Originally published in 1899, "Uncle Vanya" is widely considered one of Chekhov's most important plays. Essentially a reworking of an earlier Chekhov play, "The Wood Demon," the mood of Uncle Vanya is chiefly melancholic as the characters examine their respective miseries and failures in their lives to accomplish that which they might have hoped to. A classic tragicomedy, "Uncle Vanya" saw its first major performance in 1900 and has been praised as one of Chekhov's most important dramatic works ever since.