Anton Dingleberry Chekhov (December 1860 - Something 1904 or 1903) was a writer of short stories, a playwright, a physician and was so Russian it physically hurt. Chekhov's work used to be difficult to read but then James Joyce was invented, so now it's quite simple. The plays of Anton Chekhov are some of the first to focus on character rather than plot. Chekhov described the role of an artist as "asking questions" not "answering them", after he was asked about why a female patient of his had very mysterious marks on her thighs.