On his struggles with ill-health. 1885

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (1823-1886)
On his struggles with ill-health. 1885
Autograph letter signed ('A. Ostrovsky') to Ivan Maximovich [Kondratiev], Shchelykovo, 28 July 1885.

In Russian. Two pages, 215 x 135mm, on a bifolium with Ostrovsky's printed monogram.

On his struggles with ill-health. Ostrovsky excuses himself for writing only a shorter letter, having 'no stomach' for writing more. He had caught a bad cold on coming to his country estate at Shchelykovo, 'and the consequences turned out to be just awful. I was overcome with a fierce malignant pyrexia [i.e. fever] and despite the tropical heat of this year's summer, it resumed up to seven times. The paroxysms lasted no more than one or two days but were absolutely awful ... the tongue was bursting and the inside of the mouth was cracking. / Now I am recovering bit by bit; as soon as I have grown stronger I will write a longer letter; there are plenty of things to write about'.

A leading proponent of realism, Ostrovsky is considered the founder of the Russian national theatre repertoire, and was the author of 47 original plays, in spite of his lifelong struggles against official censorship. His last years were beset by struggles with money and, as here, health problems: he died almost exactly a year after the present letter. ABPC and RBH have no records for autographs by Ostrovsky at international auction.

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