The inspiration for Chekhov's Three Sisters
About this episode
The episode explores the friendship between Paul Shishkoff and Anton Chekhov, revealing how Shishkoff's family inspired Chekhov's play 'Three Sisters'.
In 1897, Paul Shishkoff was 10 years old and living with his family in rural Russia. It was there he met the great Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov, who was resting after the end of Moscow's theatre season. During the long, hot summer, Paul became friends with Chekhov - accompanying him on rambles and fishing expeditions. In 1938, Paul spoke to the BBC about their friendship and how his family became the inspiration for one of Chekhov's most famous works - Three Sisters. BBC archivist Tariq Hussain, who discovered the incredible recording, tells the story. Produced by Jacqueline Paine. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists…
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