17–23 November 1856

First thing, revised A Landlord' s Story. It is horribly diffuse. Gymnastics. Dined at home. Worked at the same thing till nine. Went to Botkin’s and on coming home found Druzhinin and passed the*’ evening pleasantly. Felt kind and calm, and that made it pleasant. Disputed with Botkin as to whether a poet pictures his reader to himself or not. He is inclined to be vague. Druzhinin was good-natured. Received rubles from Kolbasin.

Revised The Degraded Officer. Went to dine at Botkin’s. Read A Landlord's Story. He gave me good advice, he speaks rather well. Chatted pleasantly. Saw the doctor about the pain in my thigh. Came home and was cupped. Read Druzhfnin’s article. Triison came. At first I was bored, then we warmed up and conversed till two.

In the morning was too lazy to begin. Wrote a little of A Landlord's Story. Received a letter from Valerya, not bad, but it is strange that under the influence of work I feel cool towards her. Gymnastics. Dined at home : the beer made me sleepy. Wrote a mod^ate letter to Valerya and worked from nine to two. More than halt is done.

Got up at ten. Wrote a little. Gym- nastics. Dinner at Druzhinin’s. Pisemski was there who evidently does not like me, which hurts me. Druzhinin refused to listen to me and that stung me. Found a letter from Valerya at home. Nothing new in her letters : an undeveloped, loving, nature. Answered her. Went to bed at three.

Got up at one. Maykov came. Gymnastics. Dined at Stotypin’s, was impolite to his wife. At Botkin’s all evening. Read A Landlord's Story. It is decide'dly bad, but I will publish it. Must strike out. Called at Anna Nikolaevna’s and so feel disgusted.

Got up at eleven. Wished to write but couldn’t. Gymnastics. Dined at the Panaevs*. Then stayed at Kra^vski’s till evening. The literary atmosphere disgusts me as nothing else ever did. Wrote to Valerya. Thought much about her. Perhaps because I have not met any woman all this time.

Got up at one. Tishk6vich interrupted me. Corrected a little. Dined at home. Corrected. Had a nice letter from Valerya. Answered her : thought about Anna Nikolaevna and at the same time very very much about Valerya. How I long to have done with magazines in order to write in the way I am now beginning to think about art : awfully high and pure.