Meri Jindagi Mein Chekhov

Lydia Avilov was four years younger than Chekhov. She was born in Moscow in 1864 and was only twenty-five when she first met him. In her account of her relationship with Chekhovpublished in 1942, many years after his death at the age of 78, under the title Chekhov in My Life, she describes only eight meetings with Chekhov between 1889 and 1899, but it clearly seems they met frequently. The memoir contains much interesting material, but of particular importance are the events in Chekhovs life that formed the backdrop of his most imaginative play, The Sea Gull. This play tested the intellect of many of his critics, and their assumptions about several of the plays characters now appear completely unfounded. In this book, Lydia describes her tragic love affair with Chekhov, which lasted ten years. This period was also the most important in Chekhovs writing career. This hitherto unknown chapter of Chekhovs life helps more than anything else to understand the pain and melancholy present in his stories and plays, which, like the mournful sound of a violin string breaking in The Cherry Orchard, are characteristic of his creative genius and every love story that comes from his pen.