Write the introduction to Anton Chekhov.

Ans.

ANTON PAVLOVICH CHEKHOV

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (January 29, 1860-July 15, 1904) was a Russian physician and supreme short story writer and playwright. He was the third of the six children. His father was a grocer, painter, and religious fanatic with a mercurial temperament who thrashed his children and was likely emotionally abusive to his wife. Chekhov, like Dickens, was no stranger to financial hardships and in 1875 his father took the family and fled to Moscow to escape creditors. Chekhov stayed behind for three more years to finish school. He paid for his tuition by catching and selling goldfinches and dispensing private tutoring lessons, and selling short sketches to the newspaper. He sent any money he could spare to his family in Moscow. Chekhov is considered an exemplar author in the genre of Realism. A child-family separation theme plays out in several of Chekhov stories including Vanka, The Slape, and Sleepy.

In 1879 Chekhov was admitted to medical school and he joined his family in Moscow. He assumed financial responsibility for the family and while attending classes at Moscow State University, he wrote and sold a large number of humorous stories and vignettes of contemporary Russian life. He published more than four hundred short stories, sketches and vignettes by the age of twenty six.

Some consider Chekhov to be the founder of the modern short story and his influence is observed in a diverse group of writes including Flannery O’Connor, Tennessee Williams, William Somerset Maugham. Raymond Carver and John Cheever. Most of the English speaking world knows him as a playwright, particularly for the Sea-gulf, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard.

Some popular starting points for short story readers include Ward No. 6, The Darling and Gusev. The Huntsman and The Lady with the Little Dog. A Dreary Story is an excellent work. Due to its length, it has been classified here as a book. It is also well known under the alternative title A Boring Story which is the title listed in the short story section under that name. Anton Chekhov himself was personally fond of his short story. The Student. Chekhov died in 1904.