Учебное пособие 1434

DOI 10.36622/MLMDR.2021.32.1.008

UDC 82.09

ON THE QUESTION OF THE LIFE AND WORK OF A. P. CHEKHOV

A.A. Semghoun

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University of Oran 2

Postgraduate student, teacher of Russian language Amina Abdelkaderovna Semghoun

e-mail: lingvamina@mail.ru

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Statement of the problem. The article is devoted to the description of the biography and an overview of the creative path of the classic of Russian literature - the outstanding Russian writer of the XIX - early XX centuries Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. The relevance of this article is beyond doubt, since acquaintance with the work, biography and personality of the writer A.P. Chekhov is an integral part of the educational process in the study of Russian literature.

Results. The author carried out a serious work on the systematization of biographical data indicating various aspects of A.P. Chekhov's life: his family, studies, work, social activities, health status, travel, acquaintances, friendship, love, creativity. All biographical events of the writer's life are given in strict chronological order, consistently covering the stages of the life and work of A.P. Chekhov.

Conclusion. In the article, the author gives a brief generalized description of the writer's works and notes the topicality of the problems raised in them.

Keywords: Chekhov, biography, biographical data, Russian language, Russian literature.

For citation: Semghoun A.A. On the question of the life and work of A. P. Chekhov / A.A. Semghoun // Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-didactic Researches”. – 2021. - № 1 (32). – P. 74-84.

Introduction.

Studying Russian classical literature of the XIX-XX centuries, it is impossible not to pay attention to the work of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. Meanwhile, not many people know what the author was like during his lifetime. The aim of this article is to reveal the linguistic personality of the writer, to highlight his extraordinary biography, to generalize his literary heritage, acquaintance with which allows you to better understand Russian classical literature and the culture of Russia in general of the XIX-XX centuries.

Methodology of the research.

In this article, the object of research is the life and work of A. P. Chekhov as a biography for foreign students at the Algerian University.

The subject of the study is to check the unresolved problems of the writer's biography, the style and features of his work, the textual study of his literary heritage.

The material of the study was the works of art [1*] and the letters of the writer [2*].

The observation and comparison methods of analysis were used in the work as research methods.

Results of the research.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born in 1860 in the primorsky district city of Taganrog, Ekaterinoslav province (now Rostov region), located in a picturesque bay of the Sea of Azov in the European south of Russia. At birth, Anton became the third son of a couple of middle-class merchant Pavel Yegorovich and Yevgenia Yakovlevna Chekhov. Later, the family will have

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© Semghoun A.A., 2021

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two more sons and a daughter. From early childhood, Anton grew up as a smart boy, who was easily given to learning. Even before school, at home, he learned to read and write in a beautiful handwriting.

As a merchant, Pavel Yegorovich owned a small grocery store on one of the busiest streets of Taganrog. But, despite the convenient location, the store did not bring much income, since trading was for him a business that he did only out of necessity to support his large family. Pavel Yegorovich showed real enthusiasm and genuine effort only in relation to church services and public affairs, guided in his life by one postulate: "You need to give your hands a job, and your soul to God." Pavel Yegorovich brought up his sons in great strictness, his word was always the main and decisive thing in the family, corporal punishment was often used for wrongdoing or disobedience, so the children could not even think of disobeying a despotic parent. When the boys were a little older, the father decided to introduce them not only to work in the store, but also to participate in the daily church services, where the children were not only to listen to sermons and pray, but also to serve at the altar and sing in the choirs. All this work took a lot of time and effort, often the children went to bed only at midnight, and at seven they had to get up and go to school in the gymnasium. Perhaps a strict father would have considered work and prayer even more important than school, but the mother categorically insisted that all their children receive a good education. At the family council, it was decided that in addition to classes in the gymnasium, each of them will take music and French lessons. In addition, the father considered it necessary to teach the boys some kind of craft, in particular, for Anton, he chose to study tailoring.

If we talk about Chekhov's father, it is worth mentioning that he was a very gifted person: he had an excellent musical ear and voice, played several musical instruments, was fond of painting, and had undoubted literary abilities. All the children in the Chekhov family fully inherited numerous extraordinary abilities and talents of their parent.

In contrast to her domineering father, her mother, Yevgenia Yakovlevna, had a gentle and gentle disposition, was an excellent hostess, an exemplary wife and mother. She was distinguished by a reverent and attentive attitude to nature, to all living things. She gave all these spiritual qualities to her children. Under the influence of her upbringing, they all grew up to be sympathetic, sympathetic and deeply moral people. As an adult, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov will say that "the talent in us is on the father's side, and the soul is on the mother's side" [2*]

Faced with serious financial difficulties in 1876, Chekhov's father decided to change his place of residence and moved the family to Moscow. In Taganrog, only young Anton remained, who needed to finish his studies at the gymnasium. Left without parental care, Anton was forced to earn his own living by giving private lessons in various sciences to the children of wealthy citizens. At this time, family members who found it very difficult to settle in the capital often write letters to him asking for financial assistance. Therefore, the young Chekhov tries to earn as much as possible so that he can send money to his family.

Finally, in 1879, he moved to his family in Moscow, where he immediately successfully passed the entrance tests and began studying at the medical faculty of Moscow University.

It was here, in Moscow, that Anton Pavlovich's literary activity began. The first works of Chekhov are short stories in the genre of feuilleton. From his pen appear both ironic works ("Letter to a learned neighbor", "Mysterious Nature", "Unter Prishibeev", "The Groom", etc.), and heartfelt dramatic ("Roly", "Tosca", "Anyuta", etc.) [3*]

Analyzing the early work of the writer, we can partially recreate and reconstruct the inner world of the young Chekhov, see behind him not only the author, but also a caring citizen, with his sharpened sense of justice, piercing compassion and empathy for the simple, poor, deprived people who do not have any ranks or titles, or any protection before the "powerful of this world". It is the imperfection of the surrounding Russian reality of that era and its key trends that become the main source of ideas for Chekhov's works. And his simple origin "from the people" and strict upbringing in his childhood years probably served as the basis for the writer's

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commitment to brevity, specificity, simplicity and wide use of colloquial speech in his work. At the same time, there is no pronounced author's assessment of the events described in Chekhov's stories, and the main connotative feature of the language units [1**, p. 608] of his works is associativity, acting as the main conductor of the writer's idea.

Chekhov's stories of this period are small in volume, but capacious in semantic depth. His ironic stories, at first glance, seem funny, however, if the reader thinks a little about the meaning of what he has read, he will certainly understand that the author wants to expose the vices and shortcomings inherent in many people, but at the same time are unworthy of a person through a humorous depiction of situations. Among the human vices revealed by the author, the attentive reader will see greed, arrogance, sycophancy, hypocrisy, deceit, sycophancy. Inviting readers to laugh at the heroes of his stories, Chekhov simultaneously makes them think and see the possible presence of the revealed vices in themselves.

The author's heartfelt dramatic stories encourage readers to turn to the best qualities of their own soul, evoking feelings of pity and compassion for the hard fates of the characters.

There is nothing surprising in the fact that in a short time Chekhov's works are beginning to be popular among readers. First, his works are passed from hand to hand among the many friends and acquaintances of the novice writer, read at closed evenings among literary lovers in Moscow. And in 1880, the publisher of the metropolitan magazine "Dragonfly" became interested in the work of the young Chekhov, placing his work in his printed edition. Since then, the talented author was noticed, and many Russian literary publishers of that time offered cooperation. Chekhov works hard and fruitfully, and four years later, in 1984, his first book of theatrical short stories, The Tales of Melpomene, was published [4*].

Like many aspiring authors, the young writer comes up with various pseudonyms that he signs his literary works with. Having an excellent sense of humor, Chekhov even gave the pseudonyms he used, to some extent, an ironic character-Antosha Chehonte, A Man without a spleen.

"It is interesting to note that he decided to connect his life with medicine. Chekhov himself wrote that he did not remember why he chose medicine. The author paid great attention to both medical activities and writing. At the medical faculty of the Moscow University, where he entered to study, he had such a passion, he began to write funny stories. No one has been able to use expressive means in such a small volume, so economically, accurately and clearly, in order to contain deep content" [1, p. 174].

Active literary activity did not serve as an obstacle for Chekhov to start practicing medicine. Immediately after graduating from the university, he worked as a district doctor, first in the small town of Voskresensk (now the city of Istra), and later in Zvenigorod, holding the position of head of the local hospital there. Working as a doctor allowed Chekhov to come into close contact with a large number of people with different destinies and characters, many of whom served as the talented author of the prototypes of the heroes of his numerous works. The themes of medical practice can be traced in one way or another in such stories as "Ward No. 6" [3*], "Belated Flowers", "At the patient's bedside", "At the autopsy" [5*] and many others. Works of medical subjects introduce readers to some of the features and difficulties of the work of doctors, histories of diseases, treatment, and deaths of patients [2, p. 432].

Chekhov had an unsurpassed talent for using everything experienced and deeply felt in medical practice in his literary work. Describing the life, suffering and experiences of people, their behavior in various difficult life situations, sometimes on the verge of life and death, he did it so vividly and truthfully that readers involuntarily admire the author's knowledge of the behavioral psychology of people, his ability to make correct social generalizations and conclusions, to highlight and show actions and actions that discredit a person.

The main distinguishing feature of these works is the numerous use of special medical terminology by the author: anatomical terms, names of diseases and medicines, Latinisms,

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which create a special vividness and authenticity in Chekhov's stories, giving the narrative itself a special expressiveness and originality [3, pp. 84-89].

But whatever Chekhov wrote about, the main theme of his works always remained the life of ordinary ordinary people, with all their inherent aspirations and hopes, fears and aspirations, advantages and disadvantages. To emphasize the diversity of the described life stories and acting characters, the author combined them in a collection with a "talking" title -"Colorful Stories" [6*].

By the beginning of 1885, Chekhov's work was becoming increasingly popular, and he was beginning to be recognized as a writer in literary circles. Nevertheless, the family of the writer was still quite straitened in means and could only dream of purchasing a country house in the Moscow region. Knowing this, close friends kindly invite Chekhov and his family to stay in their spacious country estate in the village of Babkino. Anton Pavlovich accepted this invitation with pleasure, because he loved the beauty of Russian nature so much, and always wanted to live and work outside the city, away from the city bustle. Here Chekhov became close friends with the remarkable Russian artist, the unsurpassed master of the "mood landscape" Isaac Ilyich Levitan. Evenings at the Babkino estate were spent in warm, friendly conversations about the beautiful, about music and art, which, together with the beautiful nature and clean air, had the most pleasant effect on the work of the young writer, allowing him to work hard and fruitfully. The Chekhov family spent more than a year in the hospitable estate, and after returning to Moscow, Anton Pavlovich receives an unexpected invitation to cooperate with the St. Petersburg newspaper Novoe Vremya from one of the most influential publishers in literary circles of that time, Alexey Suvorin. With the beginning of regular cooperation with this newspaper, Chekhov comes to the decision without any hesitation to sign his works with his own name, refusing to use numerous pseudonyms.

In the same period of time, the young writer, who was fond of the theater since high school, tries his hand at drama, starting to write plays. The first play of the author "Ivanov" [7*] was written in 1887 by order of Fyodor Adamovich Korsh, a well-known among the Moscow public at that time, the owner of the theater in Bogoslovsky Lane, who had a special weakness for comedies with a dramatic touch. As soon as Chekhov completed his manuscript, director N. N. Solovtsov began to stage the play, and in the same year, at the Moscow Russian Drama Theater Korsha, its premiere took place. The reaction of the audience to the first Chekhov premiere could not be called enthusiastic, but we can definitely say that it did not go unnoticed, attracted by its novelty, caused a lot of controversy, which in itself gives the right to believe that the production was a certain success. This premiere was a new milestone in the work of Anton Pavlovich, marking the beginning of his dramatic activity. Later, the stage of the Korsch Theater will more than once become a place for staging Chekhov's plays and vaudevilles.

Chekhov's dramaturgy is characterized by realism and symbolic naturalism [2**, p. 389], a certain stretch of the plot and a lack of bright pathos scenes. The theatrical conflict in his plays is not played out by the actors on the stage, but lies much deeper, in the very essence of what is happening, revealing itself to the viewer through details and symbols, monologues and experiences of the characters, which was definitely an innovation that was not peculiar to the classical drama of that time. Through dramatic works, Chekhov's multi-faceted and complex personality is most clearly manifested, and we already see behind them a tired, thoughtful man with a great sense of duty to his family, literature and the fatherland. Chekhov's growth as a writer was mainly due to the processes of his personal growth and self-development, the determination of his own moral and ethical principles and ideals. At the same time, the works of this period still clearly show Chekhov's desire for objectivity and deep respect for his readers, to whom the author kindly gives the opportunity to make his own conclusions and judgments, does not impose his own vision, but only indirectly directs the general course of reflection on the events described, deliberately avoiding the use of direct metaphors in his works, preferring subtle author's comparisons.

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Chekhov's achievements and works in the literary field in 1888 were awarded one of the most prestigious awards of that time – the Pushkin Prize of the Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Along with the ever – increasing literary popularity and fame, at the beginning of 1888, a sad event happened to Chekhov-the young writer fell seriously ill and was in dire need of fresh air, a warm climate and peace, which was absolutely impossible to provide while staying in Moscow.

Therefore, the Chekhov family decides to temporarily move to the dacha of their friends Lintvarev, located near Sum in the Kharkiv province. Here, far from the capital, Chekhov was often visited by numerous friends-writers, artists and other creative personalities. The house was always full of guests, music, and lively voices. Such an atmosphere was very beneficial for Chekhov, he worked hard and was generally in high spirits. From here he will write to the publisher Suvorin: "The weather is wonderful, everything sings, blooms, shines with beauty.<...> Moonlit nights, bright days... For this reason, I am in a good mood" [2*].

In the summer of 1889, a great misfortune occurred in the Chekhov family – one of the writer's older brothers, Nikolai, died. His death greatly affected the delicate sensitive soul of Anton Pavlovich, he could no longer stay in the house in which his brother died, so soon after the funeral, he left for Odessa. From Odessa, at the urgent request of doctors, Chekhov was forced to leave for treatment in Yalta. Here he felt very lonely, he was overcome by depression, for a short time he even stopped writing. Barely surviving in Yalta for several months, the writer rushed to Moscow [4, p. 368].

As soon as Anton Pavlovich returned to the capital, he immediately began his literary activity. Probably, only active work could help Chekhov to regain his mental balance more quickly after the shock he had experienced. In Moscow, he publishes another collection of short stories "Children", writes the plays "Leshiy", "Proposal", "Wedding" [8*] and other works. It may seem completely improbable, but to maintain himself in a resource state, Chekhov was helped by the constant presence of guests in the house. The commotion and jostling in the house, the incessant conversations, the sounds of the piano, not only did not interfere with him, but on the contrary, inspired him to work [4, p. 368].

Chekhov's efficiency was simply amazing. He could not imagine a day without work, and continued to work even on weekends and family holidays. If a writer sometimes had a rare day of inactivity, he reproached himself for such a waste of time, always wondering at the idleness of some people: "Here you can skip a day, and then your conscience torments you, but they can spend their whole life carousing" [2*].

Talking about what kind of person Anton Pavlovich was, it should be noted that he constantly felt the need to help people. Chekhov's thirst to be useful to society could not be fully satisfied by either active literary activity or medical practice, which the writer almost never stopped. He wanted to be useful to as many people as possible, to do something even more significant for people. This trait of his human nature, along with the love of learning new places, gaining new knowledge, awakened in Chekhov a craving for travel.

The main routes of his travels were his native Russia. He admired the vast expanses, the nature that changed dramatically from north to south and from west to east. The way of life of the people living on its territory was also radically different. All this diversity could not leave the young writer indifferent. And when, at the end of 1889, he accidentally caught sight of a newspaper article that mentioned the distant island of Sakhalin, at that time the former place of exile of people sentenced to long-term hard labor, Chekhov had an insistent desire to visit the distant "convict" island.

It wasn't an easy idea. Sakhalin was the most remote point of the Russian Empire, characterized by a harsh climate with frequent strong winds and high humidity. To reach the island itself, it was necessary to make a difficult journey from Moscow with a length of about 8000 km, which, given the off-road conditions and the lack of transport infrastructure in the Asian part of Russia at that time, put this enterprise in the category of extreme. Taking into account

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that Chekhov's health was rather weak due to his illness, his family and close friends dissuaded him from this difficult and risky journey. But Chekhov, inspired by the alluring novelty of the upcoming road and a passionate desire to touch the fate of thousands of people exiled to a distant island, did not heed their entreaties and in the spring of 1890 went on a long, difficult journey.

The writer had to get to Sakhalin for a very, very long time. At that time, there were no air services. And even by train, he managed to get only to the Urals. The rest, most of his threemonth journey of 4,800 km, he overcame on horse sleds through mud and mud, and crossed the rivers by boat. With food on the road, it was also difficult: sometimes you had to be content with what you had to or starve. During his journey, he traveled through most of the European part of Russia, Siberia and the Far East. It is not surprising that Chekhov reached the final goal of his enterprise completely exhausted. And the skeleton itself met him unfriendly: smoke and the smell of burning from forest fires.

At that time, Sakhalin was home to one of the largest prisons in the Russian Empire: out of the 7,000 inhabitants of the island, only 1,300 were free people. The most difficult conditions of life and everyday life of the Sakhalin residents shocked Chekhov to the depths of his soul. Here he saw a completely different life, the existence of which in the modern society he had not previously suspected.

As soon as he arrived on the island, Chekhov immediately set to work, his goal was to collect and systematize as many documents and materials as possible about the actual state of affairs on Sakhalin, to get acquainted with the lives of as many people as possible. To do this, Chekhov conducted a complete census of the island's population, went to every house, to every barrack, trying to talk to every resident. "I got up every day at 5 o'clock in the morning, went to bed late and all the days I was in a strong strain from the thought that I had not done much yet," he wrote in a letter to his friend and patron Suvorin [2*].

Thousands of ruined human destinies, destroyed by oppressive circumstances, appeared before the writer's eyes during the four months that he spent on Sakhalin. He met prisoners who were chained and shackled, learned about the use of severe corporal punishment by the jailers, saw the old dilapidated barracks in which the exiles had to live, got acquainted with the terrible working conditions in the local mines and quarries, examined the state of the local medical centers, which, I must say, found absolutely deplorable. The writer was particularly distressed by the situation of Sakhalin children, who had virtually no access to education, since there was no school with a competent curriculum on the island. In addition to the life of the prisoners, Chekhov had a special interest in the way of life of the indigenous population and the nature of Sakhalin, the study of which he also tried to pay sufficient attention.

During his stay on the island, as a result of daily painstaking work, Anton Pavlovich managed to collect a huge amount of documentary material about the life of Sakhalin convicts and local residents, about the arbitrariness of prison chiefs and officials. Leaving this terrible and sad place, he took with him to Moscow a great hope that the work he had done would help in setting and solving the fundamental social and ethical problems of the island's population, which no one in the imperial capital had previously cared about.

Chekhov decided to return to Moscow by water: on the steamer "Petersburg" through the ports of the Far East, Asia and Odessa. Thus, Chekhov's journey ended. He continued his work on systematization and generalization of the materials he brought to Moscow: at first, excerpts from his travel notes on Siberia were published in some metropolitan magazines, and in 1895 he published his epoch – making work-the famous book "Sakhalin Island" [9*], one chapter of which was published in 1892 in order to quickly familiarize the public with the state of affairs on the island. The chapter was called "Fugitives on Sakhalin". It is known that going to a distant island, Chekhov planned to write a scientific work, so stylistically the book differs from other works of the author, we can refer it to the genre of journalistic essays. In this voluminous work, Chekhov skillfully combines scientific, newspaper-journalistic and colloquial languages,

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along with factual and analytical ways of displaying reality, uses his author's visual and figurative artistic style, which makes this work not subject to strict stylistic typing. But it also clearly shows the creative and civic position of Chekhov – to bring concern for people into the world, thereby making it at least a little fairer and better.

The book written by Chekhov "stirred up" the consciousness of the advanced, patriotic people of Russia and was even noticed by the public in Europe. At the initiative of Chekhov, a public movement was organized to purchase and deliver textbooks, books, and medicines to the island for the needs of Sakhalin residents. But the most important result of the work done by the writer was that the tsarist government paid attention to Sakhalin and took a number of measures to improve the conditions of detention of exiles, their food, and corporal punishment was abolished.

Chekhov himself, already accustomed to long journeys, begins to be burdened by the measured course of life in the Russian capital. "After the labors of Sakhalin and the tropics, my Moscow life now seems to me so petty-bourgeois and boring," he wrote to Suvorin in January 1891, and in the spring he set out again. This time, his itinerary includes countries with warmer climates that are more favorable for his health: Austria, Italy, France. In the south of Italy, Chekhov even made an ascent to the active volcano – Vesuvius.

After returning from Western Europe, Chekhov went on a trip to central Russia, hoping to find a good estate for his family in the summer. During the trip, he met the landowner E. D. Bylim-Kolosovsky, who cordially offered the entire second floor of the estate belonging to him in the village of Bogimovo, Kaluga province, to the Chekhov family. Big beautiful manor house surrounded by a scenic Park with shady Linden alleys, gardens and ponds, from the Windows of the second floor which had a lovely view of the forest, field and stream in Mashegu, had very soul of Anton Pavlovich, and he gladly agreed. As always, this summer Chekhov worked hard, in between work wandered around the neighborhood, admired nature, picked mushrooms, and fished. Anton Pavlovich often had guests, the evenings were usually spent in friendly conversations over a cup of tea, and the writer in such an environment invariably experienced a creative uplift. Here Chekhov continues to work on his collection of essays "Sakhalin Island" [9*], and also writes such works as" Women"," Duel"," Magicians " [1*].

After the publication of these works, Chekhov becomes a recognized author with an individual, unique style. The works of this period tell about serious and complex life phenomena, are filled with lyricism, the characters manifest themselves in bright and complex characters.

Despite his intense literary activity, Chekhov always tried to provide all possible assistance to people in need. In Bogimovo, he treated local peasants, and when, in 1891-1892, a severe crop failure and famine occurred in some Russian provinces due to a prolonged drought, the writer organized a collection of donations in favor of the starving and twice personally visited the affected areas to provide material and medical assistance to the local population.

Chekhov's works are becoming increasingly popular, the author's name is becoming more famous, but until now the financial situation of the writer did not allow him to buy his own country house. The Chekhov family often had to change their place of residence, so the desire to get their own corner, where you can arrange everything to your liking, never left Anton Pavlovich. Finally, thanks to the titanic efficiency, by 1892, he managed to accumulate sufficient funds to realize his dream. Initially, Chekhov intended to buy at least a small estate with a plot of land of 10-20 dessiatines, but he buys a very attractive spacious estate with an estate in the village of Melikhovo, with 40 peasant yards and a church, around which vast fields stretched, white birch groves, the water of several small rivers splashed-and not somewhere in the hinterland of Russia, but only 70 kilometers from Moscow, and an area of not modest 10-20 dessiatines, but as much as 213!

In the new place, all the members of the Chekhov family enthusiastically joined in the work of improving and ennobling their own estate. In a short time, they laid out a garden with fruit trees, planted a large number of rose bushes and other flowers, built a greenhouse and dug

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a small pond. In just a couple of years, the estate has changed beyond recognition, turning into a cozy family nest, offering fruitful work and active recreation, where each of the Chekhov family could comfortably devote themselves to their favorite activities. My mother was busy with household chores, my father with the garden and his favorite violin, my sister Maria with painting. Anton Pavlovich himself had his own office, very bright and spacious, the simple, austere furnishings of which were conducive to reflection and literary creativity. As in every other place where Chekhov had ever lived, the new house was often visited by family and friends, music was played, and intellectual conversations were held. At the same time, the writer often visited the capital, where he visited theaters and other public events, visited his many friends – writers, artists, artists [5, p.783].

The atmosphere prevailing in the Melikhovskaya estate provided a huge material for the writer's literary research, here he wrote more than forty different works, some of which were based on the life of the Russian village – "In the Ravine", "New Dacha", "Teacher of Literature" [1*] and others. Here Chekhov completed work on his most ambitious work – the book "Sakhalin Island", and also wrote the famous plays "The Seagull" and "Uncle Vanya" [10*].

A sensitive and attentive man, Chekhov was not indifferent to the fate of the surrounding peasants, always responding to their complaints and requests, both as a doctor and a good adviser. During the cholera epidemic, ignoring the danger, he courageously undertook to treat people, serving twenty-five nearby villages. Moreover, at his own expense, he opened a medical center in the village and personally supplied it with medicines. Concerned about the fate of the peasant children, Chekhov built three schools almost entirely at his own expense, taking care of the arrangement of libraries in them. Having great authority and numerous connections, he constantly tried to improve the living conditions of the villagers, he persistently demanded that the authorities open a post office and telegraph office in the village, make a stop for fast trains at the nearby station of Lopasno.

Unfortunately, Chekhov's illness worsened, sapping his physical and spiritual strength. Since the climate of central Russia, cold and damp, had a negative impact on his body, doctors strongly recommended that the writer spend the autumn-winter period in a warm climate. Listening to these tips, in 1898 Chekhov went to France for the winter, and the next year - to Yalta. Here he was overtaken by the tragic news – the writer's father died in Melikhovo. Mother and sister Maria were left alone in a large rural estate, without any male support. Considering plans for their future life, Chekhov comes to a decision about the need to transfer the family to a permanent place of residence in the Crimea. To carry out his plans, in the same year, the writer purchased a large plot of land on the Black Sea coast in Yalta and began work on the construction of a new house. He instructs the architect L. N. Shapovalov to prepare the project documentation, and he enthusiastically gets down to business, delving into all the nuances of construction. Soon the house was built, and the Chekhov family finally settled in the Crimea. No matter how sorry the writer was to part with the much-loved estate in Melikhovo, where his family spent seven happy years, the estate was sold.

In the new place, Chekhov is actively engaged in the improvement of his plot, laying a beautiful garden, planting trees and flowers. "If every person on a piece of his land would do everything that he can, how beautiful our land would be," he once said in a conversation with A.M. Gorky [6, p.288]. The writer was literally obsessed with the idea of transforming the surrounding landscape to bring it into a wonderful view and really did everything he could to do this.

Despite the intense day-to-day work and worries of life, Chekhov had yearned for his old life in Melikhovo. Yalta is so far from Moscow, from the turbulent life of the capital with its theaters, museums, literary social events [3**, p. 669], he felt disconnected from his friends here, and was burdened by this distance.

Having built a house and settled down with his family in a new place, despite his poor health, Chekhov also begins active social activities in Yalta. The writer donates money for the

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construction of a school, takes care of the arrangement of a biological station, constantly works in the local board of trustees for tuberculosis patients, of whom at that time a lot came to the Crimea for treatment. Many of them were severely strapped for funds, and therefore in dire need of assistance and financial support. Chekhov organized the collection of donations to help the needy, participated in the construction of a sanatorium for the sick with personal funds. The writer had a very kind heart and a sensitive soul, in fact, he helped a lot of people [7, p. 196].

In 1890, the troupe of the Moscow Art Academic Theater came to Yalta on tour, the leading actress of which was Olga Leonardovna Knipper, who played the main roles in theater productions based on Chekhov's plays. During the tour, Anton Pavlovich and Olga became close friends, after the departure of the troupe to Moscow, the young actress visited the writer's Yalta estate more than once. Over time, a romance began between them and a long correspondence began, and in 1901 Anatoly Pavlovich and Olga Leonardovna were married. After the wedding, the newlyweds made a short honeymoon trip to Ufa, with the hope of improving Chekhov's failing health with kumys. Further their family life could be called joint only with a great stretch: Olga continued to live and work in Moscow, visiting her husband in Yalta only with short visits [8, p. 400].

Despite his failing health, Chekhov tirelessly continued his literary work. Here, in Yalta, he wrote his last play, "the Cherry orchard" [11*], the story is imbued with boundless pain of a cut down the cherry garden, leaving the old life, but at the same time, it has a place and a dream of the author of the new time, which will be better than before.

Analyzing the dramatic heritage of Chekhov, you can't help but think about why his plays are still relevant to this day. And here it is necessary to emphasize the originality of the writer's dramatic style, his subtle understanding of all the deep secrets of the human soul and the ability to briefly and succinctly show any state of mind of a person. His plays always sound in a new way, revealing the problems inherent in modern society: the knowledge of the truth, the finding of freedom, the search for happiness and the meaning of life, the difficulties of self-expression, the crisis of human relations, the loss of life orientations at the intersection of epochs, submission to the will of others. The main creative task for the writer was to reveal to his readers the moral truth as the basis of spiritual life.

In order to improve his deteriorating health, in the spring of 1904, Chekhov made a trip to the German resort town of Badenweimer, from which he never returned alive. The body of the writer was transported to Moscow, where he was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery. Chekhov's earthly life, filled with creativity and creative work, was cut short, but he left behind a grandiose world of works, each of which was marked by a unique originality of literary talent.

Anton Pavlovich's work also made a significant contribution to the development of Russian children's literature. Although Chekhov never considered himself a children's writer, he wrote about this in his letter to the publisher G. I. Rossolimo: "...I do not like and do not recognize the so-called children's literature. Children should be given only what is suitable for adults. It is necessary not to write for children, but to be able to choose from what has already been written for adults, i.e. from real works of art [2*]. For children, Chekhov singled out only two works from his work – " Kashtanka "[12*] and "White-browed" [1*]. The plot of "Kashtanka" was suggested to Anton Pavlovich by the famous trainer V. L. Durov, which was based on authentic events from the life of the trainer and the dog he picked up.

"What I have, apparently, is suitable for children – two fairy tales from the dog's life, I send you by registered parcel. I don't think I have anything else like that..."..." [2*], – Anton Pavlovich wrote in his letter to the publisher G. I. Rossolimo. Despite this statement of the writer himself, many of his stories, although not addressed to children, are read with pleasure by children and are included in the mandatory school curriculum. These are the stories "Anna on the Neck", "The Defenseless Creature", "The Chameleon", "The Man in the Case", "The Lady with the Dog", "Roly" [13*] and many others.

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During his creative life, Chekhov created more than 900 works devoted to a common deep theme – the theme of relationships between people in contemporary Russia. Chekhov's humorous stories make the reader smile, but if you think about it – they tell a sad story. And, what is remarkable, human vices, so vividly represented in Chekhov's heroes, can be found in people of any nation and country at the present time, so the writer's works have not lost their relevance at all. In his work, Chekhov posed questions to readers about civic duty and responsibility, human conscience and morality. The author's literary credo is best expressed by his own words: "A writer is not a confectioner, not a cosmetics man, not an entertainer; he is a man of obligation, contracted by the consciousness of his duty and conscience"... "[2*]. By the example of his whole life, he proved that for him these were not empty words, because he always considered it his duty to strive to make people's lives better [9, p. 250].

Conclusion.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov went down in the history of Russian culture as a recognized master of Russian prose, a talented playwright, an indefatigable public figure, an associate and patron of the arts. His work has left a bright and indelible mark on Russian literature forever. Many of his works are included in the school curriculum, through which the younger generation learns about the world and society. The life of his creations continues to this day, the best directors of the world turn to them again and again. His plays are still staged on the stage of world theaters, and at the same time have not faded success, and there are no number of film adaptations of his works.

During his lifetime, Chekhov was a man of extraordinary modesty. He said of himself that he was only an objective witness of the times, not a judge or a preacher. In none of his works does the writer make his strict verdict on what is described, but leaves it to the reader to do it himself. Perhaps that's why readers all over the world love him.

Chekhov's contemporaries highly appreciated his works. "Pushkin in prose"... "[10] - said about him L. N. Tolstoy. "As a stylist, Chekhov is unattainable," M. Gorky noted [5, p. 288]. "The best of men"... " [10] - called him K. S. Stanislavsky.

Thus, the great representatives of their time confirmed the great importance of Chekhov's artistic discoveries and the writer's right to world fame and immortality.

References

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[2]Roskin A.I. A.P. Chehov. Stat'i i ocherki / A.I. Roskin. — M.: Goslitizdat, 1959. —

432s.

[3]Zhidkova Ju.B. Funkcionirovanie medicinskoj terminologii v rasskazah A.P. Chehova // Vestnik VGU. Serija Lingvistika i mezhkul'turnaja kommunikacija. — Voronezh, 2007. — №2. – Ch. II. — S. 84-89.

[4]Shah-Azizova T.K. V tvorcheskoj laboratorii Chehova / T.K. Shah-Azizova. — M.: Nauka, 1974. — 368 s.

[5]Rejfild D. Zhizn' Antona Chehova / D. Rejfjld. — M.: «B.S.G. — Press», 2008. —

783s.

[6]Gor'kij M. A.P. Chehov. Perepiska. Stat'i. Vyskazyvanija: Sbornik materialov / Akad. nauk SSSR. IMLI im. A.M. Gor'kogo RAN; podgot. teksta i komment. N.I. Gitovich; vstup. st. I.V. Sergievskogo. — M.: Goslitizdat, 1951. — 288 s.

[7]Shevchenko L.I. Antichnaja recepcija i medicina v tvorchestve A.P. Chehova // Jazyk mediciny: materialy vserossijskoj nauchno-metodicheskoj konferencii «Metodicheskie i lingvisticheskie aspekty mezhdunarodnoj medicinskoj terminologii». — Samara, 2013. — Vyp.

4.— S. 196-201.

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