Anton Chekhov
"Medicine is my lawful wife and literature my mistress; when I get tired of one, I spend the night with the other." Historical Background:
During Chekhov's time, there were some significant global events that could have influenced him.
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Early Life:
Chekhov was born to Pavel Chekhov, a grocery store owner, Yevgeniya Chekhov, a seamstress, in 1860. Chekhov attended a school for Greek boys from 1867-1868 and then attended grammar school from 1868-1876. His newly bankrupt father then moved the family to Moscow. Chekhov stayed in his hometown to continue his schooling. He enrolled in medical school and eventually graduated in 1884. In order to support himself and his family while in medical school, he wrote short stories. By 1886, he had gained fame as a writer. He mostly wrote short stories, but also published two full length novels, one called "The Shooting Party." After he graduated medical school, he practiced medicine until 1892 and continued his writing career (Anton Chekhov). Career: Chekhov began his career writing short stories in college to support himself. He was awarded the Pushkin Prize in 1888 and was elected to a Russian Literature Society in 1889. After the failure of his play, The Wood Demon, he stopped writing for a while, producing the cliched failed writer that he and many others write about. Finally, he began writing again in 1892 and wrote many stories, including "The Murder" and "About Love" (Anton Chekhov). Death: Chekhov married an actress in 1901. Her name was Olga Knipper, whom he had known due to her acting career. She actually acted in some of his plays. Chekhov died in 1904 due to tuberculosis. Chekhov, though known in Russia, wasn't recognized globally until after World War I. The Sea Gull, perhaps one of his most popular plays, was edited by Stanislavsky in 1898, and then Chekhov gained much popularity as a playwright and author (Anton Chekhov). |