Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

Anton Chekhovwho defended the Multanovsky natives and saved them from penalservitude. Dr. Haas is not a Voltaire either, and yet his wonderfullife has been well spent up to the end.I am well acquainted with the case from the stenographers’ report,which is utterly different from what is in the newspapers, andI have a clear view of Zola. The chief point is that he is sincere—that is, he bases his judgments simply on what he sees, and not onphantoms like the others. And sincere people can be mistaken, nodoubt of it, but such mistakes do less harm than calculated insincerity,prejudgments, or political considerations. Let Dreyfus be guilty,and Zola is still right, since it is the duty of writers not to accuse,not to prosecute, but to champion even the guilty once they havebeen condemned and are enduring punishment. I shall be told:“What of the political position? The interests of the State?” Butgreat writers and artists ought to take part in politics only so far asthey have to protect themselves from politics. There are plenty ofaccusers, prosecutors, and gendarmes without them, and in any case,the role of Paul suits them better than that of Saul. Whatever theverdict may be, Zola will anyway experience a vivid delight after thetrial, his old age will be a fine old age, and he will die with a conscienceat peace, or at any rate greatly solaced. The French are verysick. They clutch at every word of comfort and at every genuinereproach coming to them from outside. That is why Bernstein’s letterand our Zakrevsky’s article (which was read here in the Novosti)have had such a great success here, and why they are so disgusted byabuse of Zola, such as the gutter press, which they despise, flings athim every day. However neurotic Zola may be, still he stands beforethe court of French common sense, and the French love him for itand are proud of him, even though they do applaud the Generalswho, in the simplicity of their hearts, scare them first with the honourof the army, then with war....361