To A. S. Lazarev, 27–28 June 1887. Babkino.

1 Written on 27 or 28 June 1887 from Babkino, the Kiselyov family’s estate near Voskresensk where the Chekhovs summered, to Alexander Semyonovich Lazarev, a fellow humor writer who published under the pen name "Gruzinsky." Chekhov, twenty-seven, is issuing a jokey but genuine invitation to visit, having already asked their mutual friend and fellow contributor to the humor magazines, Viktor Bilibin, to extend the same invitation on his behalf.

2 The letter is a small comic set piece typical of Chekhov’s correspondence with fellow journalists of the humorous press: mock-precise travel directions, an elaborate telegram template for Lazarev to send ahead, a description of the coachman Alexei identifiable by his stupidity and bewildered look, and a shopping list (ham sausage, caramels, a fish-trap) delivered with a comic string of "though, then again" hedges that trail off into self-undermining indecision – a bit of stylistic play mirroring the verbal comedy of Chekhov’s early humorous sketches.