"Heart dying up last 5 or 6 years, 'Soul of a People' like rain falling on dry parched soil" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | HRC/CAT/OS/2a-xx |
| Archive | Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Thursday 25 September 1884 |
| Address From | Blackwell, Alfreton, Derbyshire |
| Address To | 24 Thornsett Road, South Penge Park, London |
| Who To | Havelock Ellis |
| Other Versions | Draznin 1992: 149-50 |
| 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 stayed in Alfreton for most of September 1884.
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1Thurs-day Morning
2
3I finished that novel last night by half past three. Like the
4underlying idea. That clergyman is just like my brother Theo. ^It’s^
5odd that I got a a long sad letter from him this morning.
6
7I hope your cold isn’t worse, eh? My heart aches for you with that
8pained tender kind of feeling when ever I think of you.
9
10Give my love to Louie. I want to write to her but my head goes round &
11round. Don’t wade through my Bro’s letter unless you find it
12interesting. The reason why he has had to harden himself, I though he
13doesn’t know it, is because a man who vividly & realizingly believes
14in hell & damnation, if he have originally a tender heart must harden
15himself or go mad. He becomes at last like his ideal God. The letter
16is very touching to me.
17
18Mrs. Walters has written begging me to go there tom next week while
19Miss Haycroft is there. Perhaps I shall but only for a couple of days.
20How good & loving everyone is to me. I will talk about the sonnets
21when I see you.
22
23Good bye my sweet boy
24Olive
25
2
3I finished that novel last night by half past three. Like the
4underlying idea. That clergyman is just like my brother Theo. ^It’s^
5odd that I got a a long sad letter from him this morning.
6
7I hope your cold isn’t worse, eh? My heart aches for you with that
8pained tender kind of feeling when ever I think of you.
9
10Give my love to Louie. I want to write to her but my head goes round &
11round. Don’t wade through my Bro’s letter unless you find it
12interesting. The reason why he has had to harden himself, I though he
13doesn’t know it, is because a man who vividly & realizingly believes
14in hell & damnation, if he have originally a tender heart must harden
15himself or go mad. He becomes at last like his ideal God. The letter
16is very touching to me.
17
18Mrs. Walters has written begging me to go there tom next week while
19Miss Haycroft is there. Perhaps I shall but only for a couple of days.
20How good & loving everyone is to me. I will talk about the sonnets
21when I see you.
22
23Good bye my sweet boy
24Olive
25
Notation
Draznin's (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription.
Draznin's (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription.