TO V. I. NEMIROVITCH DANTCHENKO.
YALTA, November 2, 1903.
... About the play.
1. Anya can be played by anyone you like, even by a quite unknown actress, so long as she is young and looks like a girl, and speaks in a youthful singing voice. It is not an important part.
(2) Varya is a more serious part.... She is a character in a black dress, something of a nun, foolish, tearful, etc.
... Gorky is younger than you or I, he has his life before him.... As for the Nizhni theatre, that’s a mere episode; Gorky will try it, “sniff it and reject it.” And while we are on this subject, the whole idea of a “people’s” theatre and “people’s” literature is foolishness and lollipops for the people. We mustn’t bring Gogol down to the people but raise the people up to Gogol....
TO A. L. VISHNEVSKY.
YALTA, November 7, 1903.
... As I am soon coming to Moscow, please keep a ticket for me for “The Pillars of Society”; I want to see the marvellous Norwegian acting, and I will even pay for my seat. You know Ibsen is my favourite writer....