Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends with biographical sketchJanuary 7, 1889.… I have been cherishing the bold dream of summing up all thathas hitherto been written about whining, miserable people, and withmy Ivanov saying the last word. It seemed to me that all Russiannovelists and playwrights were drawn to depict despondent men,but that they all wrote instinctively, having no definite image orviews on the subject. As far as my design goes I was on the righttrack, but the execution is good for nothing. I ought to have waited!I am glad I did not listen to Grigorovitch two or three years ago,and write a novel! I can just imagine what a lot of good material Ishould have spoiled. He says: “Talent and freshness overcome everything.”It is more true to say that talent and freshness can spoil agreat deal. In addition to plenty of material and talent, one wantssomething else which is no less important. One wants to be mature—thatis one thing; and for another the feeling of personal freedomis essential, and that feeling has only recently begun to developin me. I used not to have it before; its place was successfully filled bymy frivolity, carelessness, and lack of respect for my work.What writers belonging to the upper class have received from naturefor nothing, plebeians acquire at the cost of their youth. Writea story of how a young man, the son of a serf, who has served in ashop, sung in a choir, been at a high school and a university, whohas been brought up to respect everyone of higher rank and position,to kiss priests’ hands, to reverence other people’s ideas, to bethankful for every morsel of bread, who has been many timeswhipped, who has trudged from one pupil to another withoutgoloshes, who has been used to fighting, and tormenting animals,who has liked dining with his rich relations, and been hypocriticalbefore God and men from the mere consciousness of his own insignificance—writehow this young man squeezes the slave out of himself,drop by drop, and how waking one beautiful morning he feelsthat he has no longer a slave’s blood in his veins but a real man’s ….110