V. I.

Lenin

175

To:   HIS SISTER ANNA

Paris, December 19, 1908

Dear Anyuta, Today I received your letter redirected from Geneva
and a postcard through Manyasha. And so everything is signed and sealed. Excellent. I wrote to you about
corrections in the letter that was lost. I shall repeat them. I agree
to toning it down in respect of Bazarov and Bogdanov; in respect of Yushkevich and Valentinov, it should not
be toned down. With regard to “fideism”, etc., I agree only
if forced to, i.e., if the publisher’s demands are in the form
of an ultimatum. As far as the proofs are concerned, it is
not my plan to have them read here and keep people waiting for them to come from here. That is hardly possible.
All I ask is that you send me immediately impressions made
from the galleys (i.e., the first uncorrected proofs in addition to the printed signatures as they come off the press)
so that I can, if really necessary , send a telegram or inform
them of misprints, etc. Cauwelaert’s name really should
be spelt with an “o” in Russian, although he is probably
a Fleming and the devil alone knows how the Flemings pronounce it, “co” or “cau”.

From Geneva I sent you a letter to the right address containing corrections and additions. Did you get it?

We are now moving from the hotel to our new apartment
—Mr. VI. Oulianoff, 24. Rue Beaunier,
24. [1]

Paris (XIV-me).
We have found a very nice apartment, very elegant and expensive: 840 francs+tax (about 60 francs)
and+concierge (also about the same per annum). For Moscow it would
be cheap (4 rooms+kitchen+storerooms, water and gas), but here it is considered expensive. However, it will be
roomy and, we hope, good. Yesterday we bought furniture
for Manyasha; ours is being sent from Geneva. The apartment is almost on the outskirts of Paris, in the south, near
Montsouris Park. It is as quiet as a provincial town. It is
very far from here to the centre but soon there will be a
métro —an underground electric railway—a couple of steps
from here; there are also other means of communication.
So far we are satisfied with Paris.

All best wishes. Regards from all. Kiss Mother for me.

Yours,

V. Ulyanov

Leave Purishkevich as it is. [2]

I agree to tone down other abuse, the same applies to vulgar expressions. “Mentally
projected God” will have to be changed to “mentally projected for himself—well, to use a mild
expression—religious conceptions” or something of the sort. [3]

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Notes:
[1]
au deuxième au-dessus de l’entresol , i.e., it would be the third floor, porte à droite (door on the right.— Ed .).— Lenin

[2]