Anton Chekhov was born in the Russian seaport town of Taganrog, near the Black Sea, on January 29, 1860. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov began writing comic short stories to support himself and his mother, sisters, and brothers during his days as a medical student at the University of Moscow. He graduated in 1884 and practiced medicine until 1892. His work as an author and playwright combined the dispassionate scientific attitude of a doctor with the sensitivity of an artist.
Chekhov won the Pushkin Prize and is known for capturing the irony, tragedy, and comedy of life in his five major plays, Ivanov, The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard.
