Product Description

As an internationally acclaimed playwright who is also proficient in Russian, Michael Frayn is ideally placed to offer us a wholly accurate yet modern and playable translation of Chekhov's classic play. For this edition he has also provided a full introduction and a chronology of Chekhov's life and works.Michael Frayn's "ambition in translating the piece was to recreate for an English audience the naturalness and 'glancing eloquence' of the original, and I think he succeeds completely" Spectator Frayn's translation "is full o those little liberties and intimacies of ordinary speech which override grammar and syntax and betray moods of ordinary people and the impulses of the heart" Daily Telegraph

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #517324 in Books
• Published on: 1983-10-13
• Original language: Russian
• Binding: Paperback
• 90 pages

About the Author
Michael Frayn's work for the stage includes Alphabetical Order, Make and Break and Noises Off, all of which received Best Comedy of the Year awards, while Benefactors was named Best Play of the Year. His other works include Democracy (National Theatre and West End prior to Broadway) and Copenhagen (winner of numerous awards including the Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Best Play Awards 1998). He has translated Chekhov's four last plays and is also a novelist and recipient of the Whitbread Prize for Best Novel for Spies.

Customer Reviews

Love the play AND the edition
The play is wonderful, but what I want to review is this edition - Michael Frayn's translation is excellent and the introduction is really fascinating as well as invaluable if you're studying the text for Theatre Studies or Drama. Nick Worrall provides a commentary looking at the themes of the play, Chekhov's background and theatre in the early 20th century, various (and varied) critical opinions and descriptions of past productions of the play (a life-saver!). He writes unpretentiously, clearly and with an fantastic understanding of the play

"Three Sisters" - Good book, nothing without a good reader.
Imagination is the key to enjoying this book. Reading between the lines and reading deeply into the characters, making comparasomes to yourself will make this one of the best books you will ever have read. The translation from Russian is adequote in expressing the characters and asserting their personalities however, don't expect this translation to be a perfect match to what Chekhov was writing since much of the translators own views of the play are asserted through the translation.

A clever play
This play can be read on so many levels. I take it to represent the art of conversation. If you pay close attention the play seems to focus on it's characters' intrinsic inclination to speak over eachother.
In addition it highlights the 3 sisters' (Masha, Irini ang Olga) longing for what they do not have. It's like the Russian equivalent of the American dream. The characters long for a better future.
But is this play a comedy or a tragedy?