Россия - старая больная дама. Записки врача

'Ne somnevai͡usʹ, zani͡atii͡a medit͡sinskimi naukami imeli serʹeznoe vlii͡anie na moi͡u literaturnui͡u dei͡atelʹnostʹ', - govoril A.P. Chekhov. Deĭstvitelʹno, mnogie ego proizvedenii͡a mozhno schitatʹ svoeobraznym diagnozom sovremennoĭ emu Rossii. On pisal o 'skuchnom, unylom i poshlom' sushchestvovanii rossiĭskikh obyvateleĭ, zatragivai͡a i te prichiny, po kotorym Rossii͡a v t͡selom byla pokhozha na starui͡u bolʹnui͡u damu. 'V aziatskoĭ strane, gde net svobody pechati i svobody sovesti, gde zhivetsi͡a tak tesno i tak skverno i malo nadezhdy na luchshie vremena', ne mozhet bytʹ po-drugomu, utverzhdal Chekhov. Vse zarazheny zdesʹ v toĭ ili inoĭ stepeni bat͡sillami lzhi, khitrosti, zavisti, i ottogo kartiny rossiĭskoĭ zhizni stanovi͡atsi͡a 'postrashnee videniĭ Gamleta'. V knigu voshli ocherki, zametki i pisʹma A.P. Chekhova, zatragivai͡ushchui͡u dannui͡u temu.

"I have no doubt that my studies in medical sciences had a serious impact on my literary activity," A.P. Chekhov said. Indeed, many of his works can be considered a kind of diagnosis of contemporary Russia. He wrote about the 'boring, dull and vulgar' existence of Russian philistines, touching on the reasons why Russia as a whole was like an old sick lady. "In an Asian country where there is no freedom of the press and freedom of conscience, where life is so cramped and so bad and there is little hope for better times," Chekhov argued. Everyone here is infected to one degree or another with the bacilli of lies, cunning, envy, and that's why the pictures of Russian life become "scarier than Hamlet's visions". The book includes essays, notes and letters by A.P. Chekhov, touching on this topic.