What exactly does the term “cultured” mean? Is it necessary to be a proficient reader, have the ability to discuss works you haven’t read, or simply possess a refined intellectual attitude? In a letter to his older brother Nikolai, an artist, beloved Russian novelist Anton Chekhov specifically considers that subject. The letter was written when Anton was 26 and Nikolai was 28. It offers a hearty dose of tough love and lists the eight characteristics of cultured people, including honesty, altruism, and good habits.
Chekhov writes in 1886 from Moscow:
You’ve frequently told me that other people “don’t get you”! Newton and Goethe didn’t grumble about it. Only Christ voiced a complaint, but He wasn’t speaking of himself; rather, He was speaking of His doctrine. People have a flawless understanding of you. Additionally, it is not their fault if they do not comprehend themselves.
As your brother and a friend, I can promise you that I am completely sympathetic to your situation. In the same way, I am familiar with my five fingers, and I am aware of and deeply respect your positive traits. If you’d like, I can list these attributes to demonstrate my comprehension of you. You have no enmity or hatred, you have a simple heart and you feel compassion for both humans and animals, you are trusting, without malice or guile, and you do not remember evil, in my opinion. You are kind to the point of softness, magnanimous, unselfish, and willing to share your last farthing.
You possess a divine gift that others do not possess: talent. Given that only one artist out of every two million people in the world, your brilliance puts you over millions of guys. Your talent sets you distinct; even if you were a toad or a tarantula, people would still admire you because talent is the one thing that can make anything go away.
You only have one flaw, which is also the cause of your erroneous assertions, misery, and intestinal catarrh. You have such a complete lack of culture. If you’ll pardon me, but veritas magis amicitiae. Life, you see, has its limitations. One needs to be somewhat culturally literate in order to feel at home and pleased with educated people. You are a member of this group due to your talent, but you find yourself drifting away from it as you swing back and forth between the lodgers and the cultured.
Signs of Cultured people:
1. They are always kind, gentle, polite, and willing to accommodate others because they respect human personality. They don’t get into arguments over a broken hammer or a piece of missing india rubber; if they live with someone, they don’t consider it a favor; and when they leave, they don’t say, “Nobody can live with you.” They are tolerant of intrusions from strangers into their houses, as well as noise, cold, dried-up meat, and witticisms.
2. They don’t just feel sorry for cats and beggars. Their broken heart is filled with what the sight cannot see. They stay up late at night working to support P., pay for their brothers’ university tuition, and purchase clothes for their mother.
3. They respect other people’s property and, as a result, settle their debts.
4. They are honest and loathe lying like the plague. Even in little things, they are truthful. A falsehood is insulting to the listener and lowers him in the speaker’s estimation. They don’t posture, act the same way in public as they do at home, and don’t brag in front of their more modest companions. They don’t frequently babble or impose their unwelcome confidences on others. They prefer to remain silent rather than speak out of consideration for other people’s hearing.
5. They don’t make fun of themselves to make people feel bad. They don’t tug at other people’s heartstrings only to hear them sigh and make a big deal out of them. They avoid using phrases like “I am misunderstood” or “I have become second-rate” since doing so is trying to achieve a quick effect and is vulgar, stale, and untrue.
6. They lack petty vanity. They are not interested in phony treasures like being acquainted with famous people, shaking hands with a buzzed P., [Translator’s Note: Probably Palmin, a minor poet.] hearing the raptures of a wandering audience member at a movie, or being well-known in the pubs. If they do a penny’s worth, they don’t parade around like they did a hundred roubles’ worth, and they don’t boast about getting in where others can’t. The truly talented avoid publicity as much as they can, remaining hidden amid the herd. An empty barrel echoes louder than a full one, according to Krylov.
7. They respect any talent you may have. They give up sleep, women, booze, and a vanity for it. They take great pride in their skills. They are also meticulous.
8. They cultivate an aesthetic sensibility within themselves. They are unable to sleep in their clothing, observe bug-filled crevices in the walls, breathing stale air, walk on a floor that has been spat on, or prepare meals on an oil stove. They make every effort to tame and elevate the sexual instinct… They are not looking for a bed-fellow in a woman. They don’t demand the cunning that manifests in persistent lying. If they are artists, they seek freshness, grace, humanity, and the ability to have children in particular… They don’t sniff about in cabinets or swill vodka at all hours of the day or night because they are not pigs and are aware of this. They only occasionally, when they are free, drink. They desire mens sana in corpore sano, which is Latin for “a healthy mind in a healthy body.”
This is what individuals with culture are like. It is not enough to have read “The Pickwick Papers” and learned a monologue from “Faust” to be cultured and not to be a lower-class citizen.
It is necessary to labor continuously, day and night, and to read, study, and have the will. Every hour is valuable to it. Come over, shatter the vodka bottle, and then take a seat and read. If you like, try reading Turgenev, who you haven’t done. You need to get over your conceit; you are not a child. You’ll turn 30 soon enough. It is now! You’re expected, everyone here anticipates your arrival.
