"Solitude, change, work" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box1/Fold1/1891/5
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date11 February 1891
Address FromMatjesfontein, Western Cape
Address To
Who ToFrances ('Fan') Schreiner nee Reitz
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. The date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand. Schreiner was mainly resident in Matjesfontein between December 1889 and December 1892, with some fairly lengthy visits elsewhere, including Cape Town.
1 My darling Fan
2
3 I hope you are all having a good time at Kalk Bay, & that our baby
4gets out a lot & is flourishing I am very well & working like a donkey.
5 It was nice to see our friends as they passed here the other day but
6I did not think Mrs Reitz looking at all well.
7
8 I shall come down to town ^on 7th April^ specially to pay a week’s
9visit to you & Oliver ^if you will have me^. Then if I can find suitable
10rooms in town, a bedroom & sitting room anywhere I shall perhaps
11settle down for the winter: if I can’t I shall go up to Kimberly. I
12must have a bed room as sitting room, as I a have to do a great deal
13of copy work. If I can get my work done I may be going home to England
14& America in July or Aug: to get it printed: but somehow one’s work
15seems to go on so slowly though one’s always at it. Give my love to
16our own little ones
17
18 I expect Will is great on catching fishes!
19
20 I wrote to advise Fred to let Wilfred stay & come out with Mr Fort &
21Sir Henry. It would be much nicer for him, but my letter may be too
22late.
23
24 It is beautiful weather here, but already beginning to get quite sharp
25in the early mornings & evenings. Look out for me please if you hear
26of a tiny house or bedroom & sitting room to let.
27
28 Your little sister
29 Olive
30
31
32
Notation
The reference to 'my work' could be to the projected book of essays which appeared posthumously as Thoughts on South Africa, or to From Man to Man, but probably the latter.