Letter to Maria Ilyinichna Ulyanova, November 6 and 7, 1900

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Author(s) Lenin
Written 6 November 1900


MIA-bannière.gif
First published in 1929 in the journal Proletarskaya Revolyutsiya No. 11. Sent from Munich. Printed from the original.
Source: Lenin Collected Works, Progress Publishers, 1977, Moscow, Volume 37, pages 303-304
Collection(s): Proletarskaya Revolyutsiya
Keywords : Letter, Maria Ilyinichna Ulyanova

Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova,[1]

Sharonov’s House,

Bakhmetyevskaya Street, 25,

Moscow,

Russia

November 6, 1900

Manyasha,

I have received your letter, Manyasha, many thanks for it.

I received the books a few days ago and was horrified when I opened the big box. It contained the medical books of an Anna Fedulova (from Barnaul in Siberia) who had studied in Lausanne and Geneva from 1893 to 1899. How absurd and disgraceful! I know nothing about this person and hear her name for the first time. How could her books have got here? How could they have been sent to Moscow to the wrong address? Why did nobody enquire about them during the months they were lying in Moscow?

Try to find out, if you can, what it is all about. For all the books I paid about 40 (forty!) rubles. So for someone else’s books I must have overpaid about thirty rubles on account of the neglect of some utterly irresponsible persons.

I shall write to Siberia and to Switzerland, asking them to try and find the lady. In the meantime I have put the books into a warehouse. I must get in touch with the carrier’s office that sent the box. Let me have their exact address. Perhaps the owner of the books will soon be asking for them. Did they issue a receipt for the books? If so, how could they have surrendered them (here) without it? Try and go to them to get an explanation, or—better—write to them, register the letter and send a stamp for a reply.

(I think the owner of the books should refund my expenses since she is at fault for sending the books to a strange address without any notification.)

I have received a letter from Lirochka, who sends you and Mother thousands of the warmest greetings. I do not suppose I shall have an opportunity to see her.

I have received my books in good order—merci for them.

I am repeating my address—just in case.

Herrn Franz Modrá\v cek, Sm\v ecky, 27 Prag. Oesterreich (Austria).[2]

The weather here has been bad, but today is wonderful, warm and sunny. We shall see what winter is like here.

I am still living as usual, I study languages a little, exchange German and Russian lessons with a Czech (conversations rather than lessons) and visit the library.

Please give Mother many kisses from me. Is she now quite well? How is Mark? Do not forget to obtain for me the address of the China traveller.[3]

All the best,

Yours,

V. U.

November 7

Excuse me for having delayed sending the letter. Yesterday I received your books (merci for them—the selection is excellent) and your letter of October 10. Why did it take so long?

  1. ↑ The first part of the letter, written to Lenin’s mother, has been lost.—Ed.
  2. ↑ Lenin used F. Modrá\v cek’s address in Prague for the despatch of letters to and from Russia.
  3. ↑ A. P. Sklyarenko.—Ed.
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