V. I.

Lenin

253

To:   HIS SISTER ANNA

Anna Ilyinichna Yelizarova, Grechesky Prospekt, ,17, Apt. 18, Petrograd, Russia

Wl. Uljanow, Distelweg, 11, Berne

November 14, 1914

Dear Anyuta, I have received a letter from you and also from Mark,
and, lastly, a postcard from Mother. Many, many thanks to
everyone! I do not need any money at present. My incarceration was a very brief
one, [1] only 12 days, and I was soon granted certain privileges, so that the “time” I did was
very easy, the conditions and the treatment were good.
Now I have had time to look round and settle down here.
We are living in two furnished rooms, very good ones, and
we eat in a neighbouring dining-room. Nadya feels quite
well, so does Y.V., although she has aged badly. I have
finished my article for the Granat Encyclopaedia (about Marx)
and am sending it in a few days. [2] I had to abandon part
(the bigger part, almost all) of my books in Galicia.... I
fear for their safety. [3] It is very sad to watch the growth
of chauvinism in a number of countries and to see such treacherous acts as those of the German (and not only the
German) Marxists, or pseudo-Marxists.... It stands to reason
that the liberals are praising Plekhanov again; he has fully
deserved that shameful punishment. [4] Answer me as quickly as possible about how matters stand with the jour-
nal. [5] Is there any possibility of starting it? If so, when?
Does the post office accept responsibility for manuscripts sent by registered post? I embrace Mother fondly, send her
many kisses and hope she keeps well; regards to all from
all!

Yours,

V. Ulyanov

P.S. I have seen the disgraceful, shameless issue of Sovremenny Mir .... [6] Shame! Shame!

---
Notes:
[1]
On August 7, 1914 Lenin’s apartment in Porpnin was searched
by the Austrian authorities on receipt of false information
accusing him of espionage. Lenin was ordered to report to the
-6 gendarmerie in the district town of Novy Targ, where fie was arrested and
imprisoned next day.

Polish Social-Democrats and members of the Austrian
-6 Parliament came to Lenin’s defence and he was released on August 19.
He obtained permission to leave Austria for neutral
-7 Switzerland, arriving there on September 5, 1914.

[2]
This refers to Lenin’s article "Karl Marx (A Brief Biographical
Sketch with an Exposition of Marxism)”, written between July
and November 1914 for Granat’s Encyclopaedic Dictionary. An
abridged version of the article, signed V. Ilyin, was published
in 1915 in Volume 28 of the dictionary. It was first published in
full in 1925 in Marx, Engels, Marxism (see Collected Works, Vol.
21, pp. 43–91).

[3]
Lenin s fears were fully justified. After he had left, the greater
part of his books and papers fell into the hands of the gendarme- rie and were passed on to the General Staff in Warsaw. In 1954
some of this material was discovered in Poland and sent to the
Institute of Marxism-Leninism of the Central Committee of the
C.P.S.U. and part of the documents hds been included in the