Two centuries of the Russian classics Two centuries of the Russian classics 2686-7494 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2026-8-1-8-31 Research Article Articles A. P. Chekhov: Between Orthodoxy and Nihilism Neda Andrić red@rusklassika.ru Jovan Radojević red@rusklassika.ru 25 03 2026 8 1 8 31 A. P. Chekhov Orthodoxy nihilism anomie religious consciousness liturgical sense of peace Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 This article analyzes A. P. Chekhov’s attitude toward Orthodoxy and nihilism. This topic was the subject of numerous studies in the early 20th century and remains relevant today. In this article, the criteria for selecting Chekhov’s texts were primarily thematic representativeness and consistency with our central idea of the writer’s individual attitude toward Orthodoxy, rather than a collective one. Using comparative and analytical approaches and drawing on Chekhov’s extensive correspondence, we examined relevant motifs in a number of his works. We conclude that Chekhov’s attitude toward Orthodoxy is ambivalent, ranging from an atheistic poetics to a theistic and teleological worldview. The study also demonstrated that the nihilistic worldview attributed to Chekhov is unfounded. 1. Bogdanova, O. V. “Samyi liubimyi rasskaz A. P. Chekhova (ʽStudent’)” [“A. P. Chekhov’s Most Beloved Story (ʽThe Student’)”]. Zvezda, no. 1, 2019, pp. 214–224. (In Russ.) 2. Dunaev, M. M. Pravoslavie i russkaia literatura [Orthodoxy and Russian Literature]. Sergiev Posad, Moscow Theological Academy Publ., 2009. 512 p. (In Russ.) 3. Mosaleva, G. V. “Siuzhet ʽliturgicheskogo puteshestviya’ v ʽStepi’ A. P. Chekhova [“The Plot of A. P. Chekhov’s ʽLiturgical Journey’ in The Steppe”]. Dva veka russkoi klassiki, vol. 7, no. 1, 2025, pp. 282–309. https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2025-7-1-282-309 (In Russ.) 4. Savchuk, V. “Posleslovie. Vremia nigilizma” [“Afterword. The Age of Nihilism”]. Sud’ba nigilizma: Ernst Iunger. Martin Khaidegger. Ditmar Kamper. Giunter Figal’ [The Fate of Nihilism: Ernst Junger. Martin Heidegger. Dietmar Kamper. Gunther Figal]. St. Petersburg, Saint Petersburg University Publ., 2006, pp. 163–220. (In Russ.) 5. Semenova, S. G. Russkaia literatura XIX–XX vekov: ot poetiki k miroponimaniiu [Russian Literature of the 19th–20th Centuries: From Poetics to Worldview]. Moscow, Akademicheskii proekt Publ., Paradigma Publ., 2016. 890 p. (In Russ.) 6. Chudakov, A. P. “ʽMezhdu ‘estʼ Bog’ i ‘net Boga’ lezhit tseloe gromadnoe pole…ʼ: Chekhov i vera” [“ʽBetween ‘God Exists’ and ‘God Does not Exist’ There Lies a Whole Vast Field...’: Chekhov and Faith”]. Novyi mir, no. 9, 1996, pp. 186–192. (In Russ.) 7. Shulyndina, A. B. “ʽIazva zla’ i porochnyi krug nigilizma v tvorchestve A. P. Chekhova” [“ʽ The Ulcer of Evil’ and the Vicious Circle of Nihilism in the Works of A. P. Chekhov”]. Elektronnyi filosofskii zhurnal Vox / Golos, issue 17 (December 2014). Available at: https://vox-journal.org/html/issues/280/287 (Accessed 26 September 2025). DOI: 10.24411/2077-6608-2014-00008 (In Russ.) 8. Lubak, Henri. Drama ateističkog humanizma. Rijeka, Sarajevo, Ex libris Publ., Synopsis Publ., 2009. 390 p. (In Croatian) 9. Niče, Fridrih. Volja za moć. Beograd, Dereta Publ., 2012. 571 p. (In Serbian) Popović, Justin. Pravoslavna crkva i ekumenizam. Mount Athos, Hilandar Monastery Publ., 2009. 142 p. (In Serbian) 10. Vattimo, Gianni. Čitanka. Zagreb, Antibarbarus Publ., 2008. 283 p. (In Croatian)