person

Lidia Nikolaevna

also: Лидия Николаевна

Lidia Nikolaevna, wife of the actor Alexander Pavlovich Lensky; she was herself an actress at the Maly Theatre. Sent brief regards here at her first mention in the corpus; not otherwise identified by surname in this letter, so identification is kept minimal pending fuller confirmation elsewhere. In this letter (15 or 16 February 1889), Chekhov thanks her for a "legend" (a literary subject or tale) he has worked into a forthcoming novella -- consistent with the possibility she had some hand in playwriting or translation herself, though this biographical detail remains provisional, unverified against the PSSP vol. 3 commentary., which also addresses a "Lidiya Nikolaevna" together with an "Alexander Pavlovich" and is a plausible link for future cross-referencing.

Reading notes

To A. P. Lensky, 26 October 1888. Moscow. §5 My regards to Lidia Nikolaevna
Lidia Nikolaevna, Lensky's wife, mentioned here for the first time in the corpus. She is not otherwise identified by surname in this letter, so identification here is kept minimal (name and relation to Lensky only); she was herself an actress at the Maly Theatre, per the headnote, but that fuller identification is not asserted from this letter's text alone.
To A. P. Lensky, 8 December 1888. Petersburg. §4 Tell Lidia Nikolaevna that I am endlessly grateful to her for the legend.
Lidia Nikolaevna, Lensky's wife, matching the entity first introduced in letter 3-513. Here she is the direct object of Chekhov's thanks (conveyed through her husband) and the source of the unnamed "legend" (легенда), which is not otherwise identified in this corpus -- it is not the title of any known Chekhov work at this date and should be flagged as unresolved rather than assumed identical with any later story.
To A. P. Lensky, 8 December 1888. Petersburg. §8 once again ask you to convey to Lidia Nikolaevna my heartfelt gratitude
Chekhov's closing repetition of thanks to Lidia Nikolaevna for the legend, bookending the opening of the letter (loc 4).
To A. P. Lensky, 6 January 1889. Moscow. §4 Lidia Nikolaevna
Lidia Nikolaevna, Lensky's wife and herself a former Maly Theatre actress, already introduced at's headnote; here she receives brief closing regards alongside her husband.
To L. N. Lenskaya, 15–16 February 1889. Moscow. §2 Lidiya Nikolaevna
Lidia Nikolaevna Lenskaya, wife of the Maly Theatre actor Alexander Pavlovich Lensky; addressee of this letter. She had given Chekhov a "legend" (a legendary tale or literary subject) which he here thanks her for and formally returns the rights to, though he means to use it regardless. The provisional detail that she may herself have had a hand in playwriting or translation -- consistent with her supplying Chekhov a usable literary subject here -- has not been independently confirmed against the PSSP commentary and is noted with that caveat.
To A. P. Lensky, 20 February 1889. Moscow. §4 Lidiya Nikolayevna
Lidia Nikolaevna, Lensky's wife, already established in this corpus (first appearance); sent brief regards here with the same recurring closing formula found across the corpus's other Lensky letters (e.g.).
To A. P. Lensky, 9 April 1889. Moscow. §4 Lidia Nikolayevna
Lidia Nikolaevna Lenskaya, wife of Alexander Pavlovich Lensky and herself a Maly Theatre actress; already established in this corpus (first appearance, also addressed directly in). Chekhov's sister relays an earnest invitation to her here, which he underscores in his own voice.
To A. P. Lensky, 27 September 1889. Moscow. §9 My regards to Lidia Nikolaevna
Lidia Nikolaevna, Lensky's wife and herself an actress at the Maly Theatre.
To A. P. Lensky, 8 December 1889. Moscow. §5 Lidia Nikolaevna
Lidia Nikolaevna, Lensky's wife and herself an actress at the Maly Theatre, recurring in the closing greetings of this run of letters to the Lensky household.
To A. S. Suvorin, 20 February 1890. Moscow. §5 смазала себе лицо салом
"Smeared her face with lard" (сало) refers to a homely beauty or skin treatment of the period, offered here as a scrap of social gossip with no further comment -- typical of the letter's rapid-fire, unexplained items about mutual acquaintances that Chekhov assumes Suvorin can place without elaboration.
To A. P. Lensky, 16 March 1890. Moscow. §6 Lidiya Nikolayevna
Lidia Nikolaevna, wife of the actor Alexander Pavlovich Lensky and herself an actress at the Maly Theatre; already established in this corpus (first appearance). The brief "my respects to Lidiya Nikolayevna" is the same recurring closing formula found across the corpus's other Lensky letters (see e.g.).
To A. P. Lensky, 27 February 1891. Moscow. §8 Lidia Nikolaevna
Lensky's wife, herself a Maly Theatre actress, already established in this corpus (first appearance); sent brief regards here with the same recurring closing formula found across the corpus's other Lensky letters (e.g.).