DL/A-Z//ANS - [Correspondence with Ansari Makai]

DL/A-Z//ANS

File

[Correspondence with Ansari Makai]

09/03/2003-14/12/2003

4 Letters (typescript and MS)
2 Photographs (colour)
2 Statements, financial
3 Photographs (monochrome)

Ansari, Makai

001 is a letter [handwritten, sometimes illegible, in sometimes broken English] from Makai Ansari to Doris Lessing. Ansari mentions Lessing having visited her two or three times and includes a colour photograph [002] of herself with Lessing and her family [likely in Pakistan or Afghanistan, in 1983, relating to the Soviet-Afghan war]. She explains that her husband has left her and she is having money problems. She asks for help. Also included are photocopies of Ansari's cheque book [003] and rent receipt [004], as well as photocopies of photographs of Ansari's family members who are missing or dead [005-007]. Ansari has hand written on these photocopies: "He was 28 years old No food He died 5 years ago." "my sister/24 years old/disappear/I don't know about them" "My brother/god knows".

008 is a letter from Lessing to Makai Ansari. She states that she is sending Ansari "the dollars I have" and that she is contacting Ansari's relative Sabah Ansari in Australia; she provides Sabah Ansari's address. "As for me, I cannot undertake to keep you." She states also: "I find it hard to read some of your writing, and have not been able to make out why your son is not at college."

009 is a letter from Lessing to Sabah Ansari, explaining that Makai has contacted her and is in financial difficulty. "This poor woman seems to expect that I should now keep her. Well, I am sorry, I think this is your father's responsibility."

010 is a letter [handwritten, sometimes illegible, in often broken English] from Makai Ansari to Lessing. She thanks Lessing for her help and describes the shaming she has experienced for asking for help from a "Christian lady". She states she is not asking for further assistance. A photograph of her son as a child [011] is included.