person
Konstantin Mikhailovich Fofanov
Fofanov
also: Фофанов, К. М. Фофанов
Russian lyric poet (1862-1911), singled out by Chekhov here as the one contemporary poet with genuine talent, in contrast to his otherwise harsh assessment of the current poetic generation.
Reading notes
- To D. V. Grigorovich, 12 January 1888. Moscow. §7 Fofanov is beginning to stand out
Konstantin Fofanov, a lyric poet Chekhov considered the one genuine talent among his poetic contemporaries, in contrast to the harsh judgment that follows.
- To P. A. Sergeyenko, 6 March 1889. Moscow. §4 Fofanov
Konstantin Mikhailovich Fofanov, Russian lyric poet, named as the sole poet "Novoye Vremya" would print, and only on Sundays.
- To K. M. Fofanov, 14 November 1891. Moscow. §4 Konstantin Mikhailovich!
Konstantin Mikhailovich Fofanov (1862-1911), the lyric poet Chekhov had elsewhere singled out as the one contemporary poet with genuine talent; the two were personal acquaintances, close enough that Chekhov is here the natural go-between for Professor Anuchin's request. A separate glossary note records the Chekhov household holding a book of Fofanov's borrowed via a family connection nicknamed "Drishka Fofanova," further evidence of an easy, informal acquaintance between the two households.
- To A. S. Suvorin, 15 November 1891. Moscow. §5 Please send the enclosed letter to Fofanov as quickly as possible. It's
from the \emph{Sbornik}.
The enclosed letter continues the appeal Chekhov had made directly to Konstantin Mikhailovich Fofanov the day before, in, where he forwarded a note from Professor D. N. Anuchin (who was overseeing the \emph{Sbornik}'s publication) pressing Fofanov to send his promised poem before the printing deadline. That \S5 of explains why Chekhov here routes a second piece of correspondence to Fofanov through Suvorin rather than the post directly -- evidently a faster or more reliable channel, or perhaps a letter from Suvorin's own circle rather than Anuchin's, arriving as reinforcement to the appeal made only a day earlier.
- To I. L. Leontyev, 22 March 1890. Moscow. §6 Фофанов не сидел бы в сумасшедшем доме
Konstantin Fofanov suffered from severe alcoholism and recurring mental breakdowns through the late 1880s and 1890s, and was institutionalized more than once; by March 1890 this was recent, well-known literary gossip. Chekhov cites it flatly, without editorializing, as one of three examples (alongside Garshin and Barantsevich) of contemporary writers whose real distress criticism did nothing to prevent or explain -- the point of the passage is criticism's uselessness, not Fofanov's condition, so the reference is left unembellished.