Anton Chekhov

Biography:
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov.29 January 1860–15 July 1904 was a
Russian playwright and short story writer, who is considered to be
among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a
playwright produced four classics and his best short stories are held in
high esteem by writers and critics.Along with Henrik Ibsen and August
Strindberg, Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three seminal
figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre. Chekhov
practiced as a medical doctor throughout most of his literary career:
"Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my
mistress."

Chekhov renounced the theatre after the reception of The Seagull in

1896, but the play was revived to acclaim in 1898 by Konstantin
Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre, which subsequently also produced
Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and premiered his last two plays,Three
Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. These four works present a challenge to
the acting ensemble[8] as well as to audiences, because in place of
conventional action Chekhov offers a "theatre of mood" and a
"submerged life in the text".
Chekhov had at first written stories only for financial gain, but as his
artistic ambition grew, he made formal innovations which have
influenced the evolution of the modern short story.He made no
apologies for the difficulties this posed to readers, insisting that the role
of an artist was to ask questions, not to answer them.
The Steppe (The Story of a Journey)

SUMMARY
The tale opens with a priest, landscape surrounding him. He is
Father Khristofor Siriysky, and a particularly intrigued by the wiry
merchant, Ivan Kuzmichov, peasants of the Steppe, such as
traveling across the Steppe to sell the woman with "long thin legs
some wool. The men are like a heron" whom he watches
accompanied by Kuzmichov's sifting grain. Storm clouds gather
young nephew, Yegorushka, who and dissipate seemingly without
is being taken to school in another reason, and the protagonist
town. The little boy records the sweats under the merciless sun.
monotonous yet seemingly
Although most of the action
ever-changing sights and sounds
centers on events in the natural
of the Steppe with a child's
world, Yegorushka also has a
nonjudgmental eye. A windmill is
series of adventures with
said to look like "a tiny man
intriguing characters. One, a Jew
waving his arms" while scythes
named Solomon, is contemptuous
make "[s]wish, swish" sounds as
of sycophants and those who
they are wielded in unison. The
believe that they are superior to
priest and the merchant discuss
others. Another is the beautiful
the merits of education,
Countess Dranitskaia, looking to
particularly their own, and talk
find the elusive Varlamov, who
about the object of their trip,
thrills Yegorushka by kissing him
which is to find the
on the cheek. When the chaise
wool-merchant Varlamov.
encounters a long wagon train,
Meanwhile, Yegorushka stares in
Yegorushka's uncle hands the boy
fascination at the baked
over to one of the drivers and
explains that they will travel the and vinegar and puts him to bed.
next leg of the journey separately. When the protagonist awakes the
Yegorushka then spends many next day he feels significantly
days traveling with the wagon better and is given a lecture about
band, during which time he gets the importance of schooling by
to know all of the drivers by name the priest. His uncle then takes
and learns all about their Yegorushka to stay with a friend
characters and life stories. of his mother's named Nastasia,
Yegorushka is surprised to leaving the little boy to wonder
discover that every man has "a sorrowfully about his new life. The
splendid past and a very poor tale ends simply with the question,
present." He becomes particularly "What would that life be like?"
friendly with an old driver named
Pantelei, whose "true" tales are
either made up or outrageously
embellished. The little boy also
meets a delighted Ukrainian
named Konstantin—who rejoices
in the beauty of his young
wife—and a violent and vindictive
wagon driver named Dymov.
Yegorushka even comes across
the wool-merchant Mr. Varlamov,
a "short, little grey man in big
boots," whom he finds to be rude
and condescending.
Following these events,
Yegorushka is forced to endure a
terrible storm in which he catches
a fever. By the time he reunites
with his uncle at a nearby inn, he
is exhausted and delirious. Father
Khristofor and Ivan Kuzmichov
greet the boy and discuss the
large profit they have made from
selling the wool. The priest then
rubs Yegorushka down with oil