Anton Chekov, best known for looking old and writing plays, died young, having written over a thousand short stories. He was a doctor and a philanthropist. He raised his father's family. His daily correspondence is good literature. He married for love. He married late. He hated lies and told the truth. And he loved to laugh.
Chekhov Chronology
| 1860 | Born in Taganrog, an inlet to an inlet to the Black Sea |
| 1873 | Begins writing. A lot. |
| 1874-1904 | Writes over a thousand short stories and a couple of plays |
| 1881-97 | Unpopular dashing photos taken |
| 1884 | Finishes medical school |
| 1885-86 | Gains national notoriety as a short story writer |
| 1886 | "The Witch" |
| "The Skit" | |
| 1887 | Ivanov |
| Swan Song | |
| 1888 | First clear signs of tuberculosis appear |
| 1889 | Brother Nikolai dies of tuberculosis |
| "A Boring Story" | |
| 1890 | Journey to the prison island of Sakhalin to document conditions there |
| 1893-94 | The Island of Sakhalin |
| 1895-96 | The Seagull |
| 1897 | Uncle Vanya |
| Near-fatal lung hemorrhage | |
| 1898 | Sees Olga Knipper onstage playing Irina in an Alexei Tolstoy verse drama. Writes: "Were I to stay in Moscow, I would fall in love with this Irina." |
| Supports Zola over the Dreyfus Case | |
| Gains national notoriety as a playwright | |
| 1899 | Receives the Order of St. Stanislav for his zeal on behalf of national education |
| 1899-1904 | Popular disease-ridden photos taken |
| 1900 | Three Sisters |
| 1901 | Marries Olga Knipper in Moscow |
| Founds sanatorium for tuberculosis patients in Yalta | |
| 1902 | On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco |
| 1902-03 | The Cherry Orchard |
| 1904 | Ill-timed European vacation |
| Dies of tuberculosis in German health spa | |
| 1904-2007 | Gains international notoriety as a playwright |
| 2008 | First Twin Cities Chekhov Festival at the Bryant-Lake Bowl, Minneapolis, Minnesota |