"Johannesburg, fiendish hell, veld all round" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceHRC/CAT/OS/2a-xx
ArchiveHarry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter DateThursday 25 September 1884
Address FromBlackwell, Alfreton, Derbyshire
Address To24 Thornsett Road, South Penge Park, London
Who ToHavelock Ellis
Other VersionsDraznin 1992: 149-50
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. This letter has been dated by reference to an associated envelope and its postmark, which also provides the address it was sent to. Schreiner stayed in Alfreton for most of September 1884.
1Thurs-day Morning
2
3I finished that novel last night by half past three. Like the
4underlying idea. That clergyman is just like my brother Theo. ^It’s^
5odd that I got a a long sad letter from him this morning.
6
7I hope your cold isn’t worse, eh? My heart aches for you with that
8pained tender kind of feeling when ever I think of you.
9
10Give my love to Louie. I want to write to her but my head goes round &
11round. Don’t wade through my Bro’s letter unless you find it
12interesting. The reason why he has had to harden himself, I though he
13doesn’t know it, is because a man who vividly & realizingly believes
14in hell & damnation, if he have originally a tender heart must harden
15himself or go mad. He becomes at last like his ideal God. The letter
16is very touching to me.
17
18Mrs. Walters has written begging me to go there tom next week while
19Miss Haycroft is there. Perhaps I shall but only for a couple of days.
20How good & loving everyone is to me. I will talk about the sonnets
21when I see you.
22
23Good bye my sweet boy
24Olive
25
Notation
Draznin's (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription.