A brief chronicle of life and work of Chekhov

Today we will talk about Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - about his life. And Chekhov’s work will be presented in our article. Let's start with a short biography, and then tell you about everything in more detail.

A brief chronicle of the life and work of A.P. Chekhov

• Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born on January 17 (29), 1860 in Taganrog. The family of his parents is Chekhov Pavel Georgievich (merchant) and Evgenia Yakovlevna.
• The period from 1876 to 1878 is the time of the first literary experiments of the writer.
• Studying at Moscow University, at the Faculty of Medicine, took place in 1879-1884.
• In 1880, the first works of the writer were published, and they also worked in various comic magazines: Alarm Clock, Shards, Dragonfly.
• In 1890, Chekhov went to Sakhalin Island.
• He began to collaborate in 1898 with the Moscow Art Theater, where the premiere of the play "The Seagull" took place at the same time.
• Marriage to Knipper O. L. - 1901.
• 1903-1904 - On the stage of the Art Theater, a play entitled "The Cherry Orchard" was first staged.
• In 1904, on July 2 (15), the writer died in Badenweiler, in a German resort.

So, we briefly described Chekhov's life and work. A table that can be compiled from this chronicle will help you better understand the information if you need to remember the main dates associated with the personality of Anton Pavlovich.

If you need a deeper knowledge of the biography, a fairly detailed sketch of Chekhov’s life and work will help you, which we have compiled and are now bringing to your attention.

At the parents house

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich was born in Taganrog. His grandfather was serf by origin, but he bought the will for himself and his family and after that served as the estate manager (some features of his image are reflected in the character of Firs from the Cherry Orchard). Anton Pavlovich’s father owned a grocery store, but was notable for his inability to conduct business, impracticality. His character combined a lot: the artistic talent transmitted to children (Pavel Georgievich drew well, was also fond of music, played the violin, loved church singing) with power and despotism towards relatives and friends. Chekhov, recalling his childhood, wrote to Alexander, his elder brother, in 1883 that childhood was poisoned by horrors. Family despotism and punishment in Chekhov developed aversion to violence and injustice, a desire for independence, a heightened sense of dignity.

Independence in life

Both Chekhov's work and life early became independent. In his family, children quickly became independent. Sons helped in trade, from an early age working in a shop. Therefore, from a young age, Anton Pavlovich was immersed in the household environment: he cleaned the apartment, went to the bazaar, carried water, washed his own collars for uniforms, filled the lamps with kerosene.

But in his life there was another thing: fishing and home performances and skits that Anton Pavlovich himself invented and played with his brothers. The family was brought into the family by a mother who was a rational, sincere and kind woman.

The world of nature in the life and work of Chekhov

Since childhood, Anton Pavlovich fell in love with the natural world, leaving a deep mark in his soul, awakening the thirst for life. And Chekhov’s work reflects this. In his stories we will find descriptions of the steppe, the Taganrog Bay ("Steppe", "On Christmas night", etc.). This writer very keenly felt the connection with nature throughout his life and showed in works its deep influence on human life. In Chekhov’s creations, nature is humanized: animals, flowers, trees think and feel like people (“Fear”, “White-faced”, “Kashtanka”, “Agafya”).

Schooling

The older brothers still managed to find a time when the family was prosperous: a French teacher visited the house, after which he was replaced by Madame. For Nikolai, the brother of the future writer, music teachers were also invited.

When Anton Pavlovich grew up, the financial situation of the family worsened, so he managed to get only a gymnasium education. However, Chekhov’s studies at the gymnasium were not of particular interest. This institution was typical for that time. About him, you can make a more or less true idea of ​​Chekhov's story entitled "The Man in the Case."

In the gymnasium, science was well conducted, there was a telescope, the latest appliances in the classrooms. Anton in the classes according to the Law of God became the favorite student of Pokrovsky Fyodor Platonovich. He was an interesting, extraordinary person who early noticed a future writer of humorous talent and gave him the nickname Chekhont, which later became Chekhov's pseudonym. Thus, he played a role in his life. And Chekhov’s work took shape not without the participation of this interesting person. However, the spirit that prevailed in this educational institution was mainly distinguished by formalism and treasury. The spiritual formation of the future writer was greatly influenced by books and theater. It showed an early love for dramatic art: at the age of 13, the future writer was already a regular visitor to the Taganrog Theater.

His first literary experiments also belonged to this period, now known only by the names created by Chekhov at that time. Life and creativity, in short, were marked at this time by some important events. We have already presented the basic facts of the biography, and as for creativity, we note the following. As a gymnasium student, he published the magazine “Zayka”, wrote the comedies “No wonder the chicken sang” and “Found a scythe on a stone”, as well as the drama “Fatherless”.

The ruin of the Chekhov family

In 1876, Anton Pavlovich's father went bankrupt, was forced to leave for Moscow with his family. Anton was left alone in Taganrog at the age of 16, as he had to graduate from high school. He began to earn private lessons, even sent remittances to his family. These difficult years, a life full of loneliness, trials and hardships, contributed to the early growing up of such a writer as Chekhov. The life and work (briefly described) of the subsequent period are marked by the following main events.

Chekhov - a student at Moscow University

After passing the final exams in 1879, Chekhov went to Moscow. Here he was enrolled in Moscow University, at the Faculty of Medicine. From the first year, Chekhov began to work in various magazines and published. For the family, his literary earnings became almost the only financial source. Chekhov becomes the head of the family and its breadwinner.

First published works

His first published works (parodies) were published in the journal Dragonfly. Chekhov, choosing the literary path, is published both in humorous and serious genres. However, in the early work the first prevail. Under various pseudonyms (My brother’s brother, A man without a spleen, Antos Chekhonte), he is published in the humorous magazines "Shards", "Dragonfly", "Alarm Clock", "Spectator". The main genres in which the humorous press of that time existed were various "little things" that were created according to certain canons: comic aphorisms, comic calendars, picture captions, anecdotes, dictionaries, comic announcements, manuals, etc. Chekhov soon mastered them and felt that he was cramped in them.

Satirical and humorous stories

In 1882-1883, such stories were published as "The Death of an Official", "Fat and Thin", "Daughter of Albion." At that time, many works were written in the form of a sketch, that is, a short humorous story, the comic of which is to convey the conversations of the heroes. Chekhov raised this genre to the level of serious literature. Among the artistic features of Chekhov’s scenes, the following can be distinguished: simple names, a minimum of explanations and descriptions (“Burbot”, “Guest”, “Help”, “In the bathhouse”), speaking surnames (actor Dikobrazov, General Zapupyrin, overseer Ochumelov, master Khryukin) , as well as funny conversational speech of the characters.

New keys in the work of Chekhov

The themes of later creations are already present in the first Chekhov's stories: the author laughs at the absurdity of the behavior and thinking of people, their empty claims. Over time, new tones appear in the works. Humor still dominates in creativity, but it acquires some new shades, a new sound - sad, lyrical. You can see the movement from mockery to analysis, and from funny characters to contradictory, complex. Mask images are replaced by individual characters. In the stories relating to the period 1883-1886 ("Art", "Trouble", "Longing", "Huntsman"), the future Chekhov is already visible.

Making Chekhov's story

Chekhov’s life and work continues. A brief summary of them in the period from 1884 to 1888 can be given as follows. In 1884, after completing his studies at the university, Chekhov worked in Zvenigorod, Voskresensk. He is also a correspondent for the Moscow publication, Oskolkov. In the period from 1884 to 1888, he created many works - more than 350. The Chekhov story at this time takes shape as an original and new phenomenon of Russian literature. Chekhov in this small genre managed to accommodate a huge psychological and socio-philosophical content. Amazingly capacious in him this form.

The flowering of Anton Pavlovich’s talent in the story genre

By the period of the 1880-1890s, the type of hero is finally determined (average, ordinary, often "small" person). The object of the image is everyday life. This time is considered the heyday of Chekhov's talent. New collections are being created. In 1886 - "Colorful stories", in 1887 - "Innocent speeches" and "At dusk", in 1888 - "Stories", in 1890 - "Gloomy people". The writer was awarded the Pushkin Prize for a collection entitled "At Dusk." In the fall of 1887, he wrote the comedy "Ivanov", after which they performed "Jubilee", "Wedding", "Proposal" and "Bear", which were staged in professional theaters.

Chekhov leaves for Sakhalin Island

A trip to Sakhalin changed the life and work of Chekhov. Briefly describe the main events of that time. Chekhov went to this island to be close to convicts. Here he did a census in three months, talked with different people. Chekhov, as a citizen and artist, decided to show people the harsh truth. The result of the trip was the book Sakhalin Island, published in 1894.

Artworks written in the 90s

After that, he began to relate to the phenomena of domestic reality more sharply. The first of the major works written after the trip was the novel entitled “The Duel” (published in 1891), as well as “Chamber No. 6” - a story published in 1892.

In the 90s, Chekhov writes about misconceptions, illusions, insolvency of various life programs (Rothschild's Violin, Jumpers, and Literature Teacher). At this time, such stories as "About Love", "Gooseberry", "A Man in a Case", "Ionych" were also created.

Since the spring of 1892, the writer has settled in Melikhovo, an estate near Moscow, engaged in charitable social activities, treats peasants, builds schools, and a first-aid post. His life is changing. P. Chekhov, whose life, whose work is interconnected, creates on the basis of his impressions the works “In the Gully,” “New Cottage”, “On the Wagon,” “Men.”

Drama by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

The first play with which Chekhov's drama began was The Seagull. It was staged at the Alexandria Theater in 1896. However, the idea of ​​success was not. The reason is Chekhov's incomprehensible innovation by many. After 2 years in the production of the Art Theater, it caused a sensation. After "The Seagull" appeared the play "Uncle Vanya" (in 1899), also played with great success. In the latest works (“Three Sisters” and “The Cherry Orchard” - 1901 and 1903, respectively), the author’s dramatic principles were fully embodied.

last years of life

In 1897, Chekhov was forced to go to a tuberculosis clinic, and then spend the winter of 1897-1898 in Nice. At the insistence of doctors, he went to Yalta in September 1898, where he lived all winter. In recent years, the writer has been preparing the collected works, which appeared in print in two editions (1899-1902 and 1903).

In 1901, the writer married Knipper Olga Leonardovna, an actress.

Gradually, his health was deteriorating, doctors insisted on sending to Germany, to Badenweiler. The writer went here with his wife. July 2 (15), 1904 was the last day of his life.

And the work of Chekhov, and his social activities, and various facts from the biography show us that he was a man of high spiritual ideals and moral values. Thanks to people like him, our world is getting a little better. A chronicle of the life and work of Chekhov was presented in this article. We will be glad if she prompted you to continue acquaintance with this wonderful writer. Chekhov’s life and work, his biography is very instructive and interesting. In this article, unfortunately, it is impossible to tell about all the details.