"First real letter to Ellis, Spencer's First Principles" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | HRC/CAT/OS/3a-xvi |
| Archive | Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Monday 24 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: 46-7; Draznin 1992: 227-8 |
| 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.
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1144 Marina
2Monday Morning
3
4Am just going out to look for rooms. Bitterly cold! Have worked well
5all day the morning. I’m going to get hard & strong like I used to
6be. I’m not going to let feeling kill me, damned if I shall, you
7mustn’t expect me to talk soft, but down in my heart I’ll be.
8
9How is my boy? How should I live without that boy.
10
11Olive
12
13Evening
14
15Couldn’t get rooms. Shall never have rest or mental or physical
16health while I am dependent on any other human creature ought to be.
17It is death to all the manly side of our soul. Take all from perfect
18love, but from nothing else
19
20I have worked again a bit. Yes, I walk whenever I work, but my chest
21won’t let me no anything but walk, it eases it.
22
23Your letter this evening is sweet. In heart we are always one.
24
25Olive
26
2Monday Morning
3
4Am just going out to look for rooms. Bitterly cold! Have worked well
5all day the morning. I’m going to get hard & strong like I used to
6be. I’m not going to let feeling kill me, damned if I shall, you
7mustn’t expect me to talk soft, but down in my heart I’ll be.
8
9How is my boy? How should I live without that boy.
10
11Olive
12
13Evening
14
15Couldn’t get rooms. Shall never have rest or mental or physical
16health while I am dependent on any other human creature ought to be.
17It is death to all the manly side of our soul. Take all from perfect
18love, but from nothing else
19
20I have worked again a bit. Yes, I walk whenever I work, but my chest
21won’t let me no anything but walk, it eases it.
22
23Your letter this evening is sweet. In heart we are always one.
24
25Olive
26
Notation
Draznin's (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription. Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) extract is incorrect in various ways.
Draznin's (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription. Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) extract is incorrect in various ways.