My favourite
writer is Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. In my opinion, he is the
greatest Russian dramatist and short-story writer.
Chekhov was born in 1860 in Taganrog. In 1879 he went
to Moscow, where he studied medicine.
While in a college, Chekhov wrote humorous sketches
for comic papers to support his family.
In 1887 Ivanov, his first play, established Chekhov as
a dramatist. From then on, he concentrated on writing plays, as well as short
stories.
Chekhov was seriously ill. He had tuberculosis and
knew what it meant. By 1892 his health was so bad that he was afraid to spend
another winter in Moscow. He bought a small estate near a village Melikhovo, 50
miles from Moscow.
He spent 5 years there, and those were happy years in
spite of the illness. He wrote some of his best stories there, including The
Seagull and Uncle Vanya.
The Seagull was successfully performed as the first
production of the Moscow Art Theatre in 1898. From then on, Chekhov was closely
connected with this theatre and with its founder, K.S.Stanislavsky. In 1901 he
married an Art Theatre actress, Olga Knipper, who acted in his play The Three
Sisters the same year.
Chekhov`s health went from bad to worse and he had to
spend the remaining years in the Crimea. The Cherry Orchard, his last play, was
produced in 1904. Soon after the first night Chekhov died. He was 44.
Chekhov had an influence on the 20-th century drama.
Besides, several generations of writers both in Russia and abroad studied and
imitated Chekhov to perfect their own literary style.