Chekhov in Ishym

Anton Chekhov stayed in Ishym in 1890 during his trip to Sakhalin. His reminiscences of this long and tiresome trip were published in his essays ‘From Siberia’. Some details of his stay in Ishym can be reconstructed from historical annals, and written recollections of old residents of Ishym.

Chekhov stayed in the house of the Polish migrant Antony Zalesski, who was engaged in vine trade. In his letters Chehkov reported that this stay produced a good impression on him, since at last he got a decent rest and a good service. That was the only positive characteristic of the Tyumen land as seen by Chekhov. On the whole his impressions were rather gloomy. Here are some of them: ‘after a couple of phrases a local intelligent would inevitably invite you to drink vodka’, and ‘ a Siberian woman is as dull as the Siberian nature: she is not colorful, she is cold, she can not wear dresses, she does not laugh or sing, she is not smart, and as a local resident told me, she is tough for touch’.

Though one can not blame the classic for his prejudiced attitude towards Siberia. In his essays there are a lot of positive characteristics of high morals of Siberian people. The Irkutsk newspaper ‘Eastern Review’ wrote that ‘ Chechov’s descriptions can be regarded neither as sentimental or prejudiced. He just told what he had seen with his own eyes, and what he had understood. His stories are simple, but true to life. His sympathies are always on the side of a fair and laborious life. He interprets people as they have been formed by the severe nature, by hard work, and by peculiarities of their life-style’.