_ YALTA,
       January 2, 1900.
       My greetings, dear actress! Are you angry that I haven't written for so long? I used to write often, but you didn't get my letters because our common acquaintance intercepted them in the post.
       I wish you all happiness in the New Year. I really do wish you happiness and bow down to your little feet. Be happy, wealthy, healthy, and gay.
       We are getting on pretty well, we eat a great deal, chatter a great deal, laugh a great deal, and often talk of you. Masha will tell you when she goes back to Moscow how we spent Christmas.
       I have not congratulated you on the success of "Lonely Lives." I still dream that you will all come to Yalta, that I shall see "Lonely Lives" on the stage, and congratulate you really from my heart. I wrote to Meierhold, [Footnote: An actor at the Art Theatre at that time playing Johannes in Hauptmann's "Lonely Lives."] and urged him in my letter not to be too violent in the part of a nervous man. The immense majority of people are nervous, you know: the greater number suffer, and a small proportion feel acute pain; but where--in streets and in houses--do you see people tearing about, leaping up, and clutching at their heads? Suffering ought to be expressed as it is expressed in life--that is, not by the arms and legs, but by the tone and expression; not by gesticulation, but by grace. Subtle emotions of the soul in educated people must be subtly expressed in an external way. You will say--stage conditions. No conditions allow falsity.
       My sister tells me that you played "Anna" exquisitely. Ah, if only the Art Theatre would come to Yalta! _Novoye Vremya_ highly praised your company. There is a change of tactics in that quarter; evidently they are going to praise you all even in Lent. My story, a very queer one, will be in the February number of _Zhizn_. There are a great number of characters, there is scenery too, there's a crescent moon, there's a bittern that cries far, far away: "Boo-oo! boo-oo!" like a cow shut up in a shed. There's everything in it.
       Levitan is with us. Over my fireplace he has painted a moonlight night in the hayfield, cocks of hay, forest in the distance, a moon reigning on high above it all.
       Well, the best of health to you, dear, wonderful actress. I have been pining for you.
       And when are you going to send me your photograph? What treachery! _

Biographical Sketch
To His Brother Mihail (July 1, 1876)
To His Cousin, Mihail Chekhov (May 10, 1877)
To His Uncle, M. G. Chekhov (1885)
To N. A. Leikin (October, 1885)
To A. S. Suvorin (February 21, 1886)
To D. V. Grigorovitch (March 28, 1886)
To N. A. Leikin (April 6, 1886)
To Madame M. V. Kiselyov (June, 1886)
To His Brother Nikolay (1886)
To Madame M. V. Kiselyov (January 14, 1887)
To His Uncle, M. G. Chekhov (January 18, 1887)
To His Sister (April 2, 1887)
To V. G. Korolenko (October 17, 1887)
To His Brother Alexandr (November 20, 1887)
To D. V. Grigorovitch (1887)
To V. G. Korolenko (January 9, 1888)
To A. N. Pleshtcheyev (February 5, 1888)
To I. L. Shtcheglov (April 18, 1888)
To A. S. Suvorin (May 30, 1888)
To A. N. Pleshtcheyev (June 28, 1888)
To His Sister (July, 1888)
To His Brother Mihail (July 28, 1888)
To N. A. Leikin (August 12)
To A. S. Suvorin (August 29, 1888)
To A. N. Pleshtcheyev (September 30, 1889)
To A. S. Suvorin (February 23, 1890)
To N. M. Lintvaryov (March 5, 1890)
To A. S. Suvorin (March 9)
To I. L. Shtcheglov (March 22, 1890)
To A. S. Suvorin (March 22, 1890)
To His Sister (April, 1890)
To Madame Kiselyov (May 7, 1890)
To His Sister (May 14, 1890)
To A. S. Suvorin (May 20, 1890)
To His Sister (May 28, 1890)
To His Brother Alexandr (June 5, 1890)
To A. N. Pleshtcheyev (June 5, 1890)
To N. A. Leikin (June 5, 1890)
To His Sister (June 6, 1890)
To His Mother (June 20, 1890)
To N. A. Leikin (June 20, 1890)
To His Sister (June 21, 1890)
To A. S. Suvorin (June 27, 1890)
To His Sister (June 29, 1890)
Telegrams To His Mother
To A. S. Suvorin (September 11, 1890)
To His Mother (October 6, 1890)
To A. S. Suvorin (December 9)
To His Sister (January 14, 1891)
To A. F. Koni (January 16, 1891)
To A. S. Suvorin (January 31, 1891)
To Madame Kiselyov (March 11, 1891)
To His Sister (March 16. Midnight)
To His Brother Ivan (March 24, 1891)
To Madame Kiselyov (March 25)
To His Sister (March 25, 1891)
To Madame Kiselyov (April 1, 1891)
To His Sister (April 1, 1891)
To His Brother Mihail (April, 1891)
To His Sister (April 21, 1891)
To A. S. Suvorin (May 7, 1891)
To L. S. Mizinov (May 17, 1891)
To A. S. Suvorin (May 18, 1891)
To L. S. Mizinov (June 12, 1891)
To His Sister (June, 1891)
To Madame Kiselyov (July 20, 1891)
To His Brother Alexandr (July, 1891)
To A. S. Suvorin (July 24, 1891)
To E. M. S. (September 16)
To A. S. Suvorin (October 16, 1891)
To Madame Lintvaryov (October 25, 1891)
To A. S. Suvorin (October 25, 1891)
To E. M. S. (November 19, 1891)
To A. S. Suvorin (November 22, 1891)
To N. A. Leikin (December 2, 1891)
To E. P. Yegorov (December 11, 1891)
To A. I. Smagin (December 11, 1891)
To A. S. Suvorin (December 11, 1891)
To A. I. Smagin (December 16, 1891)
To A. N. Pleshtcheyev (December 25, 1891)
To V. A. Tihonov (February 22, 1892)
To A. S. Kiselyov (March 7, 1892)
To I. L. Shtcheglov (March 9, 1892)
To A. S. Suvorin (March 17, 1892)
To Madame Avilov (March 19, 1892)
To A. S. Suvorin (March, 1892)
To Madame Avilov (April 29, 1892)
To A. S. Suvorin (May 15, 1892)
To L. S. Mizinov (March 27, 1894)
To His Brother Alexandr (April 15, 1894)
To A. S. Suvorin (April 21, 1894)
To Madame Avilov (July, 1894)
To A. S. Suvorin (August 15, 1894)
To His Brother Mihail (October 15, 1896)
To A. S. Suvorin (October 18, 1896)
To His Sister (October 18, 1896)
To His Brother Mihail (October 18, 1896)
To A. S. Suvorin (October 22, 1896)
To E. M. S. (November, 1896)
To A. F. Koni (November 11, 1896)
To V. I. Nemirovitch-Dantchenko (November 26, 1896)
To A. S. Suvorin (January 11, 1897)
TO A. I. Ertel (April 17, 1897)
To Suvorin (July 12, 1897)
To Madame Avilov (October 6, 1897)
To F. D. Batyushkov (December 15, 1897)
To A. S. Suvorin (January 4, 1898)
To F. D. Batyushkov (January 28, 1898)
To A. S. Suvorin (February 6, 1898)
To His Brother Alexandr (February 23, 1898)
To His Brother Mihail (October 26, 1898)
To Gorky (December 3, 1898)
To A. S. Suvorin (January 17, 1899)
To His Brother Mihail (February 6, 1899)
TO I. I. Orlov (February 22, 1899)
To Madame Avilov (March 9, 1899)
To Gorky (April 25, 1899)
To O. L. Knipper (September 30, 1899)
To G. I. Rossolimo (October 11, 1899)
TO O. L. Knipper (October 30, 1899)
To Gorky (January 2, 1900)
TO O. L. Knipper (January 2, 1900)
To A. S. Suvorin (January 8, 1900)
TO P. I. Kurkin (January 18, 1900)
TO V. M. Sobolevsky (January 19, 1900)
TO G. I. Rossolimo (January 21, 1900)
TO O. L. Knipper (January 22, 1900)
To F. D. Batyushkov (January 24, 1900)
To M. O. Menshikov (January 28, 1900)
TO L. S. Mizinov (January 29, 1900)
To Gorky (February 3, 1900)
TO O. L. Knipper (February 10, 1900)
To A. S. Suvorin (February 12, 1900)
TO O. L. Knipper (February 14, 1900)
To Gorky (February 15, 1900)
TO V. A. Posse (February 15, 1900)
To A. S. Suvorin (March 10, 1900)
TO O. L. Knipper (March 26, 1900)
To His Sister (March 26, 1900)
TO O. L. Knipper (May 20, 1900)
To His Sister (September 9, 1900)
To Gorky (October 16, 1900)
To S. P. Dyagilev (December 30, 1902)
To A. S. Suvorin (June 29, 1903)
To S. P. Dyagilev (July 12, 1903)
To K. S. Stanislavsky (July 28, 1903)
To Madame Stanislavsky (September 15, 1903)
To K. S. Stanislavsky (October 30, 1903)
TO V. I. Nemirovich Danchenko (November 2, 1903)
TO A. L. Vishnevsky (November 7, 1903)
To K. S. Stanislavsky (November 10, 1903)
To F. D. Batyushkov (January 19, 1904)
To Madame Avilov (February 14, 1904)
To Father Sergey Shtchukin (May 27, 1904)
To His Sister (Sunday, June 6, 1904)