"Kran Kuil, writing papers, war" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box5/Fold2/1913/46 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 17 November 1913 |
| Address From | De Aar, Northern Cape |
| Address To | Villa Flandre, Newlands, Cape Town, Western Cape |
| Who To | Frances (‘Fan’) Schreiner nee Reitz |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. The date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand. The address the letter was sent to is provided on an attached envelope, from which the stamp and postmark have been removed. Schreiner was resident in De Aar from November 1907 until she left South Africa for Britain and Europe in December 1913, with some fairly lengthy visits elsewhere over this time.
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My dear little sister Fan
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3 I have been spending the last days in writing & destroying old papers
4& letters, as I have no daughter I can leave to do it after I am dead.
5I want to leave nothing that could pain any one: there is too much
6pain in life. I came across your letters written to me when you were
7first engaged. Dear, they are such beautiful letters; the tears came
8into my eyes as I reread them. I can’t destroy them. I am sending
9them to you I think Dot would value them so much; but I can’t give
10them to her with out your consent. Letters are such sacred things to
11me: especially when they show the inside of a tender self forgetting
12spirit as yours do. I think they are so beautiful I would like Dot to
13have them that your grand children
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15^may read them some day. But do as you like with them. Its such sad
16work this going through old letters destroying them. One seems to be
17tearing up oneself. ^
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19 Good bye dear. I hope I shall be able to get my packing done.
20 Olive
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2
3 I have been spending the last days in writing & destroying old papers
4& letters, as I have no daughter I can leave to do it after I am dead.
5I want to leave nothing that could pain any one: there is too much
6pain in life. I came across your letters written to me when you were
7first engaged. Dear, they are such beautiful letters; the tears came
8into my eyes as I reread them. I can’t destroy them. I am sending
9them to you I think Dot would value them so much; but I can’t give
10them to her with out your consent. Letters are such sacred things to
11me: especially when they show the inside of a tender self forgetting
12spirit as yours do. I think they are so beautiful I would like Dot to
13have them that your grand children
14
15^may read them some day. But do as you like with them. Its such sad
16work this going through old letters destroying them. One seems to be
17tearing up oneself. ^
18
19 Good bye dear. I hope I shall be able to get my packing done.
20 Olive
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