Master. Economical. Russian. Velvet.
A memorable quote from a letter he wrote to his brother, printed in this collection: "Best of all, shun all descriptions of the characters' spiritual state. You must try to have that state emerge clearly from their actions. Don't try for too many characters. The center of gravity should reside in two: he and she." (That second part, about the he and she, sounds a lot like Chris Booker in his Seven Basic Plots tome). Other interesting information comes out in the letters collected in the "Backgrounds" section, including this quote: "I would not devote all my spare time and thoughts to literature even if I didn't have medicine. I don't have enough discipline for that."