"Terrible blow fallen on me about Cronwright-Schreiner & an action against him" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Letters/412 |
| Archive | |
| Epistolary Type | |
| Letter Date | 13 August 1890 |
| Address From | Matjesfontein, Western Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Havelock Ellis |
| Other Versions | Cronwright-Schreiner 1924: 195 |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
When Cronwright-Schreiner prepared The Letters of Olive Schreiner, with few exceptions he then destroyed her originals. However, some people gave him copies and kept the originals or demanded the return of these; and when actual Schreiner letters can be compared with his versions, his have omissions, distortions and bowdlerisations. Where Schreiner originals have survived, these will be found in the relevant collections across the OSLO website. There is however a residue of some 587 items in The Letters for which no originals are extant. They are included here for sake of completeness. However, their relationship to Schreiners actual letters cannot now be gauged, and so they should be read with caution for the reasons given.
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1To Havelock Ellis.
2Matjesfontein, 13th Aug.
3
4I've been writing and am now going to bed (10 o'clock). I am in all
5things able to work as I used to at Ganna Hoek, but I get so terribly
6tired soon. I can't keep on at a stretch for ten and twelve hours, in
7fact not more than half an hour, without feeling fagged. It is colder
8here than I ever knew it in England. A healthy dry cold though very
9painful. My nervous system is so strong again, and so of course my
10head. I feel now I could bear a great sorrow without dying. ... Do you
11know I have that old intense love of life, the animal love that I used
12to have, and that so completely died in my ten years' agony in England.
13 I am so glad when I wake in the morning, and I wish I could live for
14ever and ever in this beautiful world. You know I can breathe. ...
15Harry, will you forgive all the unkind things I said and did to you?
16You know, dear, I'd borne just as much as I could. Do you quite
17forgive me? If you marry, will you call one of your little girls Olive
18Schreiner after me? If your wife will? Good-night.
19
2Matjesfontein, 13th Aug.
3
4I've been writing and am now going to bed (10 o'clock). I am in all
5things able to work as I used to at Ganna Hoek, but I get so terribly
6tired soon. I can't keep on at a stretch for ten and twelve hours, in
7fact not more than half an hour, without feeling fagged. It is colder
8here than I ever knew it in England. A healthy dry cold though very
9painful. My nervous system is so strong again, and so of course my
10head. I feel now I could bear a great sorrow without dying. ... Do you
11know I have that old intense love of life, the animal love that I used
12to have, and that so completely died in my ten years' agony in England.
13 I am so glad when I wake in the morning, and I wish I could live for
14ever and ever in this beautiful world. You know I can breathe. ...
15Harry, will you forgive all the unkind things I said and did to you?
16You know, dear, I'd borne just as much as I could. Do you quite
17forgive me? If you marry, will you call one of your little girls Olive
18Schreiner after me? If your wife will? Good-night.
19