work
The Conjurers (Fokusniki)
The Conjurers
also: Фокусники, Fokusniki
A feuilleton, evidently co-authored or ghost-placed by Chekhov with Suvorin, printed in Novoye Vremya despite Chekhov's telegraphed request to Suvorin that it be pulled. Chekhov reports its printing here with muted relief ("not very angry"); the piece and the question of concealing its authorship recur three days later in, where Chekhov confirms "Фокусники напечатаны!" and asks Suvorin to tell no one who wrote it.
Reading notes
- To V. A. Vagner, 10 October 1891. Moscow. §3 our feuilleton "The Conjurers" was printed
"Фокусники" (Fokusniki), a feuilleton Chekhov describes as jointly "ours" -- almost certainly a piece he wrote with or placed through Suvorin, since he had telegraphed Suvorin specifically to stop its printing. The concealment of authorship recurs three days later in (\S11), where Chekhov confirms to Suvorin that "Фокусники напечатаны!" and asks him not to tell anyone who wrote it -- suggesting the piece's authorship was meant to stay anonymous or attributed to Suvorin alone, similar in spirit to the anonymous zoology note Chekhov and Wagner arranged two months earlier (see the glossary note at, \S7).
- To A. S. Suvorin, 13 October 1891. Moscow. §11 And "The Conjurers" has been printed! Very well, only do not tell anyone who the author is
The feuilleton "Fokusniki" ("The Conjurers"), which Chekhov had tried unsuccessfully to stop from being printed in a letter to V. A. Wagner of three days earlier (10 October 1891, \S3): there Chekhov reported the telegram arriving too late and the piece running regardless, calling its tone "not very angry." Here, writing to Suvorin -- evidently his co-author or the arranger of its placement -- Chekhov confirms the printing and repeats the request that its authorship stay secret, the same concern voiced in the earlier letter.