Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

Time: 29 January 1860 to 15 July 1904

Chekhov, like Dickens, was no stranger to financial hardship and in 1875 his father took the family and fled to Moscow to escape creditors. Chekhov stayed behind for three more years to finish school. He paid for his tuition by catching and selling goldfinches and dispensing private tutoring lessons, and selling short sketches to the newspaper… A child-family separation theme plays out in several of Chekhov stories including Vanka, The Steppe, and Sleepy. – American Literature

I’m not one for the catching and selling of birds, but really; paying for tuition through the trading of goldfinches is so romantic. You couldn’t make it up!

Today I read Chekhov’s short story The Petchenyeg (1897), a funny little thought-provoking tale. You can read it for free here. I highly recommend it as it’s quite odd. It seemed as though it was going to be more than it was, but I was glad it wasn’t… if that makes sense! It has made me keen to read more of his short stories. Does anyone have any recommendations? I’d love to hear them. Just a leave a comment on this post.