Letter to Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova and Maria Ilyinichna Ulyanova, February 15, 1898

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February 15, 1898

Dear Maria Alexandrovna,

Did not Anna Ilyinichna receive the letter I sent on February 8 or 9? I wrote in some detail about myself in that letter. The trouble is that I still do not know when the sentence will be pronounced; at the Ministry of Justice they told me that the case would be reported on in either the first or the second week of Lent. They also said that I have been sentenced to three years in Ufa Gubernia (the sentence is not to be changed), but that the Department can, on its own author ity, permit me to spend the time I am under surveillance in Shu shenskoye. The situation is thoroughly vague. After the sentence has been pronounced I shall probably have to remain in St. Petersburg a couple of weeks, so we may expect to leave during the third or fourth week of Lent. We shall stay in Moscow for two or three days and I shall write and let you know the day of arrival as soon as I know it for certain. As far as Volodya’s work [The work referred to is Lenin’s Economic Studies and Essays.—Editor.] is concerned, I have been definitely promised that a publisher will be found; they say that censorship conditions in Moscow are very bad and that there is a risk of the book lying at the censor’s for a long time; I have been advised to publish the book in summer, so that it appears in autumn, the most suitable time for the publication of a book of this type. Because of all this, I did not take the manuscript back but asked Anna Ilyinichna what she thought would be the best thing to do—I have not received an answer. In the meantime I have sent Volodya a translation from English (the editor says that it does not matter even if Volodya does not know English very well, he can translate from the German version and use the English only to check with); it is a very interesting translation and the pay is good. I do not know whether Volodya intended taking translations although I gathered from one of his letters that he did; in any case, there is nothing to worry about because I have been told that we may both translate, the book is a big one. Jam terribly ignorant on the administrative side of literary work.

Mother has been buffering from pleurisy and has not been out for about a month; today a new doctor is coming to examine her—the one who treated her before was very casual. Mother sends her very best regards to all.

Still, I think I shall be allowed to go to Shusha—what do they care?

Many kisses,

Your loving,

Nadya

* * *

Deal Manyasha

I have written once to Anna Ilyinichna but she evidently has not received my letter. Bulochka, too is scolding me for not writing and also without any reason! Of course, there is nothing to write about, nothing is definite, one thing today, another tomorrow, but I do write about essential things and I answer letters.

I have not seen Jcluba and probably shall not see her before I leave. I had a letter from her saying that now she does not have to talk she feels wonderful. She studies a lot, is very glad about the Thursdays and sends regards to all.

I shall probably get V.V. I have given Volodya’s list to an acquaintance, who has promised to get everything except Lyudogovsky (it has long been out of print) and the journal on economics. I do not know whether he will get them although he is an expert at obtaining books. I want to get in a good stock of books but I do not know what to take. I have few books of my own and they are very ordinary, so I don’t really know whether it is worth taking them—Volodya probably has them all anyway. It is not very easy to get books from acquaintances—and what should one get? In a couple of weeks I have to go and my stock of hooks is still pitifully small. In general we are being rather slack and quite unmethodical about preparing for the journey. People say we ought to take as many warm things as possible … It probably will not be long now before we start. Kiss A.I. and tell her it is not nice of her to give such accounts of me everywhere—to Volodya she wrote about my looking like a herring, to Bulochka she complained of my slyness … Many kisses for you, dear. Thank Dmitry Ilyich for his congratulations. I hope his case is over by the summer. An revolt!

N. Krupskaya