Therefore the story was written in seven periods, starting from the end of December 1899 up to the first part of February 1902, partly in Yalta, partly in Nice, partly in Moscow.
The short story writer A. I. Kuprin (1870–1938), astonished at the accuracy of observation, stated that the characters must have been based on real people – monks from the monastery near Melikhovo. But Chekhov’s brother Mikhail said that the prototype for the bishop was a Stepan Petrov, student at Moscow University, who knew Chekhov when he was living in Moscow. This student later took holy orders and became Father Sergey; when he later went to Yalta, suffering from a nervous disorder, he often called on Chekhov. Mikhail Chekhov goes on to say that the frequent meetings Anton had with Father Sergey provided the basic material for the story. However, according to S.N. Shchukin (1873–1931; a Yalta priest, teacher and minor man of letters), Chekhov happened to see a photograph in a Yalta shop window of a certain Bishop Gribanovsky: Chekhov was intrigued, made inquiries and the present story was the result. Whatever the prototype (and there are autobiographical elements too) ‘The Bishop’ is all the more remarkable for its essential unity and compression in the light of the dreadful burden of ill health Chekhov had to bear during its composition.
1. Betula kinderbalsamica secuta: A linguistic hotchpotch, ostensibly meaning ‘curative birch for beating children’.
2. ‘bridegroom who cometh at midnight’: Cf. Matthew 25:6, ‘And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh.’
3. ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified’: John 13:31.
4. the coming of Christianity to Russia: In about AD 988, when Vladimir, Grand Prince of Kiev, was converted to Christianity, which he made the official religion.
The Bride
Chekhov’s last story, ‘The Bride’, was first published in Everybody’s Magazine in 1903. Chekhov revised the text many times – no fewer than five versions exist. It was written at the same time as The Cherry Orchard.
At the time he was corresponding with V. S. Mirolyubov at the beginning of 1902, about ‘The Bishop’, Chekhov twice wrote that in the event of trouble with the censors he would send ‘another story’ (letters of 20 February and 8 March). There is no doubt that this other story was ‘The Bride’: after ‘The Bishop’ had been printed Mirolyubov persistently reminded Chekhov of the promised story. The variants show that the story was very carefully constructed, with particular attention to the style, which became increasingly tightened. Even the names of the main characters were changed; with each version Chekhov tried to put more emphasis on Andrey Andreich’s smugness and self-satisfaction, on Nina Ivanovna’s lachrymose sentimentality and alienation from her daughter, and so on. If the rough drafts are compared with the final version it is evident that Chekhov introduced substantial changes into the characters of both Sasha and Nadya.
He began work on the story in October 1902, writing on the 16th in reply to a telegram from Mirolyubov about the title: ‘I’ll send you the title as soon as it’s possible – that is, when I settle on a theme…’ and ‘If you need a title so much, which can be changed later, here it is: “The Bride”.’
Chekhov began work on the story immediately on his return to Yalta. After telling Olga Knipper several times that he was hard at work, a cooling-off soon set in: ‘At the moment I’m at work on a story that is fairly uninteresting – for me at least. I’m bored with it’ (14 December 1902). However, work went well, with no interruptions from visitors or because of illness. However, the following month he is complaining of ill health and slow progress on the story.
At the end of January 1903 Chekhov wrote to his wife: ‘I’m writing a story for Everybody’s Magazine, in the antiquated style of the seventies. I don’t know how it will turn out.’ And: ‘I’m writing a story, but very slowly, a tablespoonful an hour… possibly because there’s a lot of characters or because I’ve lost the knack. I must recover it’ (letter of 30 January 1903). And in early February he writes to Olga Knipper: ‘Although it’s going slowly, nevertheless I’m writing. Now I’m going to sit down to write, I shall continue the story, but I’ll probably write badly, limply, since there’s still a strong wind and it’s insufferably boring in the house.’ Soon after he tells Olga he is writing only six or seven lines a day. All the same, work progressed and, in reply to repeated urgings from Mirolyubov, told him that he would finish ‘The Bride’ by 20 February or earlier, depending on his health: wary of the censors, he had written to Mirolyubov on 9 February: ‘I’m writing “The Bride”, I aim to finish it by 20 February or earlier, or rather later… However, don’t worry, I’ll send it. But there’s one thing: I’m afraid “The Bride” might catch it from those bachelor-gentlemen who are watching over the chastity of your journal!’ Chekhov made repeated requests for proofs to be sent to him for correction and the story was not published until December.
1. ‘He wasted his substance…’: Luke 15:13–16.
2. St Peter’s Day: 29 June.
3. Shishmachevsky: This name is untraceable. Most probably invented by Chekhov.
4. passport: A passport was needed for internal as well as foreign travel.
5. koumiss: Chekhov himself went on such a diet, for his tuberculosis. This milk was supposed to have generally restorative powers. Tolstoy also took the cure.
6. Saratov: Large city on the Volga; an important trading and industrial centre.