Mikhail Chekhov (writer)

Mikhail Chekhov (1892)

Mikhail Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: Михаил Павлович Чехов; 6 October 1865 in Taganrog – 14 November 1936 in Yalta) was a Russian writer and theater critic; the youngest brother and biographer of Anton Chekhov.

## Biography

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He graduated at the top of his class at the Taganrog Gymnasium, then attended the Second Moscow Gymnasium [ru], where he began contributing articles to humorous newspapers and magazines. From 1885 to 1890, he studied law at Moscow University.[1]

From 1890 to 1898, he was stationed as a tax collector at several locations in the Moscow region.[2] In 1891, his translation of the short story "A Rainy June" by Ouida appeared in the Bulletin of Foreign Literature. His first full book was a dictionary for farmers, published in 1894. While stationed at Uglich, he directed, designed and wrote for an amateur theater company. In 1896, he married the daughter of a local factory owner.

Two years later, he was appointed head of the Treasury Chamber (an office representing the Ministry of Finance) in Yaroslavl.[2] He often visited the theater and published reviews in the local press. Soon, he was also contributing to Theater and Art [ru] in Moscow. By 1901, he had decided that he did not like his position or his colleagues and wanted to transfer or resign.

He moved to Saint Petersburg and became manager of the book selling stalls for the railways. After publishing several stories in Novoye Vremya, he became dissatisfied with their editorial policy and established his own journal, The European Library,[2] but financial constraints prevented him from producing many issues. Over the next few years, he contributed to numerous periodicals under a variety of pseudonyms, including "Капитан Кук" (Captain Cook). In 1904, he published a collection of essays and stories, followed in 1905 by the novels, Синий чулок (Blue Stockings) and Сироты (Orphans). A story collection called Свирель (The Pipe) appeared in 1910. A second edition of his first collection earned him the Pushkin Prize.

From 1907 to 1917, he was the publisher, editor and almost sole contributor to Золотое детство (Golden Childhood), a magazine for children. In 1913, the magazine published an "anonymous" translation of Alice in Wonderland which was almost certainly the work of Chekhov. He also wrote for other children's publications under the pseudonym "М.Богемский" (M.Bohemia).[2] In 1920, some these stories were published in book form. That same year, he published ten volumes of works translated from French and English.

His biography of his brother, Anton, was begun in 1905 with a series of short memoirs in the magazine Zhurnal Dlya Vsekh. More were published in 1906 and 1907. From 1911 to 1916, he worked with their sister, Maria, on compiling and editing a six volume collection of Anton's letters. In 1923, he published Антон Чехов и его сюжеты (Anton Chekhov and his Stories), followed by Антон Чехов, театр, актёры и Татьяна Репина (Anton Chekhov: Theater, Actors and Tatiana Repina) in 1925.

Anton and Mikhail at Melikhovo

In 1926, he became ill with angina pectoris and moved to Yalta, where he worked with Maria to create a museum at Anton's home.[3] He also collected his own letters, worked as a consultant and catalogued Anton's personal library. In 1929, he became a member of the "All-Russian Union of Writers [ru]" and wrote Вокруг Чехова (On Chekhov), which became known as "Chekhov's Encyclopedia". In 1930, he published Антон Чехов на каникулах (Anton Chekhov on a Holiday).

He was awarded a state pension in 1932. Over the next few years, he worked on a genealogical study and a museum catalogue. He died in Yalta after a brief, but serious, illness.[1]

## Writings in English

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* Anton Chekhov: A Brother's Memoirs, translated by Eugene Alper, St.Martin's Press, 2009 ISBN 978-0-230-61883-1

## References

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1. ^ a b Mikhail Chekhov @ the Chekhov website.
2. ^ a b c d "Mikhail Chekhov (writer)". Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary: In 86 Volumes (82 Volumes and 4 Additional Volumes) (in Russian). St. Petersburg: F. A. Brockhaus. 1890–1907.
3. ^ "The Chekhov House in Yalta" @ Priart.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mikhail Chekhov.

* Materials about and written by Mikhail Chekhov @ ProUglich (blog)
* Вокруг Чехова: @ Lib.ru "Классика"

Authority control databases

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Academics|

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Other|

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Anton Chekhov

* Bibliography

Plays|

* Platonov (1881)
* On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco (1886, 1902)
* Swansong (1887)
* Ivanov (1887)
* The Bear (1888)
* A Tragedian in Spite of Himself (1889)
* The Wedding (1889)
* Tatiana Repina (1889)
* The Wood Demon (1889)
* A Marriage Proposal (1890)
* The Festivities (1891)
* The Seagull (1896)
* Uncle Vanya (1897)
* Three Sisters (1901)
* The Cherry Orchard (1904)

Novel|

* The Shooting Party (1884)

Novellas|

* The Steppe (1888)
* The Duel (1891)
* The Story of an Unknown Man (1893)
* Three Years (1895)
* My Life (1896)

Short stories|

| Motley Stories (1886)|

* "An Enigmatic Nature" (1883)
* "The Death of a Government Clerk" (1883)
* "Fat and Thin" (1883)
* "Surgery" (1884)
* "The Chameleon" (1884)
* "Oysters" (1884)
* "A Living Chronology" (1885)
* "Small Fry" (1885)
* "The Fish" (1885)
* "The Huntsman" (1885)
* "A Malefactor" (1885)
* "Children" (1886)
* "Misery" (1886)
* "Anyuta" (1886)
* "Ivan Matveyich" (1886)

|

In the Twilight (1887)|

* "The Requiem" (1886)
* "The Witch" (1886)
* "Agafya" (1886)
* "Easter Eve" (1886)
* "A Misfortune" (1886)
* "Home" (1887)

Stories (1888)|

* "The Privy Councillor" (1886)
* "Mire" (1886)
* "Vanka" (1886)
* "Happiness" (1887)

Gloomy People (1890)|

* "The Cattle-Dealers" (1887)
* "Sleepy" (1888)
* "A Dreary Story" (1889)
* "A Nervous Breakdown" (1889)

Ward No. 6 (1893)|

* "Gusev" (1890)
* "Peasant Wives" (1891)
* "Ward No. 6" (1892)

Novellas and
Stories (1894)|

* "The Grasshopper" (1892)
* "In Exile" (1892)
* "The Black Monk" (1894)
* "Rothschild's Violin" (1894)
* "The Student" (1894)
* "The Teacher of Literature" (1894)

Little Trilogy (1898)|

* "The Man in the Case" (1898)
* "Gooseberries" (1898)
* "About Love" (1898)

Stories (1901)|

* "Anna on the Neck" (1895)
* "Ariadne" (1895)
* "The House with the Mezzanine" (1895)
* "Peasants" (1897)
* "The Petcheneg" (1897)
* "At Home" (1897)
* "In the Cart" (1897)
* "Ionych" (1898)
* "A Doctor's Visit" (1898)
* "On Official Duty" (1899)
* "The Darling" (1899)

Other stories|

* "The Complaints Book" (1884)
* "A Horsey Name" (1885)
* "Sergeant Prishibeyev" (1885)
* "Grisha" (1886)
* "A Gentleman Friend" (1886)
* "The Chorus Girl" (1886)
* "Shrove Tuesday" (1886)
* "First Aid" (1887)
* "The Runaway" (1887)
* "The Siren" (1887)
* "Boys" (1887)
* "Kashtanka" (1887)
* "A Story Without a Title" (1888)
* "The Bet" (1889)
* "Whitebrow" (1895)
* "The Lady with the Dog" (1899)
* "At Christmas Time" (1900)
* "In the Ravine" (1900)
* "The Bishop" (1902)
* "Betrothed" (1903)

Non-fiction|

Sakhalin Island (1893–1895)

Related|

* Olga Knipper (wife)
* Maria Chekhova (sister)
* Mikhail Chekhov (brother)
* Osip Dymov (character)
* Birth house and museum
* Chekov Shop, home and museum
* Melikhovo, home and museum
* White Dacha, home and museum
* Chekhov Gymnasium and museum
* Chekhov Library
* Bust, Taganrog
* Statue, Taganrog
* Statue, Rostov-on-Don
* Chekhov's gun
* Show, don't tell
* Fragments
* Wild Honey

* Category

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