Alexander Pavlovich Chekhov (russian: Алекса́ндр Па́влович Че́хов; August 22, 1855 – May 29, 1913), was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and memoirist, and the elder brother of

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

. Alexander was also the father of famed actor and progressive acting theorist

Michael Chekhov Mikhail Aleksandrovich Chekhov (russian: Михаил Александрович Чехов; 29 August 1891 – 30 September 1955), known as Michael Chekhov, was an American actor, director, author and theatre practitioner. He was a nephew o ...

. Michael studied under

Stanislavski Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski ( Alekseyev; russian: Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈgʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Soviet Russian th ...

before incorporating his father's mystical philosophies with those of

Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as a ...

to pioneer "Psycho-Physical" acting techniques. Anton Chekhov often referred to Alexander as more intelligent - but unable to produce the work to prove it due to his

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

Biography

Alexander was born into a

petit-bourgeois ''Petite bourgeoisie'' (, literally 'small bourgeoisie'; also anglicised as petty bourgeoisie) is a French term that refers to a social class composed of semi-autonomous peasants and small-scale merchants whose politico-economic ideological s ...

merchant family. He studied at the

Taganrog Taganrog ( rus, Таганрог, p=təɡɐnˈrok) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: History of Taganrog The ...

gymnasium, graduating in 1875 with a silver medal. He later graduated from the Natural Sciences Department of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of

Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

. He spoke six languages. In his student years his works were published in comic magazines such as ''The Spectator'' and ''The Alarm Clock'', largely contributing to the familiarization of his younger brother Anton with the world of metropolitan journalism. Upon leaving school he worked in the customs service in Taganrog (1882–85), St. Petersburg (1885) and

Novorossiysk Novorossiysk ( rus, Новоросси́йск, p=nəvərɐˈsʲijsk; ady, ЦIэмэз, translit=Chəməz, p=t͡sʼɜmɜz) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities hono ...

(1885–1886). He was dismissed from his post in Taganrog for a sensational story about the abuses of local customs officials, which he published in the ''

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

'' newspaper. He wrote under the pseudonyms Agafopod, Agafopod Edinitsin, Aloe and later A. Gray. Married at a young age, Alexander was widowed in 1888, and the following year married the governess of his children, Natalya. From this marriage was born a son, the famous actor

. He died of

throat cancer Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...

in 1913 and was buried in the literary section of the

Volkovo Cemetery The Volkovo Cemetery (also Volkovskoe) (russian: Во́лковское кла́дбище or Во́лково кла́дбище) is one of the largest and oldest non-Orthodox cemeteries in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Until the early 20th century it ...

in St. Petersburg. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chekhov, Alexander 1855 births 1913 deaths Writers from Taganrog People from Yekaterinoslav Governorate Russian male short story writers Russian male novelists Russian male essayists Moscow State University alumni Deaths from laryngeal cancer Deaths from cancer in Russia Anton Chekhov Russian humorists Russian male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century short story writers from the Russian Empire 19th-century pseudonymous writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers