The Letters of Anton Chekhov

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. 1st World Library-Literary Society is a non-profit educational organization. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - - In 1841 a serf belonging to a Russian nobleman purchased his freedom and the freedom of his family for 3500 roubles being at the rate of 700 roubles a soul with one daughter Alexandra thrown in for nothing. The grandson of this serf was Anton Chekhov the author; the son of the nobleman was Tchertkov the Tolstoyan and friend of Tolstoy. There is in this nothing striking to a Russian but to the English student it is sufficiently significant for several reasons. It illustrates how recent a growth was the educated middle-class in pre-revolutionary Russia and it shows what is perhaps more significant the homogeneity of the Russian people and their capacity for completely changing their whole way of life.