Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends with biographical sketchNar. Now that it was proposed that he should stay the winter in thenorth, all that he had created in Yalta—his house and his garden—seemed unnecessary and objectless. In the end he returned to Yaltaand set to work on “The Cherry Orchard.”In October, 1903, the play was finished and he set off to produceit himself in Moscow. He spent days at a time in the Art Theatre,producing his “Cherry Orchard,” and incidentally supervising thesetting and performance of the plays of other authors. He gave adviceand criticized, was excited and enthusiastic.On the 17th of January, 1904, “The Cherry Orchard” was producedfor the first time. The first performance was the occasion ofthe celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Chekhov’s literaryactivity. A great number of addresses were read and speeches weremade. Chekhov was many times called before the curtain, and thisexpression of universal sympathy exhausted him to such a degreethat the very day after the performance he began to think with reliefof going back to Yalta, where he spent the following spring.His health was completely shattered, and everyone who saw himsecretly thought the end was not far off; but the nearer Chekhovwas to the end, the less he seemed to realize it. Ill as he was, at thebeginning of May he set off for Moscow. He was terribly ill all theway on the journey, and on arrival took to his bed at once. He waslaid up till June.On the 3rd of June he set off with his wife for a cure abroad to theBlack Forest, and settled in a little spa called Badenweiler. He wasdying, although he wrote to everyone that he had almost recovered,and that health was coming back to him not by ounces but by hundredweights.He was dying, but he spent the time dreaming of goingto the Italian lakes and returning to Yalta by sea from Trieste,and was already making inquiries about the steamers and the timesthey stopped at Odessa.He died on the 2nd of July.His body was taken to Moscow and buried in the NovodyevitchyMonastery, beside his father’s tomb.30