A sombre, grieving monk, ferries a man across the river to visit his local church for the Easter holiday festivities. As they journey towards the celebrations and excitement on the opposite bank, the ferryman recounts the death of his best friend Nikolai. Written by the famous Russian author and playwright, Anton Chekhov, ‘Easter Eve’ (1886) is an atmospheric tale of friendship and grief. Regarded as one of the greatest writers in the world, Chekhov is famous for his plays, including ‘Uncle Vanya’, ‘The Seagull’, ‘Three Sisters’ and ‘The Cherry Orchard’, and for his influence in the development of the modern short story. Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) was a prolific Russian playwright and short-story writer and is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the world. He wrote several famous plays including ‘Uncle Vanya’, ‘The Seagull’, ‘Three Sisters’ and ‘The Cherry Orchard’. They are still performed all over the world and are considered to be masterpieces. Chekhov wrote over one hundred short stories including ‘The Lady with a Dog’, ‘Rothschild’s Violin’, ‘About Love’ and ‘The Bishop’. Credited with being the single most important influence on the development of the modern short story, as well as the father of modern drama, his popularity continues to grow. The Russian’s work has influenced many important writers, including James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams and continues to influence writers and audiences to this day.