Published: First published in 1929 in the journal Proletarskaya Revolyutsiya No. 11
. Sent from Pskov. Printed from the original.
Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova,
Kedrova’s House,
Podolsk,
Moscow Gubernia
April 6, 1900
Today I received a letter from Manyasha (dated April 3), Mother dearest, in which she reproaches me for my silence. I really am at fault, I did not even congratulate you and Manyasha on April 1. The fact is that at that time I was once again “in a whirl” (as Nadya put it in a letter to the Siberian comrades) over the arrival of a long-expected traveller[1] (who has by now most likely arrived home).
Life goes on here as usual, I am quite well and today tried doing without my “waters”. I take walks—walking is not at all bad here at present and, it seems, there are plenty of nice places in Pskov (and also in its environs). I have bought some postcards with views of Pskov in a local shop and am sending three of them—to you, Manyasha and Anyuta.[2]
Yesterday I received a letter from M.A., who writes (on April 4) that he is going back to Siberia (with O.A.) tomorrow or the next day—the army authorities have again changed the place where he is to do his service. He promises to send his new address from Achinsk.
Nadya is most probably in bed; the doctor finds (as she wrote in a letter a week ago) that her illness (gynaecological) needs persistent treatment and she must remain in bed for anything from two to six weeks. (I have sent her some more money—I received 100 rubles from Vodovozova— because her treatment will entail considerable expense. So far I have enough money, but if I run short I shall write to you.) So she would not be able to come to me now, even if she had permission (I still have no reply and have almost given up expecting one). I am thinking of going to visit her in the spring, in about six weeks—or perhaps earlier.
An acquaintance of mine here[3] has applied for a passport and is thinking of going abroad for a cure after April 20; I shall be rather lonely here without him.
I am taking lessons in German from a local German at 50 kopeks a lesson. We translate from Russian and talk a little—there is not much progress and I am wondering whether I should not give it up; for the time being, however, I shall continue. I am not working very much and have still not finished the Index to Webb.
I go to the library and read the newspapers. I see very few new books, I have not seen Davydov’s.[4] I do not intend to answer P. Struve (I sent a short note against him to be inserted into my reply to Skvortsov);[5] I have seen Kachorovsky and am thinking of answering him. Has Manyasha seen Nauchnoye Obozreniye Nos. 3 and 4? There is an excellent article on Pisarev there.[6]
And so Mitya has given up his job and gone back to his studies? Excellent. Is Manyasha working very hard? Where and how are Anyuta and Mark?
Best wishes for Easter to you, dear, and many kisses. Thank Manyasha for her letter. Regards to Mitya.
Yours,
V. U.
[2] Two of them—to his mother and his sister Maria—have been preserved.—Ed.
[4] Will Manyasha send it, if she has it?—Lenin
[5] Lenin refers to P. B. Struve’s article “Osnovnaya antinomiya teorii trudovoi tsennosti” (The Basic Antinomy of the Theory of Labour Value) published in Zhizn No. 2, for 1900. The inserted note against Struve mentioned in the letter is the footnote at the end of the article “Uncritical Criticism”. (see Collected Works, Vol. 3, p. 632).
[6] This refers to Vera Zasulich’s article “Dmitry Ivanovich Pisarev”. It was published in Nauchnoye ObozreniyeNos. 3, 4, 6 and 7 for 1900 under the pseudonym of N. Karelin.
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