This letter edition is both an open window into the lives of two notable people and a methodological work of exacting scholarship. The correspondence tells of a unique relationship between two seminal figures - Olive Schreiner, the South African-born late-19th century feminist, and Havelock Ellis, forerunner in the research on human sexuality - begun while they were still in their 20s and lasting 35 years. It covers a tumultuous love affair, marriages to people other than each other, and vastly changing fortunes, both political and literary, in England and South Africa through the bridge years of the early 20th century. The author has put the hundreds of letters into chronological order for the first time, edited them into readable yet academically correct form, and annotated them with clarity and understanding. The introductory chapters put into perspective the letters' psychological and historical significance.
"In their revelation of personalities, the letters are as attractive and engrossing to read as a novel. This collection, edited and annotated with great skill, is a welcome addition to the genre of scholarly source documents." (Virginia Tufte, Writer and Professor Emeritus of English, University of Southern California)
"No previously published collections of Olive Schreiner's letters have focused exclusively on her correspondence with Havelock Ellis. Yet, what an amazing slice it is, capturing in many ways the entire multilayered sexual consciousness of the late 19th century. Editor Draznin has done a service to specialists and nonspecialists alike." (F. Alya, Choice)
"...Draznin has done a masterful job in editing these valuable letters, which provide the material for a better understanding of not only Olive Schreiner and Havelock Ellis, but also more generally of late-Victorian English society and culture. And beyond its intellectual value, this collection of letters is fascinating to read, making the study of Victorian England all the more pleasurable and intriguing." (Nancy Fix Anderson, Victorian Periodicals Review)
"No previously published collections of Olive Schreiner's letters have focused exclusively on her correspondence with Havelock Ellis. Yet, what an amazing slice it is, capturing in many ways the entire multilayered sexual consciousness of the late 19th century. Editor Draznin has done a service to specialists and nonspecialists alike." (F. Alya, Choice)
"...Draznin has done a masterful job in editing these valuable letters, which provide the material for a better understanding of not only Olive Schreiner and Havelock Ellis, but also more generally of late-Victorian English society and culture. And beyond its intellectual value, this collection of letters is fascinating to read, making the study of Victorian England all the more pleasurable and intriguing." (Nancy Fix Anderson, Victorian Periodicals Review)