Anton Chekhov in memoirs of his contemporaries. Presidential Library marks 165th anniversary of writer

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, an outstanding Russian writer and one of the most significant playwrights in the history of world theater, whose 165th anniversary is celebrated on January 29th, did not maintain diaries, keep specific notes, or intend to write an autobiography. However, he did create a few sketches.

One of which was written by his former classmate and private associate professor at Moscow University, Dr. Grigory Rossolimo. The other sketch was requested by the fiction writer and playwright, Vladimir Tikhonov, for an essay about Chekhov for a magazine. This information is presented in Alexander Izmailov's book Chekhov: 1860-1904: A Biographical Sketch (1916), where he explores Chekhov's life and works.

Anton Chekhov loved humor and, as the writer and translator Anna Suvorina wrote, "even in the most serious conversations, he would turn speech into a joke, which always softened the more or less dry and serious conversations." These words are quoted from the publication A.P. Chekhov: Lost Works. Unpublished Letters. Memories, which was published in 1925 and can be found on the Presidential Library's portal.

"It often happens to him - he speaks so warmly, seriously, sincerely, and then suddenly laughs at himself and his words," Maxim Gorky wrote in his book Memoirs (1923). And in that soft, sad smile, one can feel the subtle skepticism of a man who understands the value of words and the price of dreams. 

The famous lawyer Anatoly Koni remembered the writer in a different way. In Memoirs of Chekhov (1925), which is available in the electronic reading rooms of the Presidential Library, Koni wrote: "In my memory, his image stands out as if alive - with a sad, thoughtful expression, as if he was looking inward, and with an attentive and gentle attitude towards the interlocutor, and an outwardly calm voice, behind which you can feel the beating of a warm and responsive heart for human sorrows."

Koni greatly appreciated Chekhov not only for his talent but also for his stance in life. "Even from a young age, he had a sense of human dignity, and he was not inclined to bow down to someone else's intellectual authority or belittle it with fearful reservations and glances. He followed the precept of Pushkin, who said, 'Walk a free path, where the free mind leads.'"

Today, the memory of Anton Chekhov continues to live not only through the memories of his contemporaries, book editions, and theatrical performances. His work has become an integral part of our daily lives, although it is often unnoticed.

In his video lecture A.P. Chekhov and the Modern World, which is available on the Presidential Library's portal, Doctor of Philology Vladimir Borisovich Kataev notes: "When we want our speech to be more expressive and convincing, we often use phrases such as 'to grandfather's village', 'whatever happens', 'horse name', 'senility is growing stronger', or 'this can't be because it can never be'. There are dozens of such phrases and words that we often use without realizing their origin. They have become common and anonymous, but they all go back to Chekhov".

Alexander Izmailov summarized his work on Chekhov in the following words: "He was something incredibly vibrant and free, something fundamentally opposed to all kinds of theory. If people like Chekhov had marched together, as a generation, rather than individually, the 'sky in diamonds' would have come to earth sooner."

One can learn more about Chekhov's life and work in the collection titled Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), which is available on the Presidential Library's portal. The collection contains digital copies of books, magazines, and archival materials that reveal various aspects of Chekhov's personality, life, and works. It also includes postcards and photographs featuring Chekhov, materials devoted to preserving his memory, as well as texts of his individual literary works, articles, and letters.