Born in New York City in 1927, Robert Brustein is one of the country's preeminent drama critics. In 1901, he married the actress Olga Knipper. But in 1898, the play was revived at the Moscow Art Theater and proved a resounding success, as did the Theater's productions of The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. The first production of his famous play The Sea Gull (1896) was a miserable failure. In the years following, he produced his first serious full-length play, Ivanov (1887), as well as a steady stream of short stories. This and the publication of the long story The Steppe marked the beginning of Chekhov's recognition as one of Russia's leading writers. In 1888, he was awarded the Pushkin Prize for the collection In the Twilight. That same year, he made the acquaintance of Alexei Suvorin, owner of the newspaper New Time, who invited him to contribute longer tales at a higher rate.
His literary reputation grew with the publication of the book Motley Stories (1886). By the time he took his medical degree in 1884, writing had become his main interest and occupation. To help with the family finances, he started publishing tales, anecdotes, jokes, and articles. After finishing school in his native town, Chekhov went to Moscow, where, with the aid of a scholarship, he entered the University to study medicine. At sixteen, he was left to fend for himself while his father fled with the rest of the family to Moscow, escaping debtors' prison. Because of his adherence to realism, the playwright has been called an "incomparable artist of life."* "What makes his work great is that it can be felt and understood not only by any Russian but by anybody in the world."-*Leo Tolstoy With a Foreword by Robert Brustein and an Afterword by Rosamund BartlettĪbout the Author Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) was born in Taganrog, Russia, on the Sea of Azov, the son of a small shopkeeper and the grandson of a serf.
This principle sets his plays apart from the rest, steering them clear of melodrama, and draws the audience into the lives of Chekhov's colorful characters. "For instance, people are having a meal, just having a meal, but at the same time, their happiness is being created, or their lives are being smashed up." So it is that his plays express life through subtle construction, everyday dialogue, and an electrically charged atmosphere in which even the most casual words and actions assume great importance in his characters' lives.
The Major Plays Ivanov * The Sea Gull * Uncle Vanya * The Three Sisters * The Cherry Orchard "Let the things that happen onstage be just as complex and yet just as simple as they are in life," Chekhov once declared. This collection includes "Ivanov, The Sea Gull, Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters," and "The Cherry Orchard." Revised reissue. About the Book Chekhov's plays express life through subtle construction, everyday dialogue, and an electrically charged atmosphere.
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