"Chekhov often said that 'I am a doctor by trade and sometimes I do literary work in my free time.' This literary-biographical study uses Chekhov's trip to Sakhalin Island in the harsh wastes of Siberia to uncover new sides to him, as both a medical professional and humanitarian. Chekhov's life was dominated by humanitarian action, and his medical outlook informed his philosophical and literary development. By foregrounding these hitherto overlooked aspects of his life, [Cole] suggests that to understand the man we need his medicine as well as his literature, and to assess his life from his perspective as well as ours"-- Provided by publisher.
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