V. I.

Lenin

1911

215

To:   HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW

January 3, 1911

Dear M.T., Many thanks for your letter. One feels so cut off here
that your stories of impressions and observations of the
Volga (how I miss the Volga!) are manna from heaven.
Your observations are of the greatest interest because they
tell me about the various people you meet in the way of
business and on journeys and because you made them without any preconceived aim. I was also very pleased to
get your letter in the summer and I am very much at fault
for not having found time to answer it, but that was because of moving from the seaside to Paris and from Paris
to Copenhagen and Stockholm.

As regards my trip to Italy—it seems that it will not come off now (or in the near future). Finances (Anya asked
me about them, by the way) do not permit it. I have not
found a publisher. [1] I sent an article to Sovremenny Mir , [2]
but apparently there are difficulties there, too; several
weeks have passed and there has been no answer. Long journeys will have to be put off until better times. It is,
of course, only a stone’s throw from here to Italy and you
simply must pay a visit to Paris if you intend going to Italy.
I suppose it is not for nothing that people say that if you
have once been to Paris you will be drawn to it again.

Manyasha would certainly do better to take a longer rest in Saratov and not hurry off anywhere, it would be
better in all respects.

Life here goes on as usual. Very little that is pleasant.
The recent period has been so “squabblesome” that I must
ask you to forgive me for unpunctuality in correspondence; I have not answered Anyuta, who told me of the
unsuccessful talks with
Lvovich, [3] and I have not written to Mother for a long time. Now at least you have almost the entire
family gathered together, so please make my excuses, give
my best regards to Anya and Manyasha and kiss Mother many times.

All the very best, Yours,

V. U.

In Stockholm Mother told me about your fight with your boss. Since funds have gone up you must have won!
Congratulations! Get rid of everything unpleasant!

Happy New Year! A Happy New Year to everyone !

Yesterday I received Zvezda No. 1 from Russia and today
Mysl No.
1. [4] That is something to cheer me up! I hope
you have seen it! It really is a pleasure!