Mikhail Chekhov (writer) facts for kids
Mikhail Pavlovich Chekhov (born October 6, 1865, in Taganrog, Russia – died November 14, 1936, in Yalta) was a Russian writer and theater critic. He was the younger brother of the famous writer Anton Chekhov and also wrote a lot about his life.
About His Life
Mikhail Chekhov was a very bright student. He finished at the top of his class at the Taganrog school. Later, he went to another school in Moscow, the Second Moscow Gymnasium. While there, he started writing for funny newspapers and magazines. From 1885 to 1890, he studied law at Moscow University.
From 1890 to 1898, Mikhail worked as a tax collector in different parts of the Moscow region. In 1891, he translated a short story called "A Rainy June" by Ouida, which was published in a foreign literature magazine. His first book, a dictionary for farmers, came out in 1894. When he lived in Uglich, he helped run an amateur theater group. He even designed sets and wrote plays for them! In 1896, he married the daughter of a local factory owner.
Two years later, he moved to Yaroslavl to work for the government. He loved going to the theater and wrote reviews for local newspapers. Soon, he also started writing for a theater magazine in Moscow called Theater and Art. By 1901, he decided he wanted to leave his job and find something new.
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Mikhail then moved to Saint Petersburg. There, he managed the book stalls at railway stations. After publishing some stories in the newspaper Novoye Vremya, he decided to start his own magazine called The European Library. However, he couldn't print many issues because of money problems. Over the next few years, he wrote for many different magazines using various pen names, like "Captain Cook."
In 1904, he published a collection of his essays and stories. The next year, 1905, he released two novels: Blue Stockings and Orphans. Another collection of stories called The Pipe came out in 1910. A second edition of his first collection of stories even won him the important Pushkin Prize.
From 1907 to 1917, Mikhail was the publisher, editor, and almost the only writer for Golden Childhood, a magazine especially for children. In 1913, the magazine published an "anonymous" translation of Alice in Wonderland, which was almost certainly done by Mikhail himself. He also wrote for other children's magazines using the name "M.Bohemia." In 1920, some of these children's stories were published in a book. That same year, he published ten books that he had translated from French and English.
Writing About His Brother Anton
Mikhail started writing about his famous brother, Anton, in 1905. He published short memories in a magazine called Zhurnal Dlya Vsekh. More memories came out in 1906 and 1907. From 1911 to 1916, he worked with their sister, Maria, to put together and edit six books of Anton's letters.
In 1923, he published a book called Anton Chekhov and his Stories. This was followed by Anton Chekhov: Theater, Actors and Tatiana Repina in 1925.
In 1926, Mikhail became ill with a heart condition called angina pectoris. He moved to Yalta, where he worked with Maria to create a museum in Anton's old home. He also collected his own letters, gave advice, and organized Anton's personal library. In 1929, he joined the "All-Russian Union of Writers" and wrote On Chekhov, which became known as "Chekhov's Encyclopedia." In 1930, he published Anton Chekhov on a Holiday.
Mikhail was given a special government pension in 1932. For the next few years, he worked on a study of his family history and a museum catalog. He passed away in Yalta after a short but serious illness.
Writings in English
- Anton Chekhov: A Brother's Memoirs, translated by Eugene Alper, St.Martin's Press, 2009
