Anton Chekhov

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (?????? ????????? ??????) (29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) (Old Style: 17 January 1860 – 2 July 1904) was a major Russian playwright and perhaps the foremost modern writer of the short story.

Influence

Though already celebrated by the Russian literary public at the time of his death, Chekhov did not become internationally famous until the years after World War I, by which time the translations of Constance Garnett (into English language). Yet his elusive, superficially guileless style of writing, in which what is left unsaid often is much more important than what is said, has defied effective analysis by literary critics, as well as effective imitation by creative writers.

Related Topics:
Russia - World War I - Constance Garnett - English language

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Chekhov's plays were immensely popular in England in the 1920s and have become classics of the British stage. In the United States his fame came somewhat later, through the influence of Stanislavsky's technique for achieving realistic acting. American playwrights such as Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Clifford Odets have used Chekhovian techniques, and few important writers of plays in the 20th century can have escaped Chekhov's influence entirely: for example, the work by British playwright Michael Frayn is often compared to that of Chekhov for its focus on humorous family situations and its insights into society.

Related Topics:
England - 1920s - British - United States - Playwright - Tennessee Williams - Arthur Miller - Michael Frayn

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Many writers of prose, particularly of short stories, have also been influenced by Chekhov, such as Katherine Mansfield. John Cheever has been called "the Chekhov of the suburbs" for his ability to capture the drama and sadness of the lives of his characters by revealing the undercurrents of apparently insignificant events. American writer Raymond Carver was also frequently compared to Chekhov, because of his minimalistic prose style, and tendency to meditate upon the humor and tragedy in the everyday lives of working class people.

Related Topics:
Katherine Mansfield - John Cheever - Raymond Carver

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Master of the short story, the British author Victor Sawdon Pritchett's short stories are prized for their craftsmanship and comic irony similar to that of Chekhov.

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The continuously growing list of films and theater productions based on Chekhov's stories and plays includes Emil Loteanu's My Tender and Affectionate Beast (1978, see {{imdb title|id=|title=??? ???????? ? ?????? ?????}}), Nikita Mikhalkov and Marcello Mastroianni's Dark Eyes (1987), Louis Malle's Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), Anthony Hopkins's August (1996), Lanford Wilson's The Three Sisters (1997), among many others.

Related Topics:
Emil Loteanu - Nikita Mikhalkov - Marcello Mastroianni - Louis Malle - Anthony Hopkins - Lanford Wilson

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