"All art should be an expression of the individual soul; views don't interest me" Read the full letter
Collection Summary | View All |  Arrange By:
< Prev |
Viewing Item
of 586 | Next >
Letter ReferenceHRC/OliveSchreinerUncatLetters/OS-PhilipKent/12
ArchiveHarry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date11 December 1883
Address FromNew College, Eastbourne, East Sussex
Address To
Who ToPhilip Kent
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease 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.
1New College
2Eastbourne
3Dec. 11 / 83
4
5My dear Mr Kent,
6
7Thank you very much for your note & and notice. I feel very proud of
8the interest you take in my book, & feel more than proud, really
9grateful, for all the time you spent over that New Rush. I have not
10seen that not article in the Fortnightly. I live such a hermit life
11that the world might come to an end with out my knowing it.
12
13My address for the winter will be
14Edinburgh Hotel.
15Warrior Sq.
16St Leonards.
17I am only here for the day.
18
19I am, dear Mr Kent,
20Yours sincerely,
21Olive Schreiner
22
Notation
'My book' is The African Farm, which Philip Kent had reviewed in Life, while the article Schreiner had not seen was a review by Henry Norman, as follows:

Life 8 February 1883: "This is so exceptional a book that we go out of our way to treat it in an exceptional manner. Since reading, now many years ago, Le Pere Goriot, Jane Eyre and Adam Bede, no romance has created so profound an impression on our mind as this one... We have no room for any more extracts, and must now confine ourselves to a few general remarks on the merits and defects of this extraordinary work. Its defects resolve themselves, for the most part, into one grand defect - the intrusion into the body of the story of a long dissertation entitled, 'Times and Seasons.' From a strictly artistic point of view, this is indefensible; one the other hand it must be admitted that the dissertation is not only remarkably well-written but full of deep thought and sober reasoning which prove Mr Iron to be a clear-headed, highly-cultivated and right-minded man.... One word more: we hope that Mr Iron - who has not stolen his name - will not wrap his 'talent' in a napkin. Unless we are gravely mistaken, that 'talent' is genius."

Fortnightly Review December 1883, Henry Norman, "Theories and practice of modern fiction": "memorable... this novel offers a rare treat... This book teaches the lesson that wherever there are human hearts beating with natural impulses there is scene enough for all the tragedy and all the comedy of life - that for the delineation of the highest interests of men and women una dumus sufficit. The characters are all original - we have met none of them before; the style is fresh and full of humour; and, in spite of its occasional lapses, the whole story is of fascinating interest, and, what is more, of great moral power."