Fiennes wants to restore Chekhov's house

London: Ralph Fiennes is supporting a campaign to save the house of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, where he penned some of his finest works.

The `Schindlers List` star has donated funds to help restore the property in Yalta, Ukraine where the writer lived since 1898 after being diagnosed with tuberculosis, Contactmusic reported. "Chekhov is one of the greatest humanist writers of the modern era. The preservation of his home in Yalta is to be celebrated. It`s distressing to think the Ukrainian government would not acknowledge this and support it," Fiennes said. Upset over the lack of care of the home in which Chekhov wrote prominent plays like `The Cherry Orchard` and `Three Sisters,` Fiennes also plans to visit Ukraine. "It would be inspirational to know all parties who believe in the Chekhov`s legacy are working together. "I look forward to visiting Ukraine and meeting Ukrainian (and Russian) actors and directors to exchange ideas on Chekhov. His work should provoke a greater understanding of all that we have in common," he said. Chekhov died in 1904 after which his estate was turned into a museum in 1921. PTI