Product Description

Anton Chekhov is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of short stories. He constructs stories where action and drama are implied rather than described openly, and which leave much to the reader's imagination. This collection contains some of the most important of his earliest and shortest comic sketches, as well as examples of his great, mature works. Throughout, the doctor-turned-writer displays compassion for human suffering and misfortune, but is always able to see the comical, even farcical aspects of the human condition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #85029 in Books
• Published on: 1996-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

About the Author
With an Introduction and Notes by Joe Andrew, Professor of Russian Literature, Keele University

Customer Reviews

Bad translation
The subtlety and Delicacy fo Chekhov's writing disappeared in the really crude translation. OK the book is very cheap but you might do better to pay a bit more and get nearer to what the writer really intended.

A great book to travel with
Deep snow, blizzards, isolated inns peopled by swaddled babouchkas holding oil lamps, peeking through frosted window panes. Lonely train stations on the route to somewhere, peasants in 'straw shoes' driving horse and carts to remote places at the dead of night. An era when the horse was prized as the only way to get from place to place. If you like this evocative background you will like these stories. At only £1.99 and a handy little book you can put in your pocket it is a great travel companion, ideally for the trans siberian railway in the middle of winter. 24 stories and my favourite is 'Champagne' as true today as ever and the same story is repeated in a different format every week in the News of the World. I read that one 3 times.

Comic and tragic vignettes
Despite the full title, these are not really full stories for the most part. Indeed, there are 24 stories in 180 pages. They are, as the sub-title says, stories of Russian life; or, more specifically, they are sketches or vignettes, many only 3-5 pages, depicting a wide range of Russian characters. As such, although mostly comically engaging and sometimes tragic, few really stand out, the ones doing so most for me being At Home, about a father's relationship with his seven year old son, and the tragic conclusion to In the Ravine.