"Solitude, change, work" Read the full letter
Letter Reference | HRC/UNCAT/OS-148-b |
Archive | Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin |
Epistolary Type | Letter |
Letter Date | 1912 |
Address From | De Aar, Northern Cape |
Address To | |
Who To | Havelock Ellis |
Other Versions | Cronwright-Schreiner 1924: 320; Draznin 1992: 485 |
Permissions | Please 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. This letter has been dated by reference to information written onto it by Ellis. Schreiner was resident in De Aar from November 1907 until she left South Africa for Britain and Europe in December 1913, but with some fairly lengthy visits elsewhere over this time. The start of the letter is missing.
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1[page/s missing]
2
3week to a little old aunt – I don’t believe there’s one who does it. I
4ought to have been a mother with ten or twelve children growing up
5about me – that’s really what I’m best fitted for – though it seems a
6conceited thing to say, because to be a real mother intellectually &
7emotionally as well as physically is the highest function in life
8except perhaps to be a real father.
9
10There’s such a beautiful sympathy between Will & his children.
11
12Oliver took some snap shots while he was here I’ll send you some
13prints if they turn out well. Oliver has something the same kind of
14sensitive sweetness you used to have when you were young. I wonder if
15you have it still?
16
17Goodbye.
18Olive
19
2
3week to a little old aunt – I don’t believe there’s one who does it. I
4ought to have been a mother with ten or twelve children growing up
5about me – that’s really what I’m best fitted for – though it seems a
6conceited thing to say, because to be a real mother intellectually &
7emotionally as well as physically is the highest function in life
8except perhaps to be a real father.
9
10There’s such a beautiful sympathy between Will & his children.
11
12Oliver took some snap shots while he was here I’ll send you some
13prints if they turn out well. Oliver has something the same kind of
14sensitive sweetness you used to have when you were young. I wonder if
15you have it still?
16
17Goodbye.
18Olive
19
Notation
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.
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.