To V. K. Mitkevich, 12 August 1889. Sumy.
В. К. МИТКЕВИЧУ, 12 августа 1889 г. Сумы.
Headnote
To V. K. Mitkevich, 12 August 1889. Sumy.
Dating and addressee. Written from Sumy (in the Sumy district of Kharkov province, where Chekhov and his family were summering at the Lintvaryov estate) on 12 August 1889, shortly after Chekhov’s return from a trip to Yalta. The addressee, V. K. Mitkevich, has requested permission to translate Chekhov’s one-act farce "The Bear" ("Медведь") into French for the French stage; nothing further about Mitkevich is established from the letter itself.
A brief, courteous reply. Chekhov apologizes for the delay in answering (explained by his absence in Yalta), grants permission for the French translation of "The Bear" without reservation, and adds a modest, faintly self-deprecating aside: he is flattered but doubts a Russian vaudeville could succeed on the French stage given how many excellent vaudevilles already fill that repertoire. He closes with conventional thanks and a formal valediction.