Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

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Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends with biographical sketcharticle about the cells and reel off an essay about it to the SyevernyVyestnik. The Vyestnik Evropi will criticize the essay, and for threeyears there will be in Russia an epidemic of nonsense which willgive money and popularity to blockheads and do nothing but irritateintelligent people.For those who are obsessed with the scientific method and to whomGod has given the rare talent of thinking scientifically, there is tomy mind only one way out—the philosophy of creative art. Onemight collect together all the best works of art that have been producedthroughout the ages and, with the help of the scientificmethod, discover the common element in them which makes themlike one another and conditions their value. That common elementwill be the law. There is a great deal that works which are calledimmortal have in common; if this common element were excludedfrom each of them, a work would lose its charm and its value. Sothat this universal something is necessary, and is the conditio sinequa non of every work that claims to be immortal. It is of more useto young people to write critical articles than poetry. Merezhkovskywrites smoothly and youthfully, but at every page he loses heart,makes reservations and concessions, and this means that he is notclear upon the subject. He calls me a poet, he styles my stories“novelli” and my heroes “failures”—that is, he follows the beatentrack. It is time to give up these “failures,” superfluous people, etc.,and to think of something original. Merezhkovsky calls my monk*who composes the songs of praise a failure. But how is he a failure?God grant us all a life like his: he believed in God, and he hadenough to eat and he had the gift of composing poetry …. To dividemen into the successful and the unsuccessful is to look at humannature from a narrow, preconceived point of view. Are you asuccess or not? Am I? Was Napoleon? Is your servant Vassily? Whatis the criterion? One must be a god to be able to tell successes fromfailures without making a mistake.*Translator’s Note: “Easter Eve.”96
Anton ChekhovMOSCOW, November 7, 1888.… It is not the public that is to blame for our theatres being sowretched. The public is always and everywhere the same: intelligentand stupid, sympathetic and pitiless according to mood. It has alwaysbeen a flock which needs good shepherds and dogs, and it hasalways gone in the direction in which the shepherds and the dogsdrove it. You are indignant that it laughs at flat witticisms and applaudssounding phrases; but then the very same stupid public fillsthe house to hear “Othello,” and, listening to the opera “EvgenyOnyegin,” weeps when Tatyana writes her letter.… The water-carrier has stolen from somewhere a Siberian kittenwith long white fur and black eyes, and brought it to us. This kittentakes people for mice: when it sees anyone it lies flat on its stomach,stalks one’s feet and rushes at them. This morning as I was pacingup and down the room it several times stalked me, and a la tigrepounced at my boots. I imagine the thought of being more terriblethan anyone in the house affords it the greatest delight.97
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