Stories of Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov is possibly better known as a playwright rather than a writer of short fiction but his contribution to world literature is probably greater as a writer of so called short stories. Some of the them are extremely short; some are somewhat long; and some are very long. This book does not contain any of the longest stories, but it does cover stories that he wrote over his entire lifetime. I came to Chekhov because he was a great influence on one of Russia's great 20th century writers, Vasily Grossman. Chekov changed the history of the short story. In a letter to his older brother, Alxander, in May 1886 he set forth the principles which he thought made for a good story: "Absence of lengthy verbiage of a political-social-economic nature; 2.total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects;4. extreme brevity; 5.audacity and originality:flee the stereotype; 6.compassion. According to Richard Pevear the author of the Introduction and one of the translators of this volume, "this is a remarkably complete description of Chekhov's artistic practice. Authorial commentary, if not entirely absent, is kept to an absolute minimum. The most ordinary events, a few trivial details, a few words spoken, no plot, a focus on single gestures, minor features, the creation of a mood that is both precise and somehow elusive -- such is Chekhov's impressionism. . . .Chekhov's way of composition wordlessly extends the limited scope of the story by means of juxtaposition, alternation, simultaneity, that is, by means of a new kind of poetic logic. His art is constructive not in a narrative but in a musical sense, to borrow D.S. Mirsky's terms. Not that he wrote 'musical' prose; on the contrary, his language is perhaps the plainest in Russian literature; but he built his stories by musical means -- curves, repetitions, modulations, intersecting tones, unexpected resolutions. Their essence, as Mirsky says, is not development but envelopment in a state of soul. They are 'lyric constructions.'"Chekhov's originality offended the establishment critics of the day. For decades works of literature had been judged by critics dominated by political ideologists who demanded that literature be useful and have a social message. Tolstoy was even infected with these beliefs. According to Pevear, Chekov's impressionism was seen as a form of "art for art's sake, a denial of the writer's social role and a threat to the doctrine of realism." It is my own belief that Chekhov's techniques make his stories very realistic. His characters act, speak and think realisticly. They are people from all over Russia and from all walks of life. His characters are confronted with all the difficulties of living life in late 19th century Russia, and they range from foolish to intelligent and good to evil. Many of his characters are part of the Russian Orthodox Church hierarchy, which Chekhov was very familar with from his youth. All of the stories in this volume are good and some of them are blockbusters. My favorites are "A Boring Story," "Ward No.6," "In the Ravine," and "The Bishop." I must also tell you that while he was writing short stories and plays Chekov was also treating patients, building schools for peasants, and a clinic. He also investigated and reported on the primitive conditions at Sakhalin Island prison. He did all this while suffering from tuberculosis. He died at the age of 44 in 1904, while visiting a spa in Germany.

I enjoyed most of these stories very much. The writing is superb with amazing visual imagery and character development in short story form.

This is a compilation of short stories, mostly on the subject of death and disillusionment. Chekhov’s characters are average academics or commonplace countryfolk, generally tragic and apathetic persons battling their own obscurity and the gradual narrowing of options as one grows older - old age, depression, declining health, loss of love, loss of loved ones, etc. In this way the appeal of his writing is universal.The stories themselves richly describe the lives of ordinary Russians in the late 1800’s. They are portraits and mini-plots plucked out of space and time that resonate with age-old human problems. They grip you with the narrative of real people as they experience life, often in the stream of consciousness style. He peers into the minds of people that lived 120 years ago. His characterization is so vital, one almost feels these personalities sitting alive in the room. It is these snapshots into the thought life, the manner of speaking of people long ago, that pulls you in. The translation is very good. I found the language simple, direct and engaging.Be aware however that some of the tales initially come across as meaningless and pointless. They go nowhere, are instantly forgettable. I would say a full half of the stories are dull in this way: there is even one titled “A boring story”.Chekhov’s writing often seems to be a long and constant wrestle with Christianity. Almost every story vibrates with religious echoes. His apparent questioning and criticism of the church is typical of late 19th century European literature. Stalin used to enjoy reading Chekhov, and his writings were used to help justify communism and the persecution of the church. One should be reminded that millions of Christians were dispossessed and killed under Communism as “undesirables”. Academics have argued however that it is unclear which side of the fence he was on. Certainly at times it is hard to pin down whether he is attacking orthodoxy or merely turning it over in his mind, but there are moments when the author subtly yet unmistakably upholds the authority of the bible as regards the nature of life and eternity.

I am a little hesitant to admit that I am new to the works of Anton Chekhov. I consider myself a well read person but for some reason Chekhov had never come into my reading orbit. That is until now, and boy am I dissapointed that I haven't found him sooner. I love the great Russian writers. I've read and fell in love with Tolstoy, consider Dostoevsky to be one of my favorite writers, and have recently got into Gogol. The stories of Anton Chekhov are for me some of the best short stories I've ever read. Prior to reading Chekhov, Flannery O'Connor was my go to gal for short stories. Chekhov however crafts sentences so beautifully, and describes things so wonderfully that it truly is astonishing the amount of power he can pack inside his stories in so short a time. Some of my favorites were "The Huntsman", "a Boring Story" and "The Death of a Clerk.". Not only are these stories varied, but they deal with many different aspects and people that you encounter through life. Whether they be priests, children, woman, the poor, or even the well to do. From the first few sentences Chekhov casts a spell that is only broken once the story ends. Even then the story lingers in your mind as you contemplate the excuisite mastery of the language as well as the thought provoking issues nestled beneath. After reading these stories it left me wanting more. I hope to go on and read some of his short novels and plays, but for now I can't recommend enough the the stories of Anton Chekhov!

I have known Chekhov's plays for many years, he reimagined dramatic theatre for the 20th century and is one of the greatest playwrights of all time. Playwright Bernard Shaw once said the experience of reading Chekhov's plays made him want to rip up his own plays because they were so good. Chekhov's plays are so popular with theatre goers your lucky if you can get a theatre ticket to see one because they have usually sold out within minutes. So what's the alternative if you can't get a theatre ticket to see a Chekhov play? You could read his plays of course or you could watch a film or television adaptation of his plays on Dvd. I became aware this year from purchasing this book that Chekhov is also regarded as the greatest short story writer of all time. Reading this book has confirmed my suspicions that Anton Chekhov was a genius. His sentences are careful, elegant, beautiful and artistic with deep perceptions about the human condition. No one was writing literature like this in the 19th century. His short stories and his plays changed and influenced the course of literature in the 20th century and he did it in a way that seemed almost effortless. Chekhov I think dabbled in drugs and alcohol, there's an air of Wilkie Collins in his writing style. Take for example the character of Masha in Chekhovs second play The Seagull, who in her boring life takes drugs and alcohol to pass the time and Chekhov was also a doctor, so he would have had access to morphine and other such drugs. The short story I found most interesting in this collection was The Black Monk were a character called Kovrin, who is also a genius, has a vision were a whirlwind appears and materialises into a black monk and starts up a conversation with Kovrin. It's interesting to me that Chekhov uses the word whirlwind before this apparition appears, I on occasion, half asleep, half awake, have had the irritating sensation of a whirlwind round my head which never formed into a apparition thank goodness. I think these are probably the greatest short stories ever written, the only other writer I think that could rival with him in the short story department would be Franz Kafka. The translaters have done a exemplary job with this book, you don't get a sense that you are reading the work of the translater but the writer himself Chekhov. A perfect book to read with a cup of coffee and some chocolate cup cakes, I would recommend it to anyone.

Brilliantly conceived,constructed and executed...the original master of the short story...still remarkably insightful and wise and still possesses the ability to disarm and disorientate...

Some of the greatest short stories ever written by the author who defined the genre. It's an astonishing collection and a superb translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky. It really doesn't get any better than this.

The book is advertised as being illustrated, but there are no illustrations!

Chekhov is one of my favorite writers. This selection of his stories is the book I keep at my bed side shelf, pick it up anytime and start reading from any page that opens. I am never tired of chekhov,he is never stale.I like the title cover also but for the label like patch in one corner. Wish it was not there. Nevertheless it's the contents that matter not the patch.