V. I.

Lenin

120

To:   HIS MOTHER

Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova, Sharonov’s House, Bakhmetyevskaya Street, Moscow, Russia

January 16, 1901

Mother dearest, I have received your letter of December 26th with
Manyasha’s postscript and was very glad to hear that Mitya
was with you and that you had a good time at Christmas.
It is a pity it is so terribly cold; when I tell the Germans
(or the Czechs) about a temperature of 28° below zero
Réaumur they simply gasp and wonder how the Russians manage to stay alive. Here 8° or 10° below zero R is considered
cold, furchtbare Kälte [1] and almost everybody manages with
only an autumn coat (admittedly most of them wear woollen
jerseys as well). The houses here are not at all adapted to
severe cold, the walls are thin, the windows are not caulked
up tight and very often there are not even
Winterfenster . [2]

You have no need to worry about me; I eat well at a boarding-house where I have been staying since autumn. I feel
quite well, probably because I run around a lot more than
I sit still. Nadya’s arrival is not far away now—her term
will be up in two and a half months, [3] and then I shall
make all the proper arrangements.

I send hearty greetings to Mitya and Mark, and many thanks to Manyasha for the books she sent, and especially
for the unusually beautiful and interesting photographs
from our cousin in Vienna; I should like to receive such
gifts more often. [4]

Many kisses, my dear, and I hope you will keep well.

Yours,

V. Ul.

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Notes:
[1]
Terrible cold (Ger.)— Ed .
— Lenin

[2]
Storm windows (Ger.)— Ed .
— Lenin

[3]
Krupskaya’s term of exile ended on March 11, 1901.— Ed .

[4]
Lenin refers to the Manifesto of the Party of Socialist-Revolutionaries that G. B. Krasin sent him in an album of photographs.
The manifesto was reviewed by G. Plekhanov in an article “New
Wine in Old Bottles”, published in Iskra No. 5.