Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov

Anton P Chekhov, was born on January 29, 1860 in Taganrog, a port on the Sea of Azov in southern Russia. He was the third of six children. During his childhood, Anton worked very hard, trying to help keep his as far from poverty as he could. Although his family was poor-stricken, Anton worked cheerfully in the grocery shop his father, Pavel Yegorovich Chekhov, ran. However, during his spare time, mostly in the summer, he liked to go to his grandfathers estate, which he recently became the manager of. Here, Anton loved fishing in the river, and roaming the countryside. He grew a love for nature and all it's mysteries, this remained with him for the rest of his life.

To the Chekhov family, education was very important, so when Anton's father decided to leave Taganrog to start a new in Moscow, Anton was left behind to continue his education. He was fourteen at the time. With his newly acquired freedom of not having to work in the shop anymore, Anton had plenty of time to study, and focus on his schooling. After he graduated from high school at Taganrog, Anton decided to rejoin his family by attending the University of Moscow. He had now decided to pursue a career in medicine, hoping to make enough money to support his struggling family.

Anton's undiscovered talent as a writer began as he started writing short stories during his days in medical school. As he now felt responsible for his entire family, he started to publish his stories in local papers. This helped him give money to his family and also help him pay his tuition fees. He usually signed his work under "Antosha Chekhonte," possibly to keep his identity confidential if his writings were to fail. After graduating in 1884 from the University of Moscow with a degree in medicine, he began to freelance as a journalist and writer. Doing mostly comedic pieces. His daily writings soon earned him a reputation which was recognized by Nikoliai Leikin, a leading publisher of this time.

In 1884, Chekhov qualified as a physician, a job he considered to be his profession. Although he didn't make much money at it, for most of his patients were very poor, and coming from a family with very little money, he treated them for free. In late 1884, Chekhov found himself coughing up blood, the first sign of Tuberculosis. By 1886 his condition got worse. Still, he would not show his friends and family, what he considered to be a weakness, Tuberculosis.

Anton loved medicine, and loved helping people get past sickness and physical pain, but he began to grow frightened that his on growing disease may start to affect his colleagues and patients. Soon enough, Anton had to make the decision to work less in the medical field until he recovered, and focus more on his writing. Submitting weekly stories, Anton made enough money to move his family into much better accommodations.

In 1886, Chekhov was invited to write for one of the most popular papers in St. Petersburg. It was owned and edited by millionaire, Alex Suvorin. Fortunately for Chekhov, not only did Suvorin pay him double the rate per line as Leikin's, but also allowed him three times the writing space. Suvorin and Chekhov became