In 1890, Chekhov, who had already won all-Russian fame, undertook a journey unprecedented for his time - across all of Russia to the “convict” island of Sakhalin. The writer wanted to contrast the official point of view on Sakhalin reality with an objective study of it; paint a true picture of Russian penal servitude, based on accurate facts; to awaken public attention to the “place of unbearable suffering.” The result of the trip was the books “From Siberia” and “Sakhalin Island,” which literally shocked the entire reading Russia. “If Mr. Chekhov had not written anything more than this book, his name would forever be would be inscribed in the history of Russian literature,” this is how the newspapers “Sakhalin Island” assessed it. And soon a rare event for Russia occurred: after the publication of the book and a loud public outcry, the government was forced to reform the legislation on the maintenance of convicts and exiles.