Dear Colleague!

I wrote to Gorky at your request and received his reply today. He writes:

"Send the enclosed note to *Pravda*. There can be no question of an honorarium—that's nonsense. I will work for the newspaper and will soon begin sending it manuscripts. I have not been able to do this until now only because I am desperately busy, working twelve hours a day, my back is breaking."

As you see, Gorky is very favorably disposed.* I hope you will respond to him in kind and will carefully see to it that *Pravda* is sent to him regularly. The dispatch office sometimes limps along, so you must check, and check yourself, from time to time without fail.

Send me (for forwarding to him) new publications that might interest him, as well as some material from manuscripts too, if you want to maintain his friendly disposition.

I would very much ask you to send me *Pravda* nos. 146, 147, 148 and *Nevskaya Zvezda* nos. 26 and 27, if only a couple of copies of each.

Are you thinking of responding to the vicious scoundrelism of *Luch*? These canaille split off themselves and scream about a split!! And yet their list received fewer {total votes for the entire list, for all 6 candidates} on 17 Oct and 18 Oct!! By all means obtain exact figures of votes for all liquidationist candidates from Zaitsev or one of the other electors. This is terribly important! And the printed list of appointed representatives—as I asked, buy it from the office of the St. Petersburg city governor! By all means do this! All the best.

Your ...

Hearty congratulations and best wishes to all contributors, editors, and friends of *Pravda* on the occasion of the victory of its supporters in St. Petersburg, Kharkov, etc.!!

P.S. Do write about the circulation of *Pravda* and *Luch* now! Is there enough material?

* I am enclosing Gorky's letter to *Sovremennyy Mir* about issuing you the *Fairy Tales*. Seize it quickly.

Written after November 2, 1912

Sent from Kraków to Petersburg

First published in 1956 in the journal *Kommunist* no. 5

Printed from the manuscript