A Life in Letters

The life story of a Russian master as he told it to others

From the teenager in provincial Russia in 1875 to his premature death in Germany in 1904, Chekhov wrote over 4,500 letters to a range of correspondents, including family and friends, his publisher and fellow writers – not to mention actresses. These letters tell the story of Chekhov’s life as a man and a writer and he emerges from them as a tough, generous, life-enhancing, and enigmatic character.

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