Elena Mikhailovna Shavrova

Reading notes

• To Ye. M. Shavrova, 2 September 1891. Bogimovo. §3 Yelena Mikhailovna

  Yelena Mikhailovna Shavrova (later Shavrova-Just), a young writer whom Chekhov had mentored since 1889, when she was still a schoolgirl in Yalta showing him her first stories. By 1891 she was submitting manuscripts to him regularly for his verdict and, often, his intercession with editors -- the "business papers" this letter apologizes for sitting on for three months.

• To Ye. M. Shavrova, 1 February 1892. Moscow. §3 Dear Elena Mikhailovna, I received the manuscript

  Elena Mikhailovna Shavrova, the young writer and family friend Chekhov had been mentoring in manuscript form since 1889 (cf., the September 1891 letter apologizing for a three-month silence over her stories); here he opens with a quick, warm verdict on her latest submission before turning to the letter's real errand.

• To M. P. Chekhova, 3 February 1892. Voronezh. §3 To Yelena Mikhailovna Shavrova.

  Transcription-defect correction: the digitized source gives the addressee's patronymic garbled as "Елене Михаил Шавровой" (literally "To Yelena Mikhail Shavrova") rather than the expected "Елене Михайловне [Шавровой]" ("To Yelena Mikhailovna Shavrova"). This is normalized in translation to "Yelena Mikhailovna Shavrova" on the strength of her established identity elsewhere in the corpus: ("To Ye. M. Shavrova," 19 November 1891) addresses her by the same patronymic and gives the same delivery address -- Afanasyevsky Lane, Lachinova's house -- confirming both the identification and the corrected form.

• To Ye. M. Shavrova, 11 January 1891. Petersburg. §3 Yelena Mikhailovna

  Yelena Mikhailovna Shavrova, the young writer Chekhov had mentored since 1889; here he has just read a story of hers in proof and delivers his verdict -- warm praise laced with the running joke that she is outgrowing his advice.

• To I. P. Chekhov, 27 January 1891. Petersburg. §10 Shavrova (Mishina)

  Yelena Mikhailovna Shavrova, a young writer and correspondent of Chekhov's who sent him manuscripts for comment; "Mishina" is her married name (she had married in 1889), given here parenthetically by Chekhov alongside her maiden/pen name.

• To A. I. Urusov, 22 February 1891. Moscow. §3 I will write to Ye. M. Shavrova today

  Elena (Yelena) Mikhailovna Shavrova, the young writer under Chekhov's mentorship since 1889; this is a passing aside noting an unrelated piece of correspondence he intends to send the same day, with no further detail on its contents given here.

• To Ye. M. Shavrova, 20 June 1891. Bogimovo. §3 you ask in vain whether I shall read your stories

  Shavrova, the young writer under Chekhov's informal mentorship (cf. his 28 May 1891 letter to her), had evidently written asking permission to send more manuscripts; Chekhov brushes the question aside as needless -- he is, as always, glad to read and comment on her work.