Peasants
‘Peasants’ was first published in Russian Thought in 1897 and subsequently in a separate edition (1897), together with ‘My Life’, with Suvorin the publisher. The story was written at Melikhovo and, according to Chekhov’s brother Mikhail, ‘every page reflects Melikhovo scenes and characters’, particularly the fire of 1895 (Around Chekhov, Moscow/Leningrad, 1933, p. 280). Later, when explaining to Suvorin his intention of selling Melikhovo, he wrote: ‘From a literary point of view, after “Peasants” Melikhovo ran dry and it lost its value for me’ (letter of 26 June 1899).
Writing to Yelena Shavrova on 1 January 1897 Chekhov mentions his work on ‘Peasants’: ‘I’m up to my eyes in work. I write and cross out, write and cross out…’ On 1 March that year he wrote to Suvorin: ‘I’ve written a story about peasant life, but they say it won’t pass the censors and I’ll have to cut it by half.’ Later that month Chekhov went to Moscow to check the proofs but on the day of his arrival suffered a severe lung haemorrhage and had to stay in the Ostroumovsky Clinic until 10 April. At his request, Lidiya Avilova took the proofs from V. A. Goltsev, editor of Russian Thought, to the clinic for Chekhov to correct.
Whether from his own instincts or following the advice of the editors of Russian Thought, Chekhov deemed it prudent completely to drop the chapter describing the peasants’ conversation about God and the authorities, for censorship considerations. The text of this chapter is unknown.
‘Peasants’ was severely mutilated by the censors – particularly because, according to them, it painted far too dark a picture of peasant life. One censor complained: ‘On first impressions this is something highly suspect’ and a telegram from St Petersburg to the Moscow Censorship Committee stated in no uncertain terms: ‘Omit p. 193 of the Chekhov. To be arrested if in disagreement.’ Accordingly, Goltsev dropped this particular page where the drunkenness of the peasants is described.
Other sections, some substantial, were excised and on 16 April 1897 Chekhov wrote to M. O. Menshikov (editor of the monthly magazine The Week): ‘The censors have taken quite a large chunk out of “Peasants”.’ However, in later editions, sections were reinstated. Some of the most ‘offensive’ passages, depicting the general depravity of the peasants, were toned down when published in Suvorin’s edition. In effect, so true to life were the descriptions of the downtrodden, exploited peasants that the censorship committee looked upon the story as a documentary article.
In a letter to his brother Mikhail, Chekhov states that the fire in the story was based on an actual occurrence at Melikhovo, his country estate, two years previously. Mikhail writes in his memoirs most revealingly: ‘These five years in Melikhovo were not wasted by Anton. They laid their special imprint on his works of this period, influenced his literary activity and made him a profounder and more serious writer.’ Chekhov’s brother categorically states that Chekhov’s direct dealings with peasants on the estate had a strong influence on both ‘Peasants’ and ‘In the Ravine’. As one would expect, Chekhov was a good master and life at Melikhovo was peaceful. Chekhov’s picture of the peasants’ sad lot contrasts sharply with Tolstoy’s idealization of the peasant with his ‘unsullied virtues’, and in both ‘Peasants’ and ‘In the Ravine’ he shows up the cardinal error of regarding these poor creatures as the living embodiment of God-like purity and true guardians of Christian morality.
The unfinished continuation of ‘Peasants’ (chapters X and XI) has survived in draft form, but it is difficult to date precisely – possibly 1900. However, the idea of a continuation probably arose earlier, since Goltsev wrote to Chekhov in March 1897: ‘I need your “Peasants” and their continuation…’ These final two chapters considerably broaden the canvas, describing the further lives of Olga and her daughter Sasha in Moscow, after leaving the village. Although Chekhov possibly intended continuing the story with a portrayal of low city life, as intimated in the Introduction (p. xiii), he may have come to feel that this would clash with the harrowing depiction of the peasantry in preceding chapters.
1. Slav Fair: (Slavyansky Bazaar) Famous Moscow hotel and restaurant, frequently mentioned in Chekhov’s stories. Chekhov often stayed there.
2. ‘But whosoever shall smite thee…’: Matthew 5:39.
3. ‘Come unto me…’: Matthew 11:28.
4. Vladimir: Ancient city about 120 miles east of Moscow, formerly the capital of central Russia.
5. Hermitage Garden [or Variety] Theatre: In Karetny Ryad (Coach Row) where Stanislavsky first achieved success with the Moscow Art Theatre’s production of Chekhov’s The Seagull (1898). This Hermitage has no connection with either the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg or the Hermitage restaurant in Moscow.
6. Aumont’s: Well-known amusement house.
7. ‘And when they were departed…’: Matthew 2:13.
8. Exaltation of the Cross: 14 September.
9. I lo-ove the flowers that bloom…: According to Chekhov’s sister Masha, Chekhov had often heard the village girls at Melikhovo singing this song.
10. Fast of the Assumption: One of the strictest fasts, a two-week period preceding the Feast of the Assumption which took place on 15 August.
11. kasha: A kind of porridge or gruel made of cooked grain or boiled groats. Staple peasant food.
12. the serfs were emancipated: The serfs were officially emancipated in 1861.
13. used to ride out with wolfhounds… : The skilled hunters were from Pskov province. They would work in threes and drive the wolves or foxes from cover for the huntsmen.
14. Tver: Large town on the Volga, about 100 miles north-west of Moscow. Known as Kalinin in Soviet era (after Stalin’s puppet president).
15. freedom: Marya means freedom from serfdom.
16. portrait of Battenberg: Alexander of Battenberg, Prince of Bulgaria (1879–86), forced to abdicate by Alexander III of Russia, after being kidnapped by Russian officers and deported to Russian territory. W. H. Bruford, in his Chekhov and His Russia (1948; 1971), states: ‘These details … indicated perhaps the elder’s ignorance, for one so loyal would not otherwise have given the place of honour to an enemy of his Tsar.’
17. Elijah’s Day: 20 July.
18. Patriarch’s Ponds: Actually one large pond formed from three fishponds that were dug out of the medieval Goat’s Marsh. Patriarch’s Ponds is where two literary hacks meet the Devil in the first chapter of Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita.
19. Filippov’s: Moscow’s most fashionable coffee house before the Revolution, richly decorated with stuccoed ceiling and caryatids. Founded by the court baker Filippov.
20. Tversky Boulevard: Long thoroughfare in west central Moscow, stretching from Nikitsky Gates to Pushkin Square.
21. Little Bronny: A Moscow street frequented by prostitutes.
Trilogy: Man in a Case, Gooseberries, About Love