Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich

Anton Chekhov (1860 - 1904) was a Russian playwright and author of short stories.  He worked as a doctor most of his life.  He was an early pioneer of the stream of consciousness technique.  After his father was declared bankrupt and fled to Moscow, Chekhov remained behind and wrote for newspapers to fund his education and support his family.  Besides making major advances in drama and fiction, he was also active in persuading the government to treat convicts more humanely. ;

Russian dramatist and short story writer, Chekhov brought both the short story and the drama to new eminence in Russia and eventually in the Western world. He is regarded as the outstanding representative of the late 19th-century Russian realist school.;