A.P.Chekhov and French readers: the role of emigrants in popularization of A.P.Chekov's works

The process of acquainting French readers with the works written by Anton Chekhov is described in the article. The goal of this research was to determine the extent to which Russian immigrants were involved into the process. An extended period from 1893, when a few works of the writer were translated for the first time, to the 1950s, when the writer’s popularity in France reached its peak, is examined. This article focuses on the 1920-1930s, the time period when Chekhov’s works were actively popularized by the representatives of the socalled first wave emigrants (for them Chekhov’s figure had a special significance). The article analyzes the work The influence of French literature on Russian writers since 1900 (1929) written by an emigrant literary and a theater critic Y. Sazonova. The report was presented at the second meeting of the Franco-Russian Studio where special attention was paid to the works of A. P. Chekhov. Some specific aspects of the author’s biography A Life of Chekhov (1939), which was written by the emigrant writer Irene Nemirovsky, are also studied in the article. Initially this biography was addressed to the French reader. It has not been previously studied by Russian researchers.