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| Letter Reference | HRC/UNCAT/OS-121 |
| Archive | Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Sunday 1 July 1888 |
| Address From | Roseneath, Harpenden, Hertfordshire |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Havelock Ellis |
| Other Versions | Cronwright-Schreiner 1924: 137; Draznin 1992: 442 |
| 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 information written onto it by Ellis. Schreiner was resident in Harpenden from mid June to the end of September 1888.
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1Sunday Night
2
3Alice is here. Have been working today. Don’t know special part of
4Kilburn. Mean that direction generally. Your genius liks lies in the
5direction of keen, most subtle & understanding criticism. I believe
6you to be, in reality, the finest critic, that is, the finest judge of
7a literary or artistic production. I would take your opinion or a work
8of mine before that of any other person even including Eleanor Marx.
9Therefore I feel it so bitterly that you should depend in any way on
10the tinsel which men who have no keen perception & nothing to say to
11the world must depend on. You are always true, always right & valuable
12in your naked simple idea. Why hide it & dress it. Why not write as
13you write your letters.
14
15What days are you oftenest in town.
16
17Olive
18
2
3Alice is here. Have been working today. Don’t know special part of
4Kilburn. Mean that direction generally. Your genius liks lies in the
5direction of keen, most subtle & understanding criticism. I believe
6you to be, in reality, the finest critic, that is, the finest judge of
7a literary or artistic production. I would take your opinion or a work
8of mine before that of any other person even including Eleanor Marx.
9Therefore I feel it so bitterly that you should depend in any way on
10the tinsel which men who have no keen perception & nothing to say to
11the world must depend on. You are always true, always right & valuable
12in your naked simple idea. Why hide it & dress it. Why not write as
13you write your letters.
14
15What days are you oftenest in town.
16
17Olive
18
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.