Freedom and Money: Anton Chekhov
Russian author Anton Chekov, who wrote Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard, is considered one of the greatest writers in the world. But, reading his letters, he seems like an ordinary guy we could all relate to (excluding the literary genius part)! So I translated these excerpts for you:
A wild party and a bad hangover:
“[A]fter a wild night I returned home at 10:30 in the morning and slept until five in the evening. I had dinner yesterday in the foyer of the Korshevsky Theatre with actors, actresses, and generals. A farewell dinner on the occasion of the season's end. […] I drank a little, but haphazardly, mixed liqueurs with cognac. Now, I have an oppressive emptiness inside. It feels as if there is an abyss with cold walls inside me.” (February 1889)
Do nothing, but feel like a good person:
“I have an unbearable desire to eat, drink, sleep, and talk about literature, that is, to do nothing and at the same time feel like a decent person." (August 1892)
I want freedom and money:
“Do you want to party? I want to so badly. I'm so drawn to the sea. Living in Yalta or Feodosia [Crimea] for a week would be a real pleasure for me. It's nice to be at home, but it would be a thousand times better to be on a steamship. I want freedom and money. To sit on the deck, drink wine, and talk about literature, and, in the evening, the ladies.
Would you like to go to the south in September? Of course, the Russian south, since I don't have enough money for the foreign one. We could travel together if you don't mind.” (July 1893)
@NinaByzantina
