Letter to Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova, July 26, 1913

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Saturday, July 26, 1913

Mother dearest,

After a fortnight’s “preparation” in the clinic, Nadya was at last operated on on Wednesday. The operation seems to have been successful because she looked quite well yesterday, and had begun to drink willingly. It seems to have been a rather difficult operation, they tormented Nadya for about three hours without an anaesthetic, but she bore it bravely. On Thursday she was very bad, a high temperature and delirium, so I was pretty scared. But yesterday there was an obvious improvement, no fever, the pulse was slower, etc.

Kocher, of course, is a wonderful surgeon, and anyone with thyroid trouble should go to him; he has a huge clientele of Russians, of Jews especially.

I am already thinking of the journey back; we expect to leave on August 4 (unless Kocher delays it, which sometimes happens) and we shall make overnight stops at Zurich, Munich and Vienna, and go on home from there. I shall be here long enough to receive another letter from you, after which you must write to Poronin. If I am delayed here I will write again.

The suppression of the paper I wrote for[1] leaves me in a very critical position. I shall try harder than ever to find publishers and translations; it is very difficult at present to find any literary work.

I embrace you fondly, my dear, and send very best regards to Manyasha and Anya. Nadya sends her fondest regards.

Yours,

V. U.

  1. ↑ The paper referred to is Pravda, which the tsarist government suppressed on July 5, 1913, beginning from issue No. 151. On July 13 the paper re-appeared under a new name—Rabochaya Pravda.