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Family
Father: His father, Pavel, worked as a grocer and often had money troubles. He was also an abusive father.
Mother: His mother, Yevgeniya, was an excellent story teller who loved sharing it with her kids.
Siblings: Alexander, Maria, Nikolai, Evan, and Mikhail Chekhov. -
Birthdate
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born on January 29, 1860 in Taganrog, Russia. -
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Early Schooling
After briefly attending a Greek School in Taganrog, Chekhov entered the town high school. During his last three years at school Chekhov's father had gone bankrupt and moved the rest of the family to Moscow to find work. Anton was forced to live alone and supported himself by coaching younger boys and doing other odd jobs. -
First Moscow State Medical University
After finishing his schooling in Taganrog, Chekhov joined his family in Moscow where he was admitted to First Moscow State Medical University. He graduatd in 1884. -
Qualified Physician
After Graduating in 1884, he qualified as a physician. He considered it his main profession although he didn't make a much money off of it and treated the poor for free. -
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Worsening health issues
Chekhov often found himself coughing blood, slowly worsening, but wouldn't admit his tuberculosis to anyone. -
Play- Ivanov
Fiodor Korsh, owner of the Korsh Theatre in Moscow, commissioned Chekhov to write a comedy, however instead he wrote a drama in only ten days. -
Pushkin Prize
The short story collection "At Dusk" won Chekhov the Pushkin Prize "for the best literary production distinguished by high artistic worth". -
Nikolai's Death
The death of Chekhov's brother Nikolai from tuberculosis in 1889 influenced A Dreary Story, finished that September, about a man who confronts the end of a life that he realises has been without purpose. -
Play- The Seagull
On the first night the play received poor reception from the audience, causing Chekhov to consider retiring from the theatre entirely. Fortunately, Konstantin Stanislavski gave the play another shot at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1898. Stanislavski's approach brought out the subtle details in the play, reigniting Chekhov's passion for playwriting. -
Health Issues
Despite being aware of his illness long before, Chekhov was officially diagnosed with Tuberculosis in 1897; an infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria that most often affects the lungs. -
Play- The Wood Demon
Eight years after this play failed, Chekhov returned to his work. He reduced the cast list by half, changed the climactic suicide into an anti-climax of a failed homicide, and published the altered play under the title Uncle Vanya. -
Play- Three Sisters
It was written in 1900 and first performed in 1901 at the Moscow Art Theatre. The play is often included on the list of Chekhov's outstanding plays, along with The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull and Uncle Vanya. -
Marriage
Anton Chekhov married the actor Olga Knipper. They married in secret and under the agreement in which he would live in Yalta and she would stay in Moscow. They were married for three years and didn't have any children. -
Play- The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard was the last play Chekhov wrote before he passed away. Chekhov described the play as a comedy, with some elements of farce, but Stanislavski treated it as a tragedy instead -
Chekhov's Death
During his stay at a health resort in Badenweiler, Germany, Anton Chekhov died due to Tuberculosis. -
Interesting Facts
-He was often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre.
-Chekhov was a physician by profession. "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress." -
Influences
Both his parents influenced his writing in different ways. Since his father was physically abusive, some historians believe Chekhov used him as the model for his portraits of hypocrisy and his mother loved storytelling. -
Quote
"Let us learn to appreciate there will be times when the trees will be bare, and look forward to the time when we may pick the fruit."- Anton Chekhov -
Sources