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Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov was a Russian writer who wrote short stories and plays.

Early life

The house where Chekhov was born

Anton Chekhov was born in Taganrog, a city in Russia. His father, Pavel, ran a grocery store. His mother, Yevgeniya, often told Anton stories about her childhood.

In 1876, Chekhov's father went bankrupt. From then on, the family was very poor. Anton Chekhov had to pay for his own education. He paid for it by tutoring other students, catching and selling birds, and selling short stories to newspapers. When he had extra money, he sent it to his family. While he was at school, he read many books by famous authors, including Miguel de Cervantes and Arthur Schopenhauer.

In 1879, Chekhov went to Moscow University.

Writing career

While he was at Moscow University, Chekhov wrote many short stories to pay for his schooling and to help his family. In 1886, one of the most famous newspapers in Russia, New Times, invited him to write for them. Soon, his stories became popular, and other writers noticed him. He wrote a book of stories called At Dusk that won the Pushkin Prize, an award for beautiful writing.

In 1887, Chekhov wrote a play called Ivanov. Chekhov did not like the play, but critics loved it.

In 1890, Chekhov went to Salakhin Island, a penal colony (prison). He talked to many prisoners and discovered that they were treated very badly. The prisoners were often beaten. There were also children there. He was angry, and wrote about it in a book called The Island Of Salakhin and in a short story called The Murder.

In 1892, he bought a house and some land near Moscow called Melikhovo. While he was there, he helped the people who lived nearby. He brought them food and clothing, and medicine when they were sick. Since he was trained as a doctor, he knew how to take care of them.

While at Melikhovo, he started to write a play called The Seagull. When it was first performed, it went very badly, and the audience did not like it. Later, it was performed at another theater, the Moscow Art Theater, where the performances went better. After this, he wrote another play called Uncle Vanya.

Marriage, sickness, and death

In 1897, he became sick. Doctors told him that he had tuberculosis, a lung disease, and that he should change his lifestyle. He moved to Yalta and bought a house there. Later, he married a woman named Olga Knipper. At Yalta, he wrote some of his most famous stories, including The Lady With The Dog.

By 1904, Chekhov was very sick. He died on the 15th of July at a health spa in Germany. Thousands of people mourned when he died. He was buried in Novodevichy Cemetery.

Influence

Chekhov influenced many important writers, including George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf. His short stories are still read by many people around the world.