Chekhov's information

Anton Pavlovich Che (qì) Hē (January 29, 1860 - July 15, 1904) was a world-class Russian short story master. The last Russian master of critical realism in the late 19th century, he is known as one of the "three major short story writers in the world" together with Maupassant and O. Henry.

Chekhov is a writer with a strong sense of humor. His novels are compact and concise, giving readers room for independent thinking. His plays had a great influence on 20th century drama. He adhered to the tradition of realism, focused on describing the daily life of the Russian people, and created small characters with typical personalities, thereby truly reflecting the conditions of Russian society at that time. The three major characteristics of his works are the ridicule of ugly phenomena and the deep sympathy for the poor people, and his works ruthlessly exposed the unreasonable social system and the ugly phenomena of society under the tsarist rule. He is considered an outstanding representative of Russian realist literature at the end of the 19th century.

Biography:

In 1860, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

was born in Rostov, Russia on January 29 Taganrog on the Azov coast. The third of six children who survived the family. Both his grandfather and father were serfs. With his diligence and wisdom, Chekhov's grandfather Yegorov Chekhov became the sugar factory manager of the landlord's family to which he belonged, and gradually accumulated a fortune. Money finally redeemed his family in 1841. After Chekhov's father, Pavel Yegorovitch Chekhov, was freed, he married the daughter of a clothing merchant named Yevgenia and became a grocery store owner in Taganrog. He was very devout and even fanatical about Orthodox Christianity, which had a profound influence on Chekhov's later compassion for others. His father's store was in poor business, which made Chekhov's life difficult since he was a child. The father is very strict with his children and often beats and scolds them. Despite this, Chekhov was always very filial to his parents. His mother often told stories to her children, and she told them very well. She told mostly stories of her travels throughout Russia with her clothing merchant father. Chekhov loved comedy and acting since he was a child, which laid the foundation for his later career as a playwright. Chekhov later said: "Our talents come from our fathers, but our souls come from our mothers." In 1867, he entered a local Greek primary school.

In 1876, Chekhov's father's store went bankrupt, and his family fled to Moscow to avoid debts and make a living there. Chekhov failed to study French and made a living by working as a tutor, selling items at home, and working in a warehouse. In 1879, Chekhov completed high school and went to Moscow to be with his family. Reunion. Here he received a scholarship to enter the Faculty of Medicine of Moscow State University. At the end of this year, he wrote the short story "A Letter to a Learned Neighbor", which was his debut novel.

In 1880, due to family difficulties, Chekhov began to write some short humorous works for some humorous publications as a literary journalist to support his life. This is how he began his literary career. The artistic value of these funny works is not very high, but they are very readable, and they can also be tolerated by the book and magazine prosecutors at the time. He gradually gained a following of readers. Gradually, his fame began to spread. However, some of his early humorous works also included some masterpieces that criticized current ills and satirized social undesirable phenomena and the human condition of the world. In March 1880, he published the short story "A Letter to a Learned Neighbor" in "Dragonfly" magazine, which became his famous work. He was in his first year of college at the time, and his signature was "Antosha Chihontje" (Антоша Чехонте). The article satirized the ignorance of an unlearned and pretentious old-style landowner, and was warmly welcomed by readers after its publication (obviously, he was influenced by a large number of popular humor magazines in Russia at that time). At this time he wrote rapidly and produced many works. Soon many people knew about this sarcastic author, and he attracted the attention of some famous writers. He began to contribute articles to magazines such as "Dragonfly" and "Tips" as a literary journalist, using a pen name. After he became famous, he continued this habit from his early years. In 1880, after the publication of his first work, he met the famous landscape painter Levitan and became a close friend.

In 1885, he created and published "Leather Boots", "The Last Name of Horse", "Fanka", "The Lost Man", "The Premeditated Criminal", and "The Fiancé and Dad (Modern Sketch)" , "The Guest (A Scene)", "The Noble Dog", "The Fire Can't Be Contained in the Paper", "Humph, These Passengers!" ", "Sergeant Prishbeev", "Hunter", "Sorrow" and other famous short stories. He also began to try his hand at writing screenplays. In 1883, he published some of his early famous short stories: "The Fat Man and the Thin Man", "Happy Events", "On the Nail", and "The Elation of the Victor (The Story of a Retired Fourteenth-grade Civil Service Officer)" , "The Death of a Civil Servant" (Смерть чиновника), "The Uneven Mirror", "The Enigmatic Character", and "The Webmaster", these works established his position in the Russian literary world. Chekhov graduated from University in 1884 and received a bachelor's degree in medicine and a medical license. This year, he published some famous short stories: "Civil Service Examination", "The Man with the Mask", "Chameleon" (Хамелеон), and "Surgery".

He used his satirical techniques to the fullest in "Chameleon". His creations began to turn to the poor life of laborers, and his artistry continued to improve. This year, he published his first book: "The Story of Melpomene" (Сказки Мельпомены), which collected six short stories published in humorous publications. The publication of this book strengthened his determination to create literature. He had previously positioned himself this way when he graduated from college: "Doctoring is my profession, and writing is just my hobby."

In 1886, he published "Wives" and "Happy People" , "In the Villa", "The Romance of the Cello", "A Piece of Art", "Rook" and other short stories, as well as "Anguish" (Тоска), "Fanka" (Ванька) and "Diners", "The Principal" and other series of short stories. The "Trouble" and "Fanka" in it are an ideological and artistic leap in his early creation. He no longer writes humorous stories in them. Then, he published a collection of short stories "Motley's Stories", which included the famous "Affliction" and "Fanka", especially the former, which tells the story of an old coachman who lost his son and had nowhere to talk about his depression, so he had to A story you tell your horse. This work has simple language and sincere emotions, and was later unanimously praised by many famous writers. New Zealand short story writer Katherine Mansfield once even said, "If all short stories in France were destroyed by fire and "Anguish" survived, I would not feel pity." This year, an obscure famous writer A writer named Dmitry Vasilyevich Grigorovich (Дмитрий Васильевич Григорович) discovered Chekhov's talent and wrote him a letter in which he affirmed his literary talent and encouraged Chekhov to Khov gave full play to his talent and hoped that he would cherish his talent, make his creative attitude more rigorous, and write more meaningful works (this person is called a "famous writer" for this reason). Chekhov was deeply inspired and began to take writing seriously. Later, he gradually wrote a series of masterpieces with profound thoughts. This year, he wrote more than one hundred short stories. It was also this year that his attempt at script writing finally came to fruition: "On the Dangers of Tobacco," a light-hearted comedy.

In 1887, due to overwork and poor health, Chekhov traveled to eastern Ukraine. After returning from the trip, he wrote the novella "Steppe" (Степь). It was also this year that his creative peak arrived. This year, he published excellent short stories such as "Typhoid", "Kiss", "Volodya", "Misfortune", "Wedding", "The Fugitive", and "The Helpless Man". He also published the popular comedy "Idiot" and the four-act comedy "Ivanov". Then, he published a collection of novels "In the Evening", in which he signed his real name for the first time and dedicated the collection to Dmitri Vasilyevich Grigorovich.

In 1888, he published the novella "Steppe" (Степь) in the serious literary magazine "Northern Herald" (Северный вестник). This work was well received, marking his farewell to the creation of comic novels and a sign of his maturity. He was awarded the "Pushkin Prize" by the Russian Academy of Sciences. Then, he wrote and completed another masterpiece of short stories, "Insanity".

In February 1889, "Ivanov" was performed at the Petersburg Royal Theater. He then published the novella "No Interesting Story". Then, he wrote the one-act comedy "The Proposal" and the four-act comedy "The Forest God". Already a well-known playwright, he joined the Dramatists' Guild founded by Alexander Ostrovsky.

From April to September 1890, Chekhov went alone, first by train, then by horseback and by boat, to Sakhalin Island, where political prisoners were exiled, for field investigation. The hellish tragedy on Sakhalin and the poverty of Siberian cities left a deep impression on Chekhov, which gave him a better understanding of the dark reality. He gradually changed his apolitical mentality and began to write and expose The inside story of Tsarist Russia's autocratic system, the famous novella "The Sixth Ward" (Палата №6) and the reportage "Travel to Sakhalin" are all products of this inspection. This year, he published the short stories "The Thief" and "Gusev" and created the one-act comedies "The Helpless Tragic Character" and "Marriage".

In 1891, he wrote and published the short story "Village Woman", the novella "The Duel", and the one-act comedy "Memorial Day". "The Duel" is the first nematic novel in the history of literature. Literary works that challenge Tolstoy's "Don't resist evil" view. After this year, Chekhov turned his focus to drama creation, but did not stop writing novels.

In 1892, he wrote and published "The Jumping Woman", "The Neighbor" and "The Sixth Ward" (Палата № 6). "The Sixth Ward" presents major social issues, fiercely criticizing the tyranny of the Tsar and opposing the spiritual destruction of the people. The language of the work is simple and unpretentious, the atmosphere is depressing, the writing is exquisite, but the thoughts are profound. After reading this work when he was young, Lenin "feeled extremely terrible" and felt that he "seemed to be locked up in Ward No. 6." "Sixth Ward" marked a turning point in Chekhov's creation and was a major achievement after his trip to Sakhalin.

From then on, Chekhov's short stories and short stories had a stronger social, critical and democratic spirit, and their artistry has not weakened at all. "The Sixth Ward" also adheres to the spirit of "The Duel" and makes a more violent impact on Leo Tolstoy's "Don't Resist Evil" thought. This year, he went on a trip abroad, visiting Venice, Florence, Rome, and Paris.

In 1893, he wrote and published the short stories "The Story of Anonymous" and "Big Volodya and Little Volodya". This year, he contracted tuberculosis while caring for patients (tuberculosis was almost an incurable disease at that time), so he went to Nice to recuperate.

In 1894, he wrote and published the short and medium-length novels "A Woman's World", "The Black Monk", "College Student", and the reportage "Travel to Sakhalin Island". "Travel to Sakhalin" directly points to the authoritarian rule of Tsarist Russia and the oppression of political prisoners.

In 1895, he wrote and published the short stories "Anna Hanging on the Neck", "Murder", and "White Forehead", and completed the four-act comedy "Seagull" (Чайка).

In 1896, the comedy "The Seagull" failed to premiere at the Royal Theater in Petersburg. Amid public criticism, the disappointed Chekhov once vowed never to write a script again. Next, he published the novella "My Life".

In 1897, he published the short stories "Farmers", "Bechenegs", "In Hometown", "On Carts", etc. Then, breaking his vow the previous year, he wrote "Uncle Vanya" (Дядя Ваня), a four-act play reflecting rural life scenes. "Uncle Vanya" tells the story of a blind admirer's despair for a "famous professor" and the disillusionment of a country doctor who wants to benefit future generations. The play is one of Chekhov's masterpieces and has been performed many times at the Moscow Art Theater.

In 1898, he joined the Moscow Art Theater, met Gorky, and established a deep friendship with him. The two of them often studied the development of drama and novels together, and studied how to open up new paths for the development of Russian drama. He began to have creative cooperation with Konstantin Stanislavsky, Danchenko and others, and made major reforms in stage art. He also helped Stanislavsky form his own theories of drama. This year, he completed and published the novella "Yao Neqi" (Ионыч), which gave a profound artistic presentation of the process of "people becoming mediocre". Then, he created and published a "trilogy of short stories": "Gooseberry", "The Man in the Trap" (Человек в футляре), and "Stories About the Aegean". These three novels ridiculed and criticized the vulgar phenomena and rigid ideas in society. These works embody the characteristics of Chekhov's novels: they do not pursue the attractiveness of the plot, but focus on the shaping of the characters' personalities, allowing the different personalities of the characters to form conflicts and contradictions, thereby reflecting social reality. This enables his short stories to leave readers with thoughtful and long-lasting impressions. In terms of specific description, he believed: "The more rigorous and compact it is, the more expressive and vivid it is." Therefore, Leo Tolstoy highly praised Chekhov and said: "He is like an impressionist painter. , a seemingly meaningless stroke, has produced irreplaceable artistic effects. "Gorky also said: "Russian short stories were created by Chekhov, Pushkin and Turgenev, and they are all 'unattainable'. '"

In 1898, the comedy "Seagull" (Чайка) was performed at the Moscow Art Theater and achieved unprecedented success. Later, the image of a flying seagull became the emblem of the Moscow Art Theatre. This year, he and Suvorin traveled to Western Europe. He supported Zola's righteous actions in the Dreyfus case and thus alienated Suvorin, who had opposing views. After returning home, his tuberculosis condition worsened and he moved to Yalta, where he often met with Leo Tolstoy, Gorky, Ivan Alexevich Bunin (winner of the 1933 Nobel Prize for Literature) and Kuplin and others communicated with each other. He once wanted to come to China with Gorky, but had to give up due to health reasons. Yalta became the setting for his novel "The Woman with the Dog" (1899).

In 1899, he created and published a series of famous novels such as "Baby", "New Villa", "Tolerance", "Women with Dogs", etc. In the same year, his "Uncle Vanya" ( Дядя Ваня) at the Moscow Art Theater.

In 1900, he wrote and published the four-act drama "Three Sisters" (Три сестры), as well as the short stories "At Christmas" and "In the Canyon". This year, he was elected as an honorary academician of the Russian Royal Academy of Sciences. In the same year, he met Tolstoy in Yalta.

In 1903, he completed the short stories "The Obstacle to Compensation", "The Unmarried Bride" (his last completed novel and his most optimistic novel), and A remarkable tragicomedy, The Cherry Orchard. In 1902, he published the short story "The Bishop". This year, in protest against the unreasonable decision of the Russian Royal Academy of Sciences to revoke Gorky's honorary academician title, he and Korolenko issued a statement together giving up the honorary academician title they had received in 1900.

In 1901, he met Olga Leonardovna Knibil (Ольга Леонардовна Книппер, September 21, 1868 - May 22, 1959), who played the heroine in "The Seagull" at Yalta. marry.

Olga Leonardovna Knibyl was renamed Olga Leonardovna Knibyl-Chekhova (Ольга Леонардовна Книппер -Чехова). After his marriage, Chekhov's health declined until his death three years later. This marriage was short-lived, lasting only 4 years due to Chekhov's early death, but Chekhov's wife never married after his death. In the year of his marriage, 1901, his play "Three Sisters" was performed at the Moscow Art Theater.

On January 17, 1904, "The Cherry Orchard" premiered at the Moscow Art Theater, directed by Konstantin Stanislavsky (Chekhov originally wanted it to be a comedy, But Stanislavsky turned the whole play into a tragedy except for retaining some farce elements) and was a great success. In May, he developed severe asthma. For this reason, he went to Badenweiler, Germany, for recuperation in June and developed heart failure. On July 15 (July 2 in the Russian calendar), Chekhov passed away in Badenweiler. His body was transported back to Russia and later buried in Moscow.