Chekhov

Author: Zhao Peiyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-10-01
Features: We are delighted to recommend the "Giant Biographies Series" to young friends. At the turn of the century, having such a fine series accompany you is a joy in wisdom. We believe that from the footsteps of these giants and masters, you can learn how to properly handle success and failure, comfort and hardship, joy and pain, smoothness and tribulation, and understand how to face life, how to learn to be a person, how to pursue knowledge, how to shape oneself, and how to shape the future.
Principal of Peking University High School, Zhao Yulin; Secretary of the Party Committee, Dong Lingsheng
Every great figure with global influence holds a deeply moving story within them. Their rich experiences and life lessons, their spirit of struggle and elements of success, their pursuit of excellence and ability to seize opportunities, undoubtedly have a great inspirational and educational role for today's youth.
Principal of Tsinghua University High School, Zhao Qinggang
Giants are the elite of humanity, they have made outstanding contributions to the progress and civilization of human society, and their spirit of struggle and superhuman achievements are deeply admired by people, becoming models for others to learn from. Giants are human, not gods; they come from ordinary people but surpass them. Their lofty ideals and belief in serving the motherland and humanity are the driving force behind their relentless pursuit and fearlessness of difficulties.
Principal of Tianjin Nankai High School, Kang Xiuyan
To carefully read this series of books is like seeing their appearance, speech, and actions, and feeling their ideals, beliefs, aspirations, and moral character. This will help you learn to be a person, learn to pursue knowledge, and learn to build a career.
Principal of Fudan University Affiliated High School, Cao Tianren
Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) was a short story master renowned alongside the French writer Guy de Maupassant. Most Chinese students first learn about him through the short stories "The Cherry Orchard" and "The Man in the Iron Mask" (also translated as "The Man Who Was in a Mask") in their middle school textbooks. Chekhov was born on January 29, 1860, to a grocer in Russia. He grew up in poverty and supported himself and his education by working as a private tutor. After graduating from the medical faculty of Moscow University in 1884, he became a doctor. His extensive contact with society and the people enriched his experiences and provided material for his future writing. Starting from his second year of medical school, he began publishing short stories in humorous publications. Over more than 20 years of creative activity, he wrote over 400 short and medium-length stories and more than a dozen plays. He created a unique style of lyrical psychological fiction that was concise, artful, and masterfully crafted. He extracted fragments of ordinary daily life and used clever artistic techniques to realistically depict and portray life and characters, subtly revealing important social content. He believed that "genius is the sister of conciseness" and that "the skill of writing is the skill of cutting out what is bad." Chekhov's works are rich in content, with representative works such as "The Cherry Orchard" and "The Sergeant Prishchepov," which expose the tyranny and shamelessness of the ruling class; "The Story of an Anonymous Person" and "The Woman Who Jumps Around," which reflect the vulgarity and ugliness of petty bourgeoisie; "Sorrow," "Misery," and "Vanka," which genuinely portray the suffering, life, and tragic fate of the working people; and "A Boring Story" and "The Man in the Iron Mask," which deeply reveal the emptiness and frustration of intellectuals, as well as their inner world yearning for renewal. His plays, such as "Uncle Vanya" and "Three Sisters," are similar to his novels in that they appear to tell very ordinary life stories on the surface, but upon closer inspection, they contain profound thoughts, and the dialogue often carries rich subtext. His last play, "The Cherry Orchard," echoed the voice of young Russia: "Farewell, old life!" "Hello, new life!" Chekhov passed away on July 15, 1904, in Germany. As the last outstanding realist literary giant of Russia in the late 19th century, he gained immense international acclaim for his unprecedented attention to the fate of "small people" and his merciless exposure of the autocracy and hypocrisy of the Tsarist regime. Chekhov's works had a wide influence in many countries in Europe and America. Soon after his death, his works were translated into Chinese and introduced to Chinese readers. His plays "Uncle Vanya," "Three Sisters," and "The Cherry Orchard" were also translated into Chinese as early as 1921 and 1925 by the writers Zheng Zhenduo and Cao Jinghua, respectively. The Yan'an Lu Xun Art College often staged Chekhov's works. Today, almost all of his novels and plays have Chinese translations.