To V. A. Tikhonov, 7 March 1889. Moscow.

1 Written from Moscow on 7 March 1889 to Vladimir Alekseevich Tikhonov, the playwright and editor Chekhov had been corresponding with since 1888. A warm, discursive personal letter mixing a compliment on Tikhonov’s critical prose, an unusually candid reflection on affection and reserve, brief theater gossip, and Chekhov’s well-known remark – made here in passing, contra the naturalist writer and thinker referred to as "Wagner" – that the literary generation of the 1880s will be remembered collectively rather than as individual "elephants."

2 Chekhov opens by praising a review Tikhonov has apparently written, in polished newspaper style, expressing mild envy of a facility he says he himself never had (5). He thanks Tikhonov for some kind, sympathetic words – evidently offered in response to something Chekhov had told him – and reflects, more openly than usual, on having been shown little tenderness as a child and on his resulting awkwardness at returning it as an adult (6). He passes on what little he knows of goings-on at the Korsh Theater company: the actor Solovtsov apparently leaving, the elder actor Poltavtsev likely following, and Agramov now directing (7). He wishes success on a comedy Tikhonov is working on ("carrying under your heart"), then pivots to a reflection – disputing one "Wagner" – that no writer of their generation will stand out individually, that success will belong to the generation as a whole, named collectively as "the eighties," and lists himself alongside Tikhonov, Korolenko, Shcheglov, Barantsevich, and Bezhetsky as interchangeable members of this cohort, likening it to an artel, a cooperative labor association (8). He reports having begun something like a novel, says he has no plays underway and no appetite for playwriting at present, and resolves to attend the theater regularly from the next season to educate himself in stagecraft (9). He closes with regards to Tikhonov’s brother and warm personal wishes (10), and signs off (11).