Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Along with Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre.Chekhov practiced as a medical doctor throughout most of his literary career: «Medicine is my lawful wife», he once said, «and literature is my mistress.» Chekhov had at first written stories to earn money, but as his artistic ambition grew, he made formal innovations which have influenced the evolution of the modern short story. He made no apologies for the difficulties this posed to readers, insisting that the role of an artist was to ask questions, not to answer them. The following works were included in the collection of stories Chekhov Anton Pavlovich: The Lady with the Dog, The Wife, The Slander, The Horse-Stealers, The Petchenyeg, A Dead Body, A Happy Ending, The Looking-Glass, Old Age, Darkness, The Beggar, In Trouble, Frost, Minds in Ferment, Gone Astray, The Avenger, The Jeune Premier, A Defenceless Creature, An Enigmatic Nature, A Happy Man, A Troublesome Visitor, An Actor\'s End.