"Pen dipped in blood, hasten union" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceHRC/UNCAT/OS-138
ArchiveHarry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date1 October 1890
Address FromMatjesfontein, Western Cape
Address To
Who ToHavelock Ellis
Other VersionsCronwright-Schreiner 1924: 197; Draznin 1992: 468-9
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.
1Matjesfontein
2Sep Oct 1st 1890
3
4My Havelock, it was the most beautiful letter you ever sent me. All
5the MS. has come but the printed copy of the In a far off world has
6not come. It was shameful to put valuable ms of which there was no
7copy loose into a news paper wrapper. We can’t wait for it to come out
8here. You must get fresh copies from Unwin. & put revise yourself I
9return the MS. for you to have it printed from. Send copy in good time
10to Roberts Brother We shall get a lot from them. Please make ?me the
11best arrangement you can for me about Chapman. You are so good to me.
12
13Harry I want to tell you all about that man that draws me so strangely.
14 This bit I send you out of a letter ^which^ you must return draws me so stron
15is about him. Do you know I have a mysterious feeling that he is the
16man I shall marry I have never had the same feeling for anyone It’s
17not love, it’s not admiration. It’s a feeling, that man I can marry,
18he belongs to me. It’s just the opposite of my feeling for Karl
19Pearson
. It’s not that I think him noble or good. It’s quite the It a
20deliberate ?feeling that that with that man an entire life could be
21spent. Don’t mention this to me when you write laughing. I don’t think
22these vague half feeling however deep should be mentioned to other
23humanbeings, but its strange we are so bound together that I feel that
24keeping such a feeling from you is wrong. It is more deep than you may
25be able to understand
26
27Olive
28
29Ask Unwin to send me at once my six ^five^ copies. & to send one to you
30which will you please send to Sir Charles & Lady Dilk.
31
32Tell Unwin to send an early copy to Stead some l as soon as possible.
33Also ask him if he will send a copy to Mrs Wilson as she might review
34it in Freedom & one to Dr. Roberts in Field Court Greys in, for him to
35forward
he will forward it to an Editor friend of his in the north who
36I know will review it
37
Notation
The manuscript referred to is Dreams, in which ‘In a Far Off World’ appears. Draznin’s (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription. Cronwright-Schreiner’s (1924) extract is incorrect in various ways.