It was interesting to read that Chekhov initially published his short stories under the pseudonym Antosha Chekhonte, since he viewed his humorous sketches as little more than a means of making money to help feed himself and his extended family. Nemirovsky noted that the young author didn't think much of these stories until Dmitri Grigorovich , an elder Petersburg novelist, wrote to tell him how much he enjoyed his stories that were being published in a Petersburg journal, Fragments , over the period 1883-85. Grigorovich singled out The Hunstman as his favorite. In response , young Anton (then 26) thanked his admirer profusely but admitted that he wrote that particular story while taking a bath and could see nothing special in it. Nevertheless, he would take his fan's words of advice and devote more time to his writing, as Grigorovich noted it would be a waste to squander such talent. The old novelist also urged Chekhov to publish under his own name. Here are m...