1836

Gogol’s The Government Inspector

1852

Turgenev’s Sketches from a Hunter’s Album

1860

Dostoyevsky’s Notes From the House of the Dead (1860–61) Anton Pavlovich Chekhov born on 17 January at Taganrog, a port on the Sea of Azov, the third son of Pavel Yegorovich Chekhov, a grocer, and Yevgeniya Yakovlevna, née Morozova

1861

Emancipation of the serfs by Alexander II. Formation of revolutionary Land and Liberty Movement

1862

Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons

1863

4 Polish revolt. Commencement of intensive industrialization; spread of the railways; banks established; factories built. Elective District Councils (zemstvos) set up; judicial reform Tolstoy’s The Cossacks (1863)

1865

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (1864) by Leskov, a writer much admired by Chekhov

1866

Attempted assassination of Alexander II by Karakozov Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment

1867

Emile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin

1868

Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot

1868

Chekhov begins to attend Taganrog Gymnasium after wasted year at a Greek school

1869

Tolstoy’s War and Peace

1870

Municipal government reform

1870–71 Franco-Prussian War

1873

Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (1873–7) Chekhov sees local productions of Hamlet and Gogol’s The Government Inspector

1875

Chekhov writes and produces humorous magazine for his brothers in Moscow, The Stammerer, containing sketches of life in Taganrog

1876

Chekhov’s father declared bankrupt and flees to Moscow, followed by family except Chekhov, who is left in Taganrog to complete schooling. Reads Buckle, Hugo and Schopenhauer

1877–8 War with Turkey

1877

Chekhov’s first visit to Moscow; his family living in great hardship

1878

Chekhov writes dramatic juvenilia: full-length drama Father-lessness (MS destroyed), comedy Diamond Cut Diamond and vaudeville Why Hens Cluck (none published)

1879

Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov (1879–80). Tolstoy’s Confession (1879–82) Chekhov matriculates from Gymnasium with good grades. Wins scholarship to Moscow University to study medicine Makes regular contributions to humorous magazine Alarm Clock

1880

General Loris-Melikov organizes struggle against terrorism Guy de Maupassant’s Boule de Suif Chekhov introduced by artist brother Nikolay to landscape painter Levitan with whom has lifelong friendship First short story, ‘A Letter from the Don Landowner Vladimirovich N to His Learned Neighbour’, published in humorous magazine Dragonfly. More stories published in Dragonfly under pseudonyms, chiefly Antosha Chekhonte

1881

Assassination of Alexander II; reactionary, stifling regime of Alexander III begins Sarah Bernhardt visits Moscow (Chekhov calls her acting ‘superficial’) Chekhov continues to write very large numbers of humorous sketches for weekly magazines (until 1883). Becomes regular contributor to Nikolay Leykin’s Fragments, a St Petersburg weekly humorous magazine. Writes (1881–2) play now usually known as Platonov (discovered 1923), rejected by Maly Theatre; tries to destroy manuscript

1882

Student riots at St Petersburg and Kazan universities. More discrimination against Jews Chekhov is able to support the family with scholarship money and earnings from contributions to humorous weeklies

1883

Tolstoy’s What I Believe Chekhov gains practical experience at Chikino Rural Hospital

1884

Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck. J.-K. Huysmans’ À Rebours Chekhov graduates and becomes practising physician at Chikino. First signs of his tuberculosis in December Six stories about the theatre published as Fairy-Tales of Melpomene. His crime novel, The Shooting Party, serialized in Daily News

1885–6

Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilich (1886) On first visit to St Petersburg, Chekhov begins friendship with very influential Aleksey Suvorin (1834–1912), editor of the highly regarded daily newspaper New Times. Chekhov has love affairs with Dunya Efros and Natalya Golden (later his sister-in-law). His TB is now unmistakable Publishes more than 100 short stories. ‘The Requiem’ is the first story to appear under own name and his first in New Times (February 1886). First collection, Motley Tales

1887

Five students hanged for attempted assassination of Tsar; one is Lenin’s brother Tolstoy’s drama Power of Darkness (first performed in Paris), for which he was called nihilist and blasphemer by Alexander III Chekhov elected member of Literary Fund. Makes trip to Taganrog and Don steppes Second book of collected short stories In the Twilight. Ivanov produced – a disaster

1888

Chekhov meets Stanislavsky.