Anton Chekhov, who died at 44, produced such classic plays as The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull , and Uncle Vanya . This biography follows the life of one of Russia's foremost literary figures from his traumatic childhood through to his establishment as a popular and critically acclaimed author. Complementing the Hesperus titles Three Years and The Story of a Nobody , this new biography will set these works in their historical context and portray the extraordinary life of their author.