Letter to Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova, May 8, 1902

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May 8, 1902

Mother dearest,

A few days ago I received a postcard with a view of the Volga and with congratulations from Manyasha. Many thanks for it. I do not know whether you have been receiving my letters regularly lately. I have had nothing from you except that postcard for quite a while.

Do you correspond with Y.V. who is now in St. Petersburg and does not seem to like it very much and is thinking of coming back?

I am hoping to see you soon, my dear.[1] I hope the journey will not tire you too greatly. You absolutely must choose day trains and spend the nights in hotels. Hotels abroad are not expensive and you can spend a comfortable night in one. It is quite impossible to travel for several days without a rest because of the speed of the trains here and of the short stops.

I am anxiously awaiting news of your departure. Perhaps you will send a telegram from Russia, or from somewhere abroad, when you board the train that will actually bring you here. That would be much more convenient.

I wanted to ask you to bring some of the clothes I left behind, but now I think it is not worth while; the things I left behind must have come in handy for Mitya and it is not worth the trouble of buying new things in Russia and bringing them here. If there is anything left that is of no use to anyone else, you could bring it (not much, of course, so as not to overburden you).

I advise you to take express trains in Germany and Austria (the extra fare in the third class is small but the time gained is tremendous), and buy Hendschel’s Telegraph and draw up a timetable before you leave home. Manyasha, for instance, is probably familiar with that directory.

I embrace you fondly, my dear; best regards to all.

Yours,

V. U.

  1. In the summer of 1902, Lenin’s mother went abroad to visit her son. From the end of June to July 25, Lenin lived with his mother and his elder sister, Anna, in Loguivy (north coast of France).