Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Official website of the State –
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Anton Pavlovich is a classic of world literature, a writer, and playwright with a medical education. He wrote over 300 works during his lifetime.
Childhood and youth in Taganrog
Chekhov was born in Taganrog into a large merchant family. From childhood, he was accustomed to hard work: he sang in the church choir, studied diligently, helped his father in the grocery store, and even learned to be a tailor. His parents instilled in him not only a hard work ethic but also other important qualities: compassion, respect for people, and a love of nature. While still in high school, he began writing his first short stories and sketches under the pseudonym "Chekhonte," given to him by one of his teachers.
After his family moved to Moscow in 1876, 16-year-old Anton remained alone in Taganrog. To support himself, he tutored and wrote essays. He sent short sketches of Taganrog life, such as "The Stammerer," to his brothers in Moscow. His first play, "Fatherlessness," was also published around that time. It explored spiritual crisis and the loss of moral compass.
The beginning of the journey in Moscow
In 1879, Chekhov moved to Moscow, where he took on the responsibility of caring for his family, living on the modest income from his literary publications. This year proved to be a landmark one for him:
His debut in print: the short story "Letter to a Learned Neighbor" and the humorous piece "What is Most Common in Novels, Stories, etc." His university entrance exams: He enrolled in the medical faculty of Moscow University (now Sechenov University).
While still a student, Chekhov began his medical practice, working as a district doctor and later as the head of a hospital in Zvenigorod.
The development of a writer and mature work
In 1884, Chekhov's first book, "Tales of Melpomene," was published, followed by the well-known collections "Motley Stories" (1886), "In the Twilight" (1887), and "Gloomy People" (1890). In the late 1880s, he actively worked for the theater, creating the plays "Ivanov," "The Wood Goblin," and "The Wedding," as well as the famous vaudevilles "The Bear" and "The Anniversary." Seeking inspiration and new experiences, Chekhov traveled extensively, visiting Nizhny Novgorod, Sakhalin, Yasnaya Polyana, and Western Europe.
In 1892, the writer moved to the Melikhovo estate near Moscow. Here, he actively helped people: as a doctor, he treated peasants, built schools, traveled to areas ravaged by famine, and participated in the general census. It was in Melikhovo that his most famous works were created: the play "The Seagull," the novella "Ward No. 6," and the short stories "The House with a Mezzanine" and "The Man in a Case."
Recent years and recognition
Chekhov spent his last years in Yalta, where he worked on the play The Cherry Orchard and received numerous guests, including Maxim Gorky, Ivan Bunin, and Leo Tolstoy, who called Chekhov "an incomparable artist of life" and "Pushkin in prose."
Chekhov's contemporaries and descendants highly valued him as an innovator. They noted his unique talent for revealing the profound psychology of his characters through everyday details, while the laconicism and radiant humanism of his prose elevated realism to the level of philosophical generalization. He is rightly considered a master whose work enriched not only Russian but also world literature.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's work remains relevant because it speaks not of events, but of the eternal: the fragility of the human soul, the search for meaning in everyday life, and the courage to live despite the imperfections of the world. This makes him not just a classic, but our insightful contemporary.
Subscribe to the "Our GUU" Telegram channel. Publication date: January 29, 2026.
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