Anton Chekhov

Born

in Taganrog, Yekaterinoslav Governorate, Russian Empire

January 29, 1860

Died

July 15, 1904

Genre

Classics, Fiction, Humor and Comedy

Influences

Ivan Turgenev, Nikolai Gogol, Henrik Ibsen, Leo Tolstoy, Honoré de Bal ...more

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Anton Pavlovich Chekhov [Russian: Антон Павлович Чехов] was born in the small seaport of Taganrog, southern Russia, the son of a grocer. Chekhov's grandfather was a serf, who had bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught himself to read and write. Yevgenia Morozova, Chekhov's mother, was the daughter of a cloth merchant.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." His early years were shadowed by his father's tyranny, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, which was open from five in the morning till midnight. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog (1867-68) and Taganrog grammar school (1868-79). The family was forced to move to Moscow followi Anton Pavlovich Chekhov [Russian: Анто́н Па́влович Че́хов] was born in the small seaport of Taganrog, southern Russia, the son of a grocer. Chekhov's grandfather was a serf, who had bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught himself to read and write. Yevgenia Morozova, Chekhov's mother, was the daughter of a cloth merchant.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." His early years were shadowed by his father's tyranny, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, which was open from five in the morning till midnight. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog (1867-68) and Taganrog grammar school (1868-79). The family was forced to move to Moscow following his father's bankruptcy. At the age of 16, Chekhov became independent and remained for some time alone in his native town, supporting himself through private tutoring.
In 1879 Chekhov entered the Moscow University Medical School. While in the school, he began to publish hundreds of comic short stories to support himself and his mother, sisters and brothers. His publisher at this period was Nicholas Leikin, owner of the St. Petersburg journal Oskolki (splinters). His subjects were silly social situations, marital problems, farcical encounters between husbands, wives, mistresses, and lovers, whims of young women, of whom Chekhov had not much knowledge – the author was was shy with women even after his marriage. His works appeared in St. Petersburg daily papers, Peterburskaia gazeta from 1885, and Novoe vremia from 1886.
Chekhov's first novel, Nenunzhaya pobeda (1882), set in Hungary, parodied the novels of the popular Hungarian writer Mór Jókai. As a politician Jókai was also mocked for his ideological optimism. By 1886 Chekhov had gained a wide fame as a writer. His second full-length novel, The Shooting Party, was translated into English in 1926. Agatha Christie used its characters and atmosphere in her mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926).
Chekhov graduated in 1884, and practiced medicine until 1892. In 1886 Chekhov met H.S. Suvorin, who invited him to become a regular contributor for the St. Petersburg daily Novoe vremya. His friendship with Suvorin ended in 1898 because of his objections to the anti-Dreyfus campaingn conducted by paper. But during these years Chechov developed his concept of the dispassionate, non-judgemental author. He outlined his program in a letter to his brother Aleksandr: "1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion."
Chekhov's first book of stories (1886) was a success, and gradually he became a full-time writer. The author's refusal to join the ranks of social critics arose the wrath of liberal and radical intellitentsia and he was criticized for dealing with serious social and moral questions, but avoiding giving answers. However, he was defended by such leading writers as Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Leskov. "I'm not a liberal, or a conservative, or a gradualist, or a monk, or an indifferentist. I should like to be a free artist and that's all..." Chekhov said in 1888.
The failure of his play The Wood Demon (1889) and problems with his novel made Chekhov to withdraw from literature for a period. In 1890 he travelled across Siberia to remote prison island, Sakhalin. There he conducted a detailed census of some 10,000 convicts and settlers condemned to live their lives on that harsh island. Chekhov hoped to use the results of his research for his doctoral dissertation. It is probable that hard conditions on the island also worsened his own physical condition. From this journey was born his famous travel book T ...more

Combine Editions
Anton Chekhov’s books

Average rating: 3.97 · 223,915 ratings · 14,133 reviews · 3,164 distinct works • Similar authors

	Selected Stories by Anton Chekhov, Richard Pevear (Introduction, Translation) , Larissa Volokhonsky (Translation) 4.36 avg rating — 29,389 ratings — published 1900 — 154 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, Tom Murphy (Translator) 3.67 avg rating — 25,593 ratings — published 1904 — 276 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, Michael Frayn (Translator) 3.92 avg rating — 20,783 ratings — published 1895 — 364 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Uncle Vanya 3.84 avg rating — 15,080 ratings — published 1897 — 303 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Complete Short Novels by Anton Chekhov, Richard Pevear (Translator) , Larissa Volokhonsky (Translator) 4.47 avg rating — 10,409 ratings — published 1896 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Three Sisters 3.75 avg rating — 13,984 ratings — published 1900 — 216 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ward No. 6 and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov, David Plante (Editor) , Constance Garnett (Translator) 4.32 avg rating — 10,278 ratings — published 1892 — 125 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Five Plays: Ivanov / The Seagull / Uncle Vanya / The Three Sisters / The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, Ronald Hingley (Translator) 4.18 avg rating — 5,359 ratings — published 1887 — 47 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lady With the Little Dog and Other Stories, 1896-1904 by Anton Chekhov, Ronald Wilks (Translator) , Paul Debreczney (Introduction) 4.22 avg rating — 4,398 ratings — published 1904 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Short Stories by Anton Chekhov, Ralph E. Matlaw (Editor) 4.33 avg rating — 3,324 ratings — published 1959 — 33 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Anton Chekhov…

Series by Anton Chekhov

الأعمال المختارة (4 books)
by

Anton Chekhov,

أبو بكر يوسف (Translator)

4.21 avg rating — 1,988 ratings

‫مجموعۀ آثار چخوف (10 books)
by

Anton Chekhov,

سروژ استپانیان (Translator)

4.11 avg rating — 423 ratings

Bütün Öyküleri (8 books)
by

Anton Chekhov,

Mehmet Özgül (Translator)

4.35 avg rating — 175 ratings

Quotes by Anton Chekhov

“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
― Anton Chekhov

tags: broken-glass, glass, moon, moonshine, show-don-t-tell, writing

5266 likes

“Perhaps man has a hundred senses, and when he dies only the five senses that we know perish with him, and the other ninety-five remain alive.”
― Anton Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard

1431 likes

“Any idiot can face a crisis; it's this day-to-day living that wears you out.”
― Anton Chekhov

tags: living

1152 likes

See all Anton Chekhov's quotes »

Polls

Voting is now open for our July Classical read. Voting will stay open until June 14th, 2018 and the winning book will be announced on June 15th, 2018.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

13 votes, 37.1%

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham

7 votes, 20.0%

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain

5 votes, 14.3%

Joseph and His Brothers by Thomas Mann

3 votes, 8.6%

The Professor by Charlotte Brontë

3 votes, 8.6%

The Flight of the Falcon by Daphne du Maurier

2 votes, 5.7%

The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle

1 vote, 2.9%

The Devil's Elixirs by E.T.A. Hoffmann

1 vote, 2.9%

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov

0 votes, 0.0%

35 total votes

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