Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov[a] (Russian: Антон Павлович Чехов[b], IPA: [ɐnˈton ˈpavləvʲɪtɕ ˈtɕexəf]; 29 January 1860[c] – 15 July 1904[d]) was a Russian playwright and physician. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics.[e][5][6] Along with Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre.[7] Chekhov was a physician by profession. "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress."[8][9]
"Chekhov" redirects here. For other uses, see Chekhov (disambiguation).
Anton Chekhov
Антон Чехов
Антон Чехов
29 January 1860[1]
Taganrog, Yekaterinoslav Governorate, Russian Empire
15 July 1904 (aged 44)[2]
Badenweiler, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow
Writer, physician, philanthropist
Russian
1876-1904
Alexander Chekhov (brother)
Maria Chekhova (sister)
Nikolai Chekhov (brother)
Michael Chekhov (nephew)
Lev Knipper (nephew)
Olga Chekhova (niece)
Ada Tschechowa (great-niece)
Marina Ried (great-niece)
Vera Tschechowa (great-great niece)
Chekhov renounced the theatre after the reception of The Seagull in 1896, but the play was revived to acclaim in 1898 by Konstantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre, which subsequently also produced Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and premiered his last two plays, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. These four works present a challenge to the acting ensemble[f] as well as to audiences, because in place of conventional action Chekhov offers a "theatre of mood" and a "submerged life in the text".[g][12] The plays that Chekhov wrote were not complex, but easy to follow, and created a somewhat haunting atmosphere for the audience.[3]
Chekhov at first wrote stories to earn money, but as his artistic ambition grew, he made formal innovations that influenced the evolution of the modern short story.[13][h][15] He made no apologies for the difficulties this posed to readers, insisting that the role of an artist was to ask questions, not to answer them.[16]