Mariya Kiselyova

Tchaikovsky Research
(Redirected from Mariya Kiseleva)
Mariya Kiselyova (1847–1921) with her daughter

Russian writer (b. 16/28 October 1847 in Moscow; d. 1921), born Mariya Vladimirovna Begicheva (Мария Владимировна Бегичева); known after her marriage as Mariya Vladimirovna Kiselyova (Мария Владимировна Киселёва), and also by the pen-name Pince Nez.

Mariya was the daughter of the dramatist Vladimir Begichev (1838–1891); when her father married the composer Mariya Shilovskaya (1830–1879), she became step-sister to the composer's friends Konstantin and Vladimir Shilovsky. Tchaikovsky was introduced to Mariya at the family estate at Glebovo in the spring of 1876.

In 1885 she met Anton Chekhov, who encouraged her to write her first short story, entitled Who is Happer? (Кто счастливее), which was published the following year under the pseudonym Pince Nez. She also wrote for humorous and children's magazines in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and from the 1890s onwards she lived in Kaluga.

Correspondence with Tchaikovsky

One letter from Tchaikovsky to Mariya Kiselyova (in the form of a humorous poem) has survived, dating from 1876: