To | 11 Paternoster Buildings, City, London |
| Who To | T. Fisher Unwin |
| Other Versions | |
| 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 holding letter replying to a letter Unwin had sent to Olive Schreiner was sent by Cronwright-Schreiner, acting as Schreiner's amanuensis or secretary.
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1The Homestead
2Kimberley
3Cape Colony
412th Apl. 1896
5
6T. Fisher Unwin Esq
711 Paternoster Buildings
8London E.C.
9
10Dear Sir,
11
12Your letters of Nov. 13th 1895, and March 6th 1895, addressed to my
13wife, Matjesfontein, have only today come to hand here. I can today do
14nothing more than merely acknowledge their receipt, and express my
15regret at their long delay. I hope to reply at an early date.
16
17Her address is as per this letter.
18
19I am,
20Yours truly,
21S.C.Cronwright Schreiner
22
2Kimberley
3Cape Colony
412th Apl. 1896
5
6T. Fisher Unwin Esq
711 Paternoster Buildings
8London E.C.
9
10Dear Sir,
11
12Your letters of Nov. 13th 1895, and March 6th 1895, addressed to my
13wife, Matjesfontein, have only today come to hand here. I can today do
14nothing more than merely acknowledge their receipt, and express my
15regret at their long delay. I hope to reply at an early date.
16
17Her address is as per this letter.
18
19I am,
20Yours truly,
21S.C.Cronwright Schreiner
22
Notation
Unwin was interested in publishing Schreiner’s (1896) The Political Situation, which had been read as an address in Kimberley Town Hall by Cronwright-Schreiner in August 1895. On this, Cronwright-Schreiner wrote to Unwin on 19 July 1896 as follows:
‘The Homestead
Kimberley
Cape Colony
19th July. 96
^Private^
Dear Sir,
Your letter of 21st May duly reached me, and I at once wired the three words “Century London Cronwright”, thus agreeing to your publishing our paper on The Political Situation in terms of your letter. I trust you received the cable. My delay in writing is due to my absence from home.
On 4th inst. I sent another paper on the same subject, a copy of which I enclose (with a leader on it). This paper is not so good as the other, as it is not a joint production: neither has it the advantage of my wife’s name. But if you can do anything with it, and care to do so, you are at liberty to do so.
With regard to the letter from the Editor of “Cosmopolis”, I trust that at some time in the future Mrs Schreiner may be able to publish in the magazine.
We have both read “Mr Magnus” with pleasure, not from the standpoint of its merit as a novel or for its literary worth, but for a singularly accurate portrayal of Kimberley life. I do not believe there is the slightest exaggeration: it should enable English readers to understand our Cape political life better.
With kind regards,
Yours very truly,
S.C. Cronwright Schreiner’
At least one of Schreiner's ‘Returned South African’ essays appeared in Cosmopolis. A set of these essays was to have been published as ‘Stray Thoughts on South Africa’ soon afterwards. However, although prepared for book publication, a dispute with a US publisher and the events of the South African War prevented this. They and some other essays were posthumously published as Thoughts on South Africa. The book referred to is: Francis R. Statham (1896) Mr Magnus, A Novel London: Fisher Unwin.
Unwin was interested in publishing Schreiner’s (1896) The Political Situation, which had been read as an address in Kimberley Town Hall by Cronwright-Schreiner in August 1895. On this, Cronwright-Schreiner wrote to Unwin on 19 July 1896 as follows:
‘The Homestead
Kimberley
Cape Colony
19th July. 96
^Private^
Dear Sir,
Your letter of 21st May duly reached me, and I at once wired the three words “Century London Cronwright”, thus agreeing to your publishing our paper on The Political Situation in terms of your letter. I trust you received the cable. My delay in writing is due to my absence from home.
On 4th inst. I sent another paper on the same subject, a copy of which I enclose (with a leader on it). This paper is not so good as the other, as it is not a joint production: neither has it the advantage of my wife’s name. But if you can do anything with it, and care to do so, you are at liberty to do so.
With regard to the letter from the Editor of “Cosmopolis”, I trust that at some time in the future Mrs Schreiner may be able to publish in the magazine.
We have both read “Mr Magnus” with pleasure, not from the standpoint of its merit as a novel or for its literary worth, but for a singularly accurate portrayal of Kimberley life. I do not believe there is the slightest exaggeration: it should enable English readers to understand our Cape political life better.
With kind regards,
Yours very truly,
S.C. Cronwright Schreiner’
At least one of Schreiner's ‘Returned South African’ essays appeared in Cosmopolis. A set of these essays was to have been published as ‘Stray Thoughts on South Africa’ soon afterwards. However, although prepared for book publication, a dispute with a US publisher and the events of the South African War prevented this. They and some other essays were posthumously published as Thoughts on South Africa. The book referred to is: Francis R. Statham (1896) Mr Magnus, A Novel London: Fisher Unwin.