"Best blood of youth, beginning of half century of war" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | HRC/OliveSchreinerUncatLetters/OS-TFisherUnwin/12 |
| Archive | Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | February 1889 |
| Address From | Hotel du Parc, Mentone, France |
| Address To | |
| 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. Schreiner stayed at the Hotel du Parc in Mentone from late December 1888 to late February 1889.
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1Hotel du Parc
2Mentone
3
4Dear Mr Unwin
5
6Thankyou for your letter I won’t write to Vernon Lee unless she is
7hopelessly ill. I’m being killed by the number of letters, I have to
8write or that people expect me to write, but I have a mighty &
9infinite affection for people of intellect when they break down &
10aren’t able to work, just as one loves a spirited horse when his
11flanks give way. I shall hear whether she is so desperately ill before
12I write.
13
14I have been exceedingly displeased by the notice of the
15“Book-Buyer”; the ridiculous assertions published as an
16autobiography were sent privately to my publisher in America, &
17intended in answer to his request & as a contra-dictions to the comic
18imaginary biographies which had been printed. It is both un healthy &
19unwise for living authors to be written of or to write of themselves.
20
21I am living alone working hard; when or whether I shall publish any
22thing more is somewhat doubtful. I think I shall have to go back to
23Africa & see things from the standpoint of an African Desert before I
24can determine whether what I have is worth giving. It’s possible
25however that I shall publish one of my novels before I go.
26
27Thanks for ^the^ your book & for your kindness in replying so quickly.
28
29Yours faithfully
30Olive Schreiner
31
2Mentone
3
4Dear Mr Unwin
5
6Thankyou for your letter I won’t write to Vernon Lee unless she is
7hopelessly ill. I’m being killed by the number of letters, I have to
8write or that people expect me to write, but I have a mighty &
9infinite affection for people of intellect when they break down &
10aren’t able to work, just as one loves a spirited horse when his
11flanks give way. I shall hear whether she is so desperately ill before
12I write.
13
14I have been exceedingly displeased by the notice of the
15“Book-Buyer”; the ridiculous assertions published as an
16autobiography were sent privately to my publisher in America, &
17intended in answer to his request & as a contra-dictions to the comic
18imaginary biographies which had been printed. It is both un healthy &
19unwise for living authors to be written of or to write of themselves.
20
21I am living alone working hard; when or whether I shall publish any
22thing more is somewhat doubtful. I think I shall have to go back to
23Africa & see things from the standpoint of an African Desert before I
24can determine whether what I have is worth giving. It’s possible
25however that I shall publish one of my novels before I go.
26
27Thanks for ^the^ your book & for your kindness in replying so quickly.
28
29Yours faithfully
30Olive Schreiner
31