Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

Anton Chekhovobjective as a chemist, he must lay aside his personal subjective standpointand must understand that muck heaps play a very respectablepart in a landscape, and that the evil passions are as inherent in lifeas the good ones.3. Writers are the children of their age, and therefore, like everybodyelse, must submit to the external conditions of the life of thecommunity. Thus, they must be perfectly decent. This is the onlything we have a right to ask of realistic writers. But you say nothingagainst the form and executions of “Mire.” … And so I suppose Ihave been decent.4. I confess I seldom commune with my conscience when I write.This is due to habit and the brevity of my work. And so when Iexpress this or that opinion about literature, I do not take myselfinto account.5. You write: “If I were the editor I would have returned this feuilletonto you for your own good.” Why not go further? Why not muzzlethe editors themselves who publish such stories? Why not send areprimand to the Headquarters of the Press Department for notsuppressing immoral newspapers?The fate of literature would be sad indeed if it were at the mercyof individual views. That is the first thing. Secondly, there is nopolice which could consider itself competent in literary matters. Iagree that one can’t dispense with the reins and the whip altogether,for knaves find their way even into literature, but no thinking willdiscover a better police for literature than the critics and the author’sown conscience. People have been trying to discover such a policesince the creation of the world, but they have found nothing better.Here you would like me to lose one hundred and fifteen roublesand be put to shame by the editor; others, your father among them,are delighted with the story. Some send insulting letters to Suvorin,pouring abuse on the paper and on me, etc. Who, then, is right?Who is the true judge?6. Further you write, “Leave such writing to spiritless and unlucky51