Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: Антон Павлович Чехов) was a Russian playwright and physician, celebrated as one of the greatest writers of all time. His oeuvre as a playwright includes four classics, while his short stories are highly regarded by both writers and critics. Chekhov is often mentioned alongside Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg as a pivotal figure in the advent of early modernism in theatre. Professionally, Chekhov was a physician, famously stating, "Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress."

After the initial public reception of The Seagull in 1896 led him to renounce the theatre, the play's revival in 1898 by Konstantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre, which also produced Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and premiered his last two plays, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard, brought him acclaim. These works are known for presenting a challenge to both actors and audiences, offering a "theatre of mood" and unveiling a "submerged life in the text." Unlike complex plays, Chekhov's were accessible yet created a haunting atmosphere.

Chekhov began writing stories to earn money but as his artistic ambition grew, he made formal innovations in the modern short story genre. He was unapologetic about the challenges this posed to readers, insisting that an artist's role was to pose questions, not to answer them.