Letter to Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova, October 11, 1898

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October 11, 1898

This week I have received no news from you, Mother dearest. I suppose you are fixing things up with Mitya and the tourists that have arrived. It seems that Anyuta’s trip was not very successful. That is a great pity because one does not manage to go to the Crimea very often. How is Manyasha? Has she left yet? Did they arrange details of addresses and letters with her? If they did, write and tell me and I will write to her from here. I am greatly surprised at the stubborn silence of St. Petersburg; I sent the Webb translation on August 15 and up to now they have not even acknowledged receipt of it (I sent it by registered post, of course, addressed to P.B., care of the warehouse). There is also amazing silence about the collection of articles; the last letter was dated August 7 which said that proofs of over a hundred pages had been read, and means that the book was half ready. Surely there could not be a delay of more than a month. Probably it is a fiasco, but even so I expected them to send me the book (by registered post—there is nothing inconvenient in that). I am quite at a loss, but Nadya and I are more and more inclined to think it a fiasco. That would be unfortunate in the extreme. I have finished the rough copy of my “markets” and have begun polishing it. The writing of the fair copy is proceeding simultaneously, so I am thinking of sending it piecemeal and having it printed as I send it, to prevent any delay (I expect to send the first package off in a month’s time at the very latest); if the printing of the book begins in December, it could be in time for this season. It will be necessary, however (if the previous book was a fiasco), to find a publisher and conclude a contract with him. I am writing all this in case Anyuta sees the écrivain—she often goes to St. Petersburg—or learns something by chance, and in general (even if she does not see or learn anything) it is interesting to talk and hear other people’s opinions.

We have no news at all. The weather is cold—soon it will be winter. Autumn this year is not so good as last year.

Regards to all,

Yours,

V. U.

I almost forgot to tell you that with the last post (October 8) I sent you a registered packet containing two books, one issue of Nauchnoye Obozreniye and one of Voprosy Filosofii i Psikhologii; Anyuta asked me to return them both, and I must apologise for the delay.