Two centuries of the Russian classics Two centuries of the Russian classics 2686-7494 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2026-8-1-322-333 Research Article Articles Chekhov’s “Cherry Orchard” Still Blooms in Iran Yahyapour Marzieh red@rusklassika.ru Karimi-Motahhar Janolah red@rusklassika.ru 25 03 2026 8 1 322 333 A. P. Chekhov “The Cherry Orchard ” Iranian literature translations perception impact character system Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 This article examines the influence of Russian literature and Anton Chekhov’s works on the development of Iranian literature and theater. It focuses on the play “The Cherry Orchard,” which remains popular in Iran more than a century after its creation. Particular attention is paid to the reception of Chekhov in Iranian culture. It demonstrates that Chekhov’s plays and short stories have been actively translated and studied in Iran since the last third of the 20th century and have had a significant impact on the development of realistic prose and the short story genre in Persian literature. The works of Iranian writers and playwrights Jamal-Zadeh, Sadegh Hedayat, Simin Daneshvar, and Naser Nayer-Mohammadi, who were directly influenced by Chekhov’s themes and artistic techniques, are examined. A comparative analysis is provided of the plays of Chekhov and Akbar Radi, known as the “Chekhov of Iranian theater,” revealing common features in their character systems. 1. Berdnikov, G. “Chekhov v sovremennom mire” [“Chekhov in the Modern World”]. Voprosy literatury, no. 1, 1980, pp. 65–97. (In Russ.) 2. Karimi-Motakhkhar, Dzh. “ʽDorogoi, ty govorish’ na nashem iazyke’ (O vliianii tvorchestva A. P. Chekhova na proizvedeniia sovremennykh persidskikh pisatelei” [“ʽDear, You Speak in Our Language’ (About the Influence of Anton Chekhov’s Work on the Works of Modern Persian Writers)”]. Russkaia slovesnost’, no. 8, 2006, pp. 19–20. (In Russ.) 3. Kataev V. B. Literaturnye sviazi Chekhova [Chekhov’s Literary Connections]. Moscow, Moscow State University Publ., 1989. 261 p. (In Russ.) 4. Keshavarz, K. Pamiati akademika Ignatiia Iulianovicha Krachkovskogo [In Memory of Academician Ignatius Yulianovich Krachkovsky]. Leningrad, Leningrad State University Publ., 1958. 252 p. (In Russ.) 5. Papernyi, Z. S. Strelka iskusstva: O Chekhove [Arrow of Art: About Chekhov]. Moscow, Sovremennik Publ., 1986. 254 p. (In Russ.) 6. Skorokhodov, M. V. “Simvolika vishnevogo sada: mezhdu kommercheskim proektom, usadboi i dachei” [“The Symbolism of the Cherry Orchard: Between a Commercial Project, a Manor and a Dacha”]. Dva veka russkoi klassiki, vol. 6, no. 3, 2024, pp. 196–215. https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2024-6-3-196-215 (In Russ.) 7. Talebi, F. The Recognize of Akbar Radi. Tehran, Ghatre Publ., 2004. 749 p. (In Persian)