Sakhalin and Chekhov

Or why there are so many mentions of the writer on this island

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is a great Russian writer and playwright, born in the territory of the modern Rostov region, thousands of kilometers from Sakhalin Island. But at the same time, dozens of objects on the island are dedicated to him.

How did it happen?

At the end of the XIX century, Anton Pavlovich began to study the island, read works about it. As he later wrote: "... the whole thing has gone haywire." He was horrified by the conditions in which the convicts lived, but admired the wonderful nature described in the books of travelers.

Curiosity and the desire to help people living on the edge of a huge country prompted Chekhov in 1890 to travel across the entire Russian Empire to Sakhalin.

Anton Pavlovich conducted a census of about 10 thousand people in 3 months on Sakhalin, provided medical assistance to convicts, and questioned their lives on the island. And all this despite the resistance from the local Governor-General and the police.

Later, as a result of his journey, in the work "Sakhalin Island" Chekhov wrote about the working conditions and life of local residents. Chekhov's 8-month journey is called a civil feat, because Chekhov was one of the first to loudly declare the state of affairs on the island.

For his contribution to the life and well-being of Sakhalin residents, for attracting the attention of the people and the government of Russia to the far island, many objects are named after Anton Pavlovich, for example: