Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends with biographical sketchfied of “brimstone.” When people talk to me of what is artistic andinartistic, of what is dramatic and not dramatic, of tendency, realism,and so on, I am bewildered, hesitatingly assent, and answerwith banal half-truths not worth a brass farthing. I divide all worksinto two classes: those I like and those I don’t. I have no other criterion,and if you ask me why I like Shakespeare and don’t likeZlatovratsky, I don’t venture to answer. Perhaps in time and as Igrow wiser I may work out some criterion, but meanwhile all conversationsabout what is “artistic” only weary me, and seem to melike a continuation of the scholastic disputations with which peoplewearied themselves in the middle ages.If criticism, on the authority of which you rely, knows what youand I don’t know, why has it up till now not spoken? why does it notreveal the truth and the immutable laws? If it knew, believe me, itwould long ago have shown us the true path and we should haveknown what to do, and Fofanov would not have been in a madhouse,Garshin would have been alive to-day, Barantsevitch wouldnot have been so depressed and we should not be so dull and ill atease as we are, and you would not feel drawn to the theatre and I toSahalin. But criticism maintains a dignified silence or gets out of itwith idle trashy babble. If it seems to you authoritative it is becauseit is stupid, conceited, impudent, and clamorous; because it is anempty barrel one cannot help hearing.But let us have done with that and sing something out of a differentopera. Please don’t build any literary hopes on my Sahalin trip.I am not going for the sake of impressions or observations, but simplyfor the sake of living for six months differently from how I havelived hitherto. Don’t rely on me, old man; if I am successful andclever enough to do something, so much the better; if not, don’tblame me. I am going after Easter. I will send you in due time mySahalin address and minute instructions ….130