Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov, whom his sister also refers to as Anton Pavlovich, is the subject of "Errand." Chekhov was born in the Ukraine in 1860, the son of working-class parents. A physician as well as a writer, Chekhov was celebrated for his realistic portrayals of middle-class Russians. Unlike other writers and intellectuals in Russia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Chekhov often refused to take positions on political matters, instead choosing to represent his characters in all of their complexity and contradictions. His popularity as a short story writer and playwright continue today. Though widely celebrated as a gifted writer by the Russian literary public during his life, Chekhov was largely unknown to the rest of the world until after World War I when his works were translated into English.

Carver uses excerpts from Chekhov's diary, and readers learn about the details of his life and illness...