Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

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Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends with biographical sketchTO HIS BROTHER NIKOLAY.MOSCOW, 1886.… You have often complained to me that people “don’t understandyou”! Goethe and Newton did not complain of that …. OnlyChrist complained of it, but He was speaking of His doctrine andnot of Himself …. People understand you perfectly well. And ifyou do not understand yourself, it is not their fault.I assure you as a brother and as a friend I understand you and feelfor you with all my heart. I know your good qualities as I know myfive fingers; I value and deeply respect them. If you like, to provethat I understand you, I can enumerate those qualities. I think youare kind to the point of softness, magnanimous, unselfish, ready toshare your last farthing; you have no envy nor hatred; you are simplehearted,you pity men and beasts; you are trustful, without spite orguile, and do not remember evil …. You have a gift from above suchas other people have not: you have talent. This talent places youabove millions of men, for on earth only one out of two millions isan artist. Your talent sets you apart: if you were a toad or a tarantula,even then, people would respect you, for to talent all things areforgiven.You have only one failing, and the falseness of your position, andyour unhappiness and your catarrh of the bowels are all due to it.That is your utter lack of culture. Forgive me, please, but veritasmagis amicitiae …. You see, life has its conditions. In order to feelcomfortable among educated people, to be at home and happy withthem, one must be cultured to a certain extent. Talent has broughtyou into such a circle, you belong to it, but … you are drawn awayfrom it, and you vacillate between cultured people and the lodgersvis-a-vis.Cultured people must, in my opinion, satisfy the following conditions:1. They respect human personality, and therefore they are alwayskind, gentle, polite, and ready to give in to others. They do notmake a row because of a hammer or a lost piece of india-rubber; if46
Anton Chekhovthey live with anyone they do not regard it as a favour and, goingaway, they do not say “nobody can live with you.” They forgivenoise and cold and dried-up meat and witticisms and the presenceof strangers in their homes.2. They have sympathy not for beggars and cats alone. Their heartaches for what the eye does not see …. They sit up at night in orderto help P …, to pay for brothers at the University, and to buy clothesfor their mother.3. They respect the property of others, and therefor pay their debts.4. They are sincere, and dread lying like fire. They don’t lie even insmall things. A lie is insulting to the listener and puts him in a lowerposition in the eyes of the speaker. They do not pose, they behave inthe street as they do at home, they do not show off before theirhumbler comrades. They are not given to babbling and forcing theiruninvited confidences on others. Out of respect for other people’sears they more often keep silent than talk.5. They do not disparage themselves to rouse compassion. They donot play on the strings of other people’s hearts so that they may sighand make much of them. They do not say “I am misunderstood,”or “I have become second-rate,” because all this is striving after cheapeffect, is vulgar, stale, false ….6. They have no shallow vanity. They do not care for such falsediamonds as knowing celebrities, shaking hands with the drunkenP.,* listening to the raptures of a stray spectator in a picture show,being renowned in the taverns …. If they do a pennyworth they donot strut about as though they had done a hundred roubles’ worth,and do not brag of having the entry where others are not admitted…. The truly talented always keep in obscurity among the crowd,as far as possible from advertisement …. Even Krylov has said thatan empty barrel echoes more loudly than a full one.*Translator’s Note: Probably Palmin, a minor poet.47
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Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

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