LETTERS OF ANTON CHEKHOV
TO HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS
WITH BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
TRANSLATED BY CONSTANCE GARNETT
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
Of the eighteen hundred and ninety letters published by Chekhov's family I
have chosen for translation these letters and passages from letters which
best to illustrate Chekhov's life, character and opinions. The brief memoir
is abridged and adapted from the biographical sketch by his brother Mihail.
Chekhov's letters to his wife after his marriage have not as yet been
published.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
In 1841 a serf belonging to a Russian nobleman purchased his freedom and