June 12, 2001

Anton Chekhov


Anton Chekhov

One of the most unique Russian lives is that of Anton Chekhov. Born January 17, 1860 {old calendar} to a humble grocer and church choir director, Anton turned out to be one of his country's best late nineteenth century writers. Along the way, he became a medical doctor {1884} and primary means of financial support for his family. Economically ruined, the elder Chekhov was forced to move his family to Moscow in an attempt to fine work. Anton helped support his parents and younger siblings with the money he received from freelance writing.

At first, Chekhov seemed to have a split personality when it came to his styles of writing. He was a master of of the short, humorous and somewhat seedy story. The Telephone, written in 1886, is one example of Chekhov's sense of humor. At the same time, he wrote several very serious and deep articles about the various faces of human suffering; possibly a way of dealing with the pain and grief a doctor, inevitably, witnesses. One of Chekhov's touching stories of this period, Vanka, also written in 1886.

In 1888, Chekhov was published in the highly acclaimed Severny vestnik {Northern Herald}. His long story, The Steppe, marked the end of Chekhov's production of light pieces. This autobiographical work featured a child's impressions of trip in the Ukraine. Shortly after his success as a serious writer, Chekhov presented his first drama, Ivanov {1889}. His older brother, Nikolay, died that same year of tuberculosis. This play is very heavy and morbid. It is a study of the spirit of the terminally ill and ends with the lead character, a young man, committing suicide.

As the years passed, Chekhov wrote fewer short stories, practiced medicine less and concentrated on his plays. After Ivanov, Chekhov's full-length plays included; The Wood Demon {1889}, Uncle Vanya {1898}, The Seagull {1898}, Three Sisters {1901} and The Cherry Orchard {1904}. Between 1889 and 1901, Chekhov wrote, or revised, 240 short stories for publication.

To the end, Chekhov was never totally satisfied with the production of his plays. While most would, and did, consider his later plays to be very tragic, Chekhov insisted that they were intended to be comedies bordering on farce. This was particularly true of his last two plays, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. Both plays were written for the Moscow Art Theatre, co-founded by the great actor and director, Konstanin Stanislavsky . The Theatre opened its doors on October 14, 1898, and was later re-named in honor of Chekhov. Nevertheless, Anton's works fall into the genre of late nineteenth century Russian Realism and give us a good idea of the travails and joys of life in Imperial Russia.

Finally, after two heart attacks, Anton Chekhov died of pulmonary tuberculosis on July 2, 1904 {old calendar}, in Badenweiler, Germany. It was not until after World War I, when the first translations of Chekhov's writings became available, that he was known to the rest of Europe. He gained worldwide acclaim, at the close of World War II, when The Complete Works and Letters of A.P. Chekhov, a 20 volume set, was published. There are still those who question the artistic value of his stories and plays. However, Chekhov's plays are a mainstay of most academic theatre programs and his writings required reading in literature.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955