Anton Chekhov Biography

Russian Short Story Writer and Playwright, Known for Uncle Vanya

Jan 9, 2008
Tel Asiado

Anton Chekhov, Russian Writer & Playwright - nndb

A brief biography of the life and works of one of Russia's great authors, Anton Chekhov, short story writer and playwright for ordinary people like the play Uncle Vanya.

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), 19th century Russian author, short story writer and playwright, was one of the most popular great Russian writers. Referred to as a 'moral compass', his plays and short stories are known for their realistic examination of the lives of ordinary Russians. His most famous plays include: Uncle Vanya, The Seagull, The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard.

Early Life of Anton Chekhov

Chekhov was born on January 29, 1860, in Taganrog, a small port in southern Russia. When he was 15, son of an unsuccessful shopkeeper, his father went bankrupt, and the family left for Moscow to avoid paying debts. Chekhov stayed behind to finish school but was deeply affected by the separation.

When he was 19, Chekhov joined his family in Moscow and studied medicine at Moscow University. While studying medicine, he also began writing stories and by the time he became a doctor, he had published hundreds of them. His first book, Motley Stories, was successful enough to inspire him further to pursue writing as a profession. At 28, he began to be taken seriously as a writer, and he was awarded a literary prize. Four years later he became the physician for a poor area outside Moscow. While there he wrote some of his best short stories. From the proceeds of his writing he was able to purchase a modest home in the area and worked hard to improve conditions for the people living there.

Chekhov was a contemporary of leading writers Leo Tolstoy, Maxim Gorky and Nikolai Leskov.

Chekhov's Last Years

Anton Chekhov suffered from tuberculosis for some time, and by his late 30s he had to move to the warmer climate at Yalta in the Crimea, in southern Russia. There he wrote his most famous plays: Uncle Vanya, The Seagull, The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. He was elected fellow of the Moscow Academy of Science, but resigned when his fellow member, Maxim Gorky, was dismissed by the tsar's order.

In all his work Chekhov created dramatic tension through mood and setting rather than action or dramatic events. His works were never openly political, but they have been seen as critical of life under the Russian monarchy, or the tsars.

Anton Chekhov died at the age 44. He was a writer for the masses whose primary concern was for the common people, their hopes and dreams.