Sakhalin Island. Essays. Travel Notes

In 1890, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, driven by civic duty and a desire to break free from the mundane routine, traveled to Sakhalin, where convicts were exiled at that time. As a result of a three-month journey, the book of the same name was published, which included notes on the weather, flora, fauna, and legends of the island, as well as a uncompromising description of the horrific life of the prisoners. The book caused such a great resonance in society that the Main Prison Administration and the Ministry of Justice sent a special commission to Sakhalin, which confirmed the writer's words and initiated reforms in the field of exile and hard labor in the Russian Empire at the end of the 19th century. This edition also includes essays "From Siberia" and stories touching on criminal and judicial themes.