"Nasty blow, political instinct" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner: Edward Carpenter SMD 30/32/d |
| Archive | National English Literary Museum, Grahamstown |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 20 December 1902 |
| Address From | Hanover, Northern Cape |
| Address To | Millthorpe, Holmesfield, Sheffield |
| Who To | Edward Carpenter |
| Other Versions | Cronwright-Schreiner 1924: 234-5 |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the National English Literary Museum (NELM) for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscript Collections. The address this letter was sent to is provided by an attached envelope. Schreiner was resident in Hanover from September 1900 to October 1907, after 1902 with visits, sometimes fairly lengthy, elsewhere.
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1
Dec 20th 1902
2
3 Dear Edward
4
5 Have you ever read a most rare & beautiful book called "the soul of a
6people" by Fielding Hall? To me it is the most beautiful book, the
7book that has come nearest to me of all books I have read in my life.
8Read it & tell me what you feel towards it, & towards the writer.
9
10 My heart had felt so bitter & hard of late, & it has been like a
11beautiful soft rain falling on hard dry ground to read this book.
12
13 You must get it & read it, Edward, if you have not already. It's a
14soul something like Bobs the man shows in the book; & it's what he
15makes one feel rather than anything he directly says that makes the
16book so precious.
17
18 My love to you dear Edward
19 Olive
20
2
3 Dear Edward
4
5 Have you ever read a most rare & beautiful book called "the soul of a
6people" by Fielding Hall? To me it is the most beautiful book, the
7book that has come nearest to me of all books I have read in my life.
8Read it & tell me what you feel towards it, & towards the writer.
9
10 My heart had felt so bitter & hard of late, & it has been like a
11beautiful soft rain falling on hard dry ground to read this book.
12
13 You must get it & read it, Edward, if you have not already. It's a
14soul something like Bobs the man shows in the book; & it's what he
15makes one feel rather than anything he directly says that makes the
16book so precious.
17
18 My love to you dear Edward
19 Olive
20
Notation
The book referred to is: Harold Fielding Hall (1898) The Soul of a People London: R. Bentley & Son. Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) version of this letter is incorrect in a range of respects.
The book referred to is: Harold Fielding Hall (1898) The Soul of a People London: R. Bentley & Son. Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) version of this letter is incorrect in a range of respects.