Anton Chekhov

<p>Anton Chekhov’s only collection of crime and mystery stories.</p> <p>Considered one of the greatest dramatists of all time, Anton Chekhov began his literary career as a crime and mystery writer. Scattered throughout periodicals and literary journals from 1880-1890, these early psychological suspense stories provide a fresh look into Chekhov’s literary heritage and his formative years as a writer. In stories like "A Night in the Cemetery," "Night of Horror," and "Murder," not only will Chekhov’s dark humor and twisted crimes satisfy even the most hardboiled of mystery fans, readers will again appreciate the penetrating, absurdist insight into the human condition that only Chekhov can bring. Whether it is the death of a young amateur playwright at the hands of an editor who hates bad writing, or a drunken civil servant who ends up trapped in a graveyard, these stories overflow with the unforgettable characters and unique sensibility that continue to make Chekhov one of the most fascinating figures in literature.</p> <p>Anton Chekhov’s only collection of crime and mystery stories.</p> <p>Considered one of the greatest dramatists of all time, Anton Chekhov began his literary career as a crime and mystery writer. Scattered throughout periodicals and literary journals from 1880-1890, these early psychological suspense stories provide a fresh look into Chekhov’s literary heritage and his formative years as a writer. In stories like "A Night in the Cemetery," "Night of Horror," and "Murder," not only will Chekhov’s dark humor and twisted crimes satisfy even the most hardboiled of mystery fans, readers will again appreciate the penetrating, absurdist insight into the human condition that only Chekhov can bring. Whether it is the death of a young amateur playwright at the hands of an editor who hates bad writing, or a drunken civil servant who ends up trapped in a graveyard, these stories overflow with the unforgettable characters and unique sensibility that continue to make Chekhov one of the most fascinating figures in literature.</p> <p>Anton Chekhov's only collection of crime and mystery stories.Considered one of the greatest dramatists of all time, Anton Chekhov began his literary career as a crime and mystery writer. Scattered throughout periodicals and literary journals from 1880-1890, these early psychological suspense stories provide a fresh look into Chekhov's literary heritage and his formative years as a writer.<br/><br/>In stories like "A Night in the Cemetery," "Night of Horror," and "Murder," not only will Chekhov's dark humor and twisted crimes satisfy even the most hardboiled of mystery fans, readers will again appreciate the penetrating, absurdist insight into the human condition that only Chekhov can bring. Whether it is the death of a young amateur playwright at the hands of an editor who hates bad writing, or a drunken civil servant who ends up trapped in a graveyard, these stories overflow with the unforgettable characters and unique sensibility that continue to make Chekhov one of the most...

When Gurov sees the lady with the little dog on a windswept promenade, he knows he must have her. But she is different from his other flings – he cannot forget her ... Chekhov’s stories are of lost love, love at the wrong time and love that can never be. United by the theme of love, the writings in the Great Loves series span over two thousand years and vastly different worlds. Readers will be introduced to love’s endlessly fascinating possibilities and extremities: romantic love, platonic love, erotic love, gay love, virginal love, adulterous love, parental love, filial love, nostalgic love, unrequited love, illicit love, not to mention lost love, twisted and obsessional love...

<div> <p>Written in France toward the end of his career, these stories are Chekhov's only attempt at the linked collection. "A Man in a Shell" is a grotesque Gogolian comedy; "Gooseberries" a narrator's impassioned response; and "About Love" a poignant story of failed relationships. Translated by the impeccable David Helwig and fabulously illustrated by Seth, <em>About Love </em>is essential for any Chekhov enthusiast.</p> <p>David Helwig is the author of twenty volumes of fiction and fourteen volumes of poetry, an Officer of the Order of Canada, and former poet laureate of Prince Edward Island. </p> <p>Written in France toward the end of his career, these stories are Chekhov's only attempt at the linked collection. "A Man in a Shell" is a grotesque Gogolian comedy; "Gooseberries" a narrator's impassioned response; and "About Love" a poignant story of failed relationships. Translated by the impeccable David Helwig and fabulously illustrated by Seth, About Love is essential for any Chekhov enthusiast. </p> <p>David Helwig is the author of twenty volumes of fiction and fourteen volumes of poetry, an Officer of the Order of Canada, and former poet laureate of Prince Edward Island.</p></div> <p>Three of Chekhov's lesser-known stories, now beautifully rendered into English by novelist David Helwig. Sublimely illustrated by Seth.</p>

Because Chekhov’s plays convey the universally recognizable, sometimes comic, sometimes dramatic, frustrations of decent people trying to make sense of their lives, they remain as fresh and vigorous as when they were written a century ago. Gathered here in superb new renderings by one of the most highly regarded translators of our time—versions that have been staged throughout the United States, Canada, and Great Britain—are Chekhov’s four essential masterpieces for the theater.

Anton Chekhov is considered to be among literature’s greatest short story writers, whilst his plays helped change the course of modern drama. This comprehensive eBook presents the complete works of Anton Chekhov, with numerous illustrations, rare texts appearing in digital print for the first time, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 6)* Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Chekhov’s life and works* Concise introductions to the plays and other texts* ALL 15 plays, each with individual contents tables* Rare plays like PLATONOV and THE WOOD DEMON appearing here for the first time digital publishing* Excellent formatting of the texts* The complete short stories – over 210 tales, first time available complete in English* Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the short stories* Easily locate the short stories you want to read* Chekhov’s only novel THE SHOOTING PARTY, available in no other collection* Also features rare novellas* Includes Chekhov’s letters and notebooks - spend hours exploring the author’s personal correspondence and thoughts* Features a bonus biography - discover Chekhov’s literary life* Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres* UPDATED with revised texts, introductions and more imagesPlease note: there are no translations of THE ISLAND OF SAKHALIN available in the public domain. Once a translation becomes available, it will be added to the eBook as a free update.Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titlesCONTENTS:The PlaysPLATONOVON THE HIGH ROADON THE HARMFULNESS OF TOBACCOSWANSONGIVANOFFTHE BEARTHE PROPOSALA RELUCTANT HEROTHE WEDDINGTHE WOOD DEMONTHE ANNIVERSARYTHE SEA-GULLUNCLE VANYATHE THREE SISTERSTHE CHERRY ORCHARDThe NovelTHE SHOOTING PARTYThe Short StoriesCHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF SHORT STORIESALPHABETICAL LIST OF SHORT STORIESThe NovellasTHE STEPPETHE DUELAN ANONYMOUS STORYTHREE YEARSMY LIFEThe Non-FictionLETTERS OF ANTON CHEKHOV TO HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDSNOTE-BOOK OF ANTON CHEKHOVThe BiographyBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH by Constance Garnett

One of the foremost dramatists of the 19th century, Russian author Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) created a body of work noted for its realistic dialogue and keen insights into human relationships. This collection of five one-act plays — in the celebrated Constance Garnett translations — shows Chekhov at his witty best. *The Anniversary* takes a lively look behind the frenetic scenes at a bank: a man overburdened with errands from friends and family gives a nearly maddened but ludicrous account of his chores and obligations in *An Unwilling Martyr* ; and *The Wedding* depicts scenes from a wedding reception in which the mother of the bride assumes affected airs and deals with quarrelsome guests. In *The Bear,* a virtuous, spirited widow is pressed to repay a debt and ends up receiving an offer of marriage. *The Proposal* depicts the trauma of a would-be suitor who winds up in a wrangle over property. Theater lovers, students of drama and literature, and other readers, as well as amateur and professional groups performing these popular works, will welcome this convenient, inexpensive collection of comic gems by one of the masters of modern drama.

Anton Chekhov was a master whose daring work revolutionized theater, and this was as true of Ivanov, his first full-length play, as of The Cherry Orchard, his last. Building on the success of his acclaimed adaptation of The Seagull, Tom Stoppard returns to Chekhov and the themes of bitter social satire, personal introspection, and the electrifying atmosphere of Russia on the brink of change. In these two new versions, Stoppard brings his crisp and nimble style to two masterpieces of the modern theater. Ivanov is a portrait of a man plagued with self-doubt and despair. Considered one of Chekhov’s most elusive characters, he seeks more in life than the selfabsorption and ennui he sees in his contemporaries. Tormented by falling out of love with his dying Jewish wife, Ivanov, on her death, proposes to the young daughter of his neighbor, but, as the wedding party assembles, a final burst of his habitual indecisivness has fatal results.

In the follow-up to his National Translation Award-winning collection <i>The Undiscovered Chekhov</i>, translator and scholar Peter Constantine brings us more little-known work from the legendary author's early days as a magazine writer, pseudonymously turning out pieces for Russia's small middle class. These stories are fresh, yet mature, snapshots of the style with which Chekhov would come to be associated, both uproariously tragic and darkly comic, and lit from within by a deep fellow feeling for all of humanity. As his readers have come expect, Constantine has translated this work with a masterly command of both languages' subtleties, capturing the shadings and intricacies of Chekhov's writing that flash and recede like sunlight on an orchard, offering Chekhov's tough and amused perspectives on daily phenomena like love, aging, class, and work. With moments that seem to presage the most contemporary writing, Chekhov's <i>Little Apples</i> reveals one of the world's greatest...

The ever maturing art and ever more ambitious imaginative reach of Anton Chekhov, one of the world's greatest masters of the short story, led him in his last years to an increasingly profound exploration of the troubled depths of Russian society and life. This powerful and revealing selection from Chekhov's final works, made by the legendary American critic Edmund Wilson, offers stories of novelistic richness and complexity, published in the only formatp edition to present them in chronological order. Table of ContentsA Woman's KingdomThree YearsThe MurderMy LifePeasantsThe New VillaIn the RavineThe BishopBetrothed

Anton Chekhov wrote that "narrative is my legal wife and drama a flamboyant, rowdy, impudent, exhausting mistress. " At a time when the Russian stage was dominated by farces, formulaic melodramas, and vaudevilles, Chekhov created plays that focused on characters grappling with moral questions. His works baffled his audiences, but his sensitive explorations of love, loss, and time as well as his portrayal of complex characters and ambiguities, revolutionized the theater with an exhilarating new form of drama. This volume includes new translations, full explanatory notes, a chronology, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary, as well as an introduction by eminent Chekhov scholar Richard Gilman.

<p class="description">SUMMARY:<br>The Death of a ClerkOne fine evening the no less fine office manager Ivan Dmitrich Cherviakov1 was sitting in the second row of the stalls, watching The Bells of Corneville2 through opera glasses. He watched and felt himself at the height of bliss. But suddenly . . . This "but suddenly" occurs often in stories. The authors are right: life is so full of the unexpected! But suddenly his face wrinkled, his eyes rolled, his breath stopped . . . he put down the opera glasses, bent forward, and . . . ah-choo!!! As you see, he sneezed. Sneezing is not prohibited to anyone anywhere. Peasants sneeze, police chiefs sneeze, sometimes even privy councillors sneeze. Everybody sneezes. Cherviakov, not embarrassed in the least, wiped his nose with his handkerchief and, being a polite man, looked around to see whether his sneezing had disturbed anyone. And now he did become embarrassed. He saw that the little old man sitting in front of him in the first row of the stalls was carefully wiping his bald head and neck with his glove and muttering something. Cherviakov recognized the little old man as General Brizzhalov,3 who served in the Department of Transportation."I sprayed him!" thought Cherviakov. "He's not my superior, he serves elsewhere, but still it's awkward. I must apologize."Cherviakov coughed, leaned forward, and whispered in the general's ear:"Excuse me, Yr'xcellency, I sprayed you . . . I accidentally . . .""Never mind, never mind . . .""For God's sake, excuse me. I . . . I didn't mean it!""Ah, do sit down, please! Let me listen!"Cherviakov became embarrassed, smiled stupidly, and began looking at the stage. He looked, but felt no more bliss. Anxiety began to torment him. In the intermission he went up to Brizzhalov, walked around him, and, overcoming his timidity, murmured:"I sprayed you, Yr'xcellency . . . Forgive me . . . I . . . it's not that I . . .""Ah, come now . . . I've already forgotten, and you keep at it!" said the general, impatiently twitching his lower lip."Forgotten, but there's malice in his eyes," thought Cherviakov, glancing suspiciously at the general. "He doesn't even want to talk. I must explain to him that I really didn't mean it . . . that it's a law of nature, otherwise he'll think I wanted to spit. If he doesn't think so now, he will later! . . ."On returning home, Cherviakov told his wife about his rudeness. His wife, it seemed to him, treated the incident much too lightly. She merely got frightened, but then, on learning that Brizzhalov served "elsewhere," she calmed down."But all the same you should go and apologize," she said. "He might think you don't know how to behave in public!""That's just it! I apologized, but he was somehow strange . . . Didn't say a single sensible word. And then there was no time to talk."The next day Cherviakov put on a new uniform, had his hair cut, and went to Brizzhalov to explain . . . Going into the general's reception room, he saw many petitioners there, and among them was the general himself, who had already begun to receive petitions. Having questioned several petitioners, the general raised his eyes to Cherviakov."Yesterday, in the Arcadia, if you recall, Yr'xcellency," the office manager began, "I sneezed, sir, and . . . accidentally sprayed you . . . Forg . . .""Such trifles . . . God knows! Can I be of help to you?" the general addressed the next petitioner."He doesn't want to talk!" thought Cherviakov, turning pale. "That means he's angry . . . No, it can't be left like this . . . I'll explain to him . . ."When the general finished his discussion with the last petitioner and headed for the inner rooms, Cherviakov followed him and murmured:"Yr'xcellency! If I venture to trouble Yr'xcellency, it's precisely, I might say, from a feeling of repentance! . . . It wasn't on purpose, you know that yourself, sir!"The general made a tearful face and waved his hand."You must be joking, my dear sir!" he said, disappearing behind the door."What kind of joke is it?" thought Cherviakov. "This is no kind of joke at all! A general, yet he can't understand! If that's the way it is, I won't apologize to the swaggerer any more! Devil take him! I'll write him a letter, but I won't come myself! By God, I won't!"So Cherviakov thought, walking home. He wrote no letter to the general. He thought and thought, and simply could not think up that letter. So the next day he had to go himself and explain."I came yesterday to trouble Yr'xcellency," he began to murmur, when the general raised his questioning eyes to him, "not for a joke, as you were pleased to say. I was apologizing for having sneezed and sprayed you, sir . . . and I never even thought of joking. Would I dare joke with you? If we start joking, soon there won't be any respect for persons . . . left . . .""Get out!!" barked the general, suddenly turning blue and shaking."What, sir?" Cherviakov asked in a whisper, sinking with terror."Get out!!" the general repeated, stamping his feet.Something in Cherviakov's stomach snapped. Seeing nothing, hearing nothing, he backed his way to the door, went out, and plodded off . . . Reaching home mechanically, without taking off his uniform, he lay down on the sofa and . . . died.July 18831. The name Cherviakov comes from the Russian word cherviak ("worm").2. A popular operetta by French composer Robert Planquette (1843-1903).3. The name Brizzhalov suggests a combination of bryzgat ("to spray") and briuzzhat ("to grumble").From the Trade Paperback edition.</p> SUMMARY: The Death of a ClerkOne fine evening the no less fine office manager Ivan Dmitrich Cherviakov1 was sitting in the second row of the stalls, watching The Bells of Corneville2 through opera glasses. He watched and felt himself at the height of bliss. But suddenly . . . This "but suddenly" occurs often in stories. The authors are right: life is so full of the unexpected! But suddenly his face wrinkled, his eyes rolled, his breath stopped . . . he put down the opera glasses, bent forward, and . . . ah-choo!!! As you see, he sneezed. Sneezing is not prohibited to anyone anywhere. Peasants sneeze, police chiefs sneeze, sometimes even privy councillors sneeze. Everybody sneezes. Cherviakov, not embarrassed in the least, wiped his nose with his handkerchief and, being a polite man, looked around to see whether his sneezing had disturbed anyone. And now he did become embarrassed. He saw that the little old man sitting in front of him in the first row of the stalls was carefully wiping his bald head and neck with his glove and muttering something. Cherviakov recognized the little old man as General Brizzhalov,3 who served in the Department of Transportation."I sprayed him!" thought Cherviakov. "He's not my superior, he serves elsewhere, but still it's awkward. I must apologize."Cherviakov coughed, leaned forward, and whispered in the general's ear:"Excuse me, Yr'xcellency, I sprayed you . . . I accidentally . . .""Never mind, never mind . . .""For God's sake, excuse me. I . . . I didn't mean it!""Ah, do sit down, please! Let me listen!"Cherviakov became embarrassed, smiled stupidly, and began looking at the stage. He looked, but felt no more bliss. Anxiety began to torment him. In the intermission he went up to Brizzhalov, walked around him, and, overcoming his timidity, murmured:"I sprayed you, Yr'xcellency . . . Forgive me . . . I . . . it's not that I . . .""Ah, come now . . . I've already forgotten, and you keep at it!" said the general, impatiently twitching his lower lip."Forgotten, but there's malice in his eyes," thought Cherviakov, glancing suspiciously at the general. "He doesn't even want to talk. I must explain to him that I really didn't mean it . . . that it's a law of nature, otherwise he'll think I wanted to spit. If he doesn't think so now, he will later! . . ."On returning home, Cherviakov told his wife about his rudeness. His wife, it seemed to him, treated the incident much too lightly. She merely got frightened, but then, on learning that Brizzhalov served "elsewhere," she calmed down."But all the same you should go and apologize," she said. "He might think you don't know how to behave in public!""That's just it! I apologized, but he was somehow strange . . . Didn't say a single sensible word. And then there was no time to talk."The next day Cherviakov put on a new uniform, had his hair cut, and went to Brizzhalov to explain . . . Going into the general's reception room, he saw many petitioners there, and among them was the general himself, who had already begun to receive petitions. Having questioned several petitioners, the general raised his eyes to Cherviakov."Yesterday, in the Arcadia, if you recall, Yr'xcellency," the office manager began, "I sneezed, sir, and . . . accidentally sprayed you . . . Forg . . .""Such trifles . . . God knows! Can I be of help to you?" the general addressed the next petitioner."He doesn't want to talk!" thought Cherviakov, turning pale. "That means he's angry . . . No, it can't be left like this . . . I'll explain to him . . ."When the general finished his discussion with the last petitioner and headed for the inner rooms, Cherviakov followed him and murmured:"Yr'xcellency! If I venture to trouble Yr'xcellency, it's precisely, I might say, from a feeling of repentance! . . . It wasn't on purpose, you know that yourself, sir!"The general made a tearful face and waved his hand."You must be joking, my dear sir!" he said, disappearing behind the door."What kind of joke is it?" thought Cherviakov. "This is no kind of joke at all! A general, yet he can't understand! If that's the way it is, I won't apologize to the swaggerer any more! Devil take him! I'll write him a letter, but I won't come myself! By God, I won't!"So Cherviakov thought, walking home. He wrote no letter to the general. He thought and thought, and simply could not think up that letter. So the next day he had to go himself and explain."I came yesterday to trouble Yr'xcellency," he began to murmur, when the general raised his questioning eyes to him, "not for a joke, as you were pleased to say. I was apologizing for having sneezed and sprayed you, sir . . . and I never even thought of joking. Would I dare joke with you? If we start joking, soon there won't be any respect for persons . . . left . . .""Get out!!" barked the general, suddenly turning blue and shaking."What, sir?" Cherviakov asked in a whisper, sinking with terror."Get out!!" the general repeated, stamping his feet.Something in Cherviakov's stomach snapped. Seeing nothing, hearing nothing, he backed his way to the door, went out, and plodded off . . . Reaching home mechanically, without taking off his uniform, he lay down on the sofa and . . . died.July 18831. The name Cherviakov comes from the Russian word cherviak ("worm").2. A popular operetta by French composer Robert Planquette (1843-1903).3. The name Brizzhalov suggests a combination of bryzgat ("to spray") and briuzzhat ("to grumble").From the Trade Paperback edition. <p class="description">SUMMARY:<br>The Death of a ClerkOne fine evening the no less fine office manager Ivan Dmitrich Cherviakov1 was sitting in the second row of the stalls, watching The Bells of Corneville2 through opera glasses. He watched and felt himself at the height of bliss. But suddenly . . . This "but suddenly" occurs often in stories. The authors are right: life is so full of the unexpected! But suddenly his face wrinkled, his eyes rolled, his breath stopped . . . he put down the opera glasses, bent forward, and . . . ah-choo!!! As you see, he sneezed. Sneezing is not prohibited to anyone anywhere. Peasants sneeze, police chiefs sneeze, sometimes even privy councillors sneeze. Everybody sneezes. Cherviakov, not embarrassed in the least, wiped his nose with his handkerchief and, being a polite man, looked around to see whether his sneezing had disturbed anyone. And now he did become embarrassed. He saw that the little old man sitting in front of him in the first row of the stalls was carefully wiping his bald head and neck with his glove and muttering something. Cherviakov recognized the little old man as General Brizzhalov,3 who served in the Department of Transportation."I sprayed him!" thought Cherviakov. "He's not my superior, he serves elsewhere, but still it's awkward. I must apologize."Cherviakov coughed, leaned forward, and whispered in the general's ear:"Excuse me, Yr'xcellency, I sprayed you . . . I accidentally . . .""Never mind, never mind . . .""For God's sake, excuse me. I . . . I didn't mean it!""Ah, do sit down, please! Let me listen!"Cherviakov became embarrassed, smiled stupidly, and began looking at the stage. He looked, but felt no more bliss. Anxiety began to torment him. In the intermission he went up to Brizzhalov, walked around him, and, overcoming his timidity, murmured:"I sprayed you, Yr'xcellency . . . Forgive me . . . I . . . it's not that I . . .""Ah, come now . . . I've already forgotten, and you keep at it!" said the general, impatiently twitching his lower lip."Forgotten, but there's malice in his eyes," thought Cherviakov, glancing suspiciously at the general. "He doesn't even want to talk. I must explain to him that I really didn't mean it . . . that it's a law of nature, otherwise he'll think I wanted to spit. If he doesn't think so now, he will later! . . ."On returning home, Cherviakov told his wife about his rudeness. His wife, it seemed to him, treated the incident much too lightly. She merely got frightened, but then, on learning that Brizzhalov served "elsewhere," she calmed down."But all the same you should go and apologize," she said. "He might think you don't know how to behave in public!""That's just it! I apologized, but he was somehow strange . . . Didn't say a single sensible word. And then there was no time to talk."The next day Cherviakov put on a new uniform, had his hair cut, and went to Brizzhalov to explain . . . Going into the general's reception room, he saw many petitioners there, and among them was the general himself, who had already begun to receive petitions. Having questioned several petitioners, the general raised his eyes to Cherviakov."Yesterday, in the Arcadia, if you recall, Yr'xcellency," the office manager began, "I sneezed, sir, and . . . accidentally sprayed you . . . Forg . . .""Such trifles . . . God knows! Can I be of help to you?" the general addressed the next petitioner."He doesn't want to talk!" thought Cherviakov, turning pale. "That means he's angry . . . No, it can't be left like this . . . I'll explain to him . . ."When the general finished his discussion with the last petitioner and headed for the inner rooms, Cherviakov followed him and murmured:"Yr'xcellency! If I venture to trouble Yr'xcellency, it's precisely, I might say, from a feeling of repentance! . . . It wasn't on purpose, you know that yourself, sir!"The general made a tearful face and waved his hand."You must be joking, my dear sir!" he said, disappearing behind the door."What kind of joke is it?" thought Cherviakov. "This is no kind of joke at all! A general, yet he can't understand! If that's the way it is, I won't apologize to the swaggerer any more! Devil take him! I'll write him a letter, but I won't come myself! By God, I won't!"So Cherviakov thought, walking home. He wrote no letter to the general. He thought and thought, and simply could not think up that letter. So the next day he had to go himself and explain."I came yesterday to trouble Yr'xcellency," he began to murmur, when the general raised his questioning eyes to him, "not for a joke, as you were pleased to say. I was apologizing for having sneezed and sprayed you, sir . . . and I never even thought of joking. Would I dare joke with you? If we start joking, soon there won't be any respect for persons . . . left . . .""Get out!!" barked the general, suddenly turning blue and shaking."What, sir?" Cherviakov asked in a whisper, sinking with terror."Get out!!" the general repeated, stamping his feet.Something in Cherviakov's stomach snapped. Seeing nothing, hearing nothing, he backed his way to the door, went out, and plodded off . . . Reaching home mechanically, without taking off his uniform, he lay down on the sofa and . . . died.July 18831. The name Cherviakov comes from the Russian word cherviak ("worm").2. A popular operetta by French composer Robert Planquette (1843-1903).3. The name Brizzhalov suggests a combination of bryzgat ("to spray") and briuzzhat ("to grumble").From the Trade Paperback edition.</p> <p>Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, the highly acclaimed translators of War and Peace, Doctor Zhivago, and Anna Karenina, which was an Oprah Book Club pick and million-copy bestseller, bring their unmatched talents to The Selected Stories of Anton Chekhov, a collection of thirty of Chekhov’s best tales from the major periods of his creative life.   Considered the greatest short story writer, Anton Chekhov changed the genre itself with his spare, impressionistic depictions of Russian life and the human condition. From characteristically brief, evocative early pieces such as “The Huntsman” and the tour de force “A Boring Story,” to his best-known stories such as “The Lady with the Little Dog” and his own personal favorite, “The Student,” Chekhov’s short fiction possesses the transcendent power of art to awe and change the reader. This monumental edition, expertly translated, is especially faithful to the meaning of Chekhov’s prose and the unique rhythms of his writing, giving readers an authentic sense of his style and a true understanding of his greatness.</p> <div><p>Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, the highly acclaimed translators of <em>War and Peace, Doctor Zhivago,</em> and <em>Anna Karenina,</em> which was an Oprah Book Club pick and million-copy bestseller, bring their unmatched talents to <em>The Selected Stories of Anton Chekhov,</em> a collection of thirty of Chekhov’s best tales from the major periods of his creative life.<br><br>Considered the greatest short story writer, Anton Chekhov changed the genre itself with his spare, impressionistic depictions of Russian life and the human condition. From characteristically brief, evocative early pieces such as “The Huntsman” and the tour de force “A Boring Story,” to his best-known stories such as “The Lady with the Little Dog” and his own personal favorite, “The Student,” Chekhov’s short fiction possesses the transcendent power of art to awe and change the reader. This monumental edition, expertly translated, is especially faithful to the meaning of Chekhov’s prose and the unique rhythms of his writing, giving readers an authentic sense of his style and a true understanding of his greatness.<br></p><p><em>From the Trade Paperback edition.</em></p><h3>Review</h3><p>"This is an adagio reading, distinctive and fresh, that returns us to a work we thought we knew, subtly altered and so made new again."<br>-- The Washington Post Book World on the PEN Translation Award -- <br>Winning version of the Brothers Karamazov by Richard Peaver and Larissa Volokhonsky<br></p><p><em>From the Trade Paperback edition.</em></p><h3>Language Notes</h3><p>Text: English (translation)<br>Original Language: Russian </p></div>

150th Anniversary Edition Praised by Tolstoy as an "incomparable artist", Chekov is considered one of the masters of the short story. This collection features twenty of his most noted stories, including The Confession, Ninotchka, and The Cure for Drinking.

“Senelick’s accomplishment is astounding.”—Library Journal Anton Chekhov is a unique force in modern drama, his works cherished for their brilliant wit and insight into the human condition. In this stunning new translation of one of Chekhov’s most popular and beloved plays, Laurence Senelick presents a fresh perspective on the master playwright and his groundbreaking dramas. He brings this timeless trial of art and love to life as memorable characters have clashing desires and lose balance in the shifting eruptions of society and a modernizing Russia. Supplementing the play is an account of Chekhov’s life; a note on the translation; an introduction to the work; and variant lines, often removed due to government censorship, which illuminate the context in which they were written. This edition is the perfect guide to enriching our understanding of this great dramatist or to staging a production.

"The most complete collection of the Russian playwright's repertoire. "—Vogue This stunning new translation presents the only truly complete edition of the plays of one of the greatest dramatists in history. Anton Chekhov is a unique force in modern drama, his works interpreted and adapted internationally and beloved for their brilliant wit and understanding of the human condition. This volume contains work never previously translated, including the newly discovered farce The Power of Hypnotism, the first version of Ivanov, Chekhov's early humorous dialogues, and a description of lost plays and those Chekhov intended to write but never did. **"The most complete collection of the Russian playwright's repertoire."— *Vogue*** This stunning new translation presents the only truly complete edition of the plays of one of the greatest dramatists in history. Anton Chekhov is a unique force in modern drama, his works interpreted and adapted internationally and beloved for their brilliant wit and understanding of the human condition. This volume contains work never previously translated, including the newly discovered farce *The Power of Hypnotism* , the first version of *Ivanov* , Chekhov's early humorous dialogues, and a description of lost plays and those Chekhov intended to write but never did. ### Review "The most complete collection of the Russian playwright's repertoire." Vogue" ### About the Author **Anton Chekhov** was born on January 29, 1860 in Taganrog, Russia. He graduated from the University of Moscow in 1884. Chekhov died of tuberculosis in Germany on July 14, 1904, shortly after his marriage to actress Olga Knipper, and was buried in Moscow. **Laurence Senelick** is the Fletcher Professor of Drama and Oratory at Tufts University and author of more than a dozen books, including the award-winning *The Chekhov Theatre* and *The Changing Room: Sex, Drag, and the Theatre*. He is director of his own translations of Gogol’s *The Inspector General* (1998) and Euripides’ *The Bakkhai* (2001).

Twelve early comedic short stories by the Russian master of the form. An NYRB Classics OriginalThe Prank is Chekhov’s own selection of the best of his early work, the first book he put together and the first book he hoped to publish. Assembled in 1882, with illustrations by Nikolay Chekhov, the book was then presented to the censor for approval—which was denied. Now, more than a hundred and thirty years later, The Prank appears here for the first time in any language. At the start of his twenties, when he was still in medical school, Anton Chekhov was also busily setting himself up as a prolific and popular writer. Appearing in a wide range of periodicals, his shrewd, stinging, funny stories and sketches turned a mocking eye on the mating rituals and money-grubbing habits of the middle classes, the pretensions of aspiring artists and writers, bureaucratic corruption, drunken clowning, provincial ignorance, petty cruelty—on Russian life, in short. Chekhov was already developing his distinctive ear for spoken language, its opacities and evasions, the clichés we shelter behind and the clichés that betray us. The lively stories in The Prank feature both the themes and the characteristic tone that make Chekhov among the most influential and beloved of modern writers.

The Schoolmistress and Other Stories The Tales of Chekhov Vol. IXGrisha, a fat, solemn little person of seven, was standing by the kitchen door listening and peeping through the keyhole. In the kitchen something extraordinary, and in his opinion never seen before, was taking place. A big, thick-set, red-haired peasant, with a beard, and a drop of perspiration on his nose, wearing a cabman's full coat, was sitting at the kitchen table on which they chopped the meat and sliced the onions. He was balancing a saucer on the five fingers of his right hand and drinking tea out of it, and crunching sugar so loudly that it sent a shiver down Grisha's back. Aksinya Stepanovna, the old nurse, was sitting on the dirty stool facing him, and she, too, was drinking tea. Her face was grave, though at the same time it beamed with a kind of triumph. Pelageya, the cook, was busy at the stove, and was apparently trying to hide her face. And on her face Grisha saw a regular illumination: it was burning and shifting through every shade of colour, beginning with a crimson purple and ending with a deathly white. She was continually catching hold of knives, forks, bits of wood, and rags with trembling hands, moving, grumbling to herself, making a clatter, but in reality doing nothing. She did not once glance at the table at which they were drinking tea, and to the questions put to her by the nurse she gave jerky, sullen answers without turning her face. "Help yourself, Danilo Semyonitch," the nurse urged him hospitably. "Why do you keep on with tea and nothing but tea? You should have a drop of vodka!" And nurse put before the visitor a bottle of vodka and a wine-glass, while her face wore a very wily expression. "I never touch it.... No ..." said the cabman, declining. "Don't press me, Aksinya Stepanovna. " "What a man! ...A cabman and not drink! ...A bachelor can't get on without drinking. Help yourself!" The cabman looked askance at the bottle, then at nurse's wily face, and his own face assumed an expression no less cunning, as much as to say, "You won't catch me, you old witch!" "I don't drink please excuse me. Such a weakness does not do in our calling. A man who works at a trade may drink, for he sits at home, but we cabmen are always in view of the public. Aren't we? If one goes into a pothouse one finds one's horse gone if one takes a drop too much it is worse still before you know where you are you will fall asleep or slip off the box. That's where it is. " "And how much do you make a day, Danilo Semyonitch?" "That's according. One day you will have a fare for three roubles, and another day you will come back to the yard without a farthing. The days are very different. Nowadays our business is no good. There are lots and lots of cabmen as you know, hay is dear, and folks are paltry nowadays and always contriving to go by tram. And yet, thank God, I have nothing to complain of. I have plenty to eat and good clothes to wear, and ...we could even provide well for another..." (the cabman stole a glance at Pelageya) "if it were to their liking...." Grisha did not hear what was said further.

“Senelick’s accomplishment is astounding.”—Library Journal Anton Chekhov is a unique force in modern drama, his works cherished for their brilliant wit and insight into the human condition. In this stunning new translation of one of Chekhov’s most popular and beloved plays, Laurence Senelick presents a fresh perspective on the master playwright and his groundbreaking dramas. He brings this timeless trial of art and love to life as memorable characters have clashing desires and lose balance in the shifting eruptions of society and a modernizing Russia. Supplementing the play is an account of Chekhov’s life; a note on the translation; an introduction to the work; and variant lines, often removed due to government censorship, which illuminate the context in which they were written. This edition is the perfect guide to enriching our understanding of this great dramatist or to staging a production.

When a young woman dies during a shooting party at the country estate of a dissolute count, a magistrate is called upon to investigate. The mystery deepens and suspicion falls more widely as it emerges that the dead woman was at the centre of a tangled web of relationships: with her elderly husband, with the lecherous count, and with the magistrate himself...

The Undiscovered Chekhov gives us, in rich abundance, a new Chekhov. Peter Constantine's historic collection presents 38 new stories and with them a fresh interpretation of the Russian master. In contrast to the brooding representative of a dying century we have seen over and over, here is Chekhov's work from the 1880s, when Chekhov was in his twenties and his writing was sharp, witty and innovative. <br>Many of the stories in The Undiscovered Chekhov reveal Chekhov as a keen modernist. Emphasizing impressions and the juxtaposition of incongruent elements, instead of the straight narrative his readers were used to, these stories upturned many of the assumptions of storytelling of the period. <br>Here is "Sarah Bernhardt Comes to Town," written as a series of telegrams, beginning with "Have been drinking to Sarah's health all week! Enchanting! She actually dies standing up!..." In "Confession...," a thirty-nine year old bachelor recounts some of the fifteen times chance foiled his...

These stories from the middle period of Chekhov's career show him exploring complex, ambiguous and often extreme emotions. Influenced by his own experiences as a doctor, 'Ward No. 6', set in a mental hospital, is a savage indictment of the medical profession. 'The Black Monk', portraying an academic who has strange hallucinations, explores ideas of genius and insanity; in 'Murder', religious fervour leads to violence; while in 'The Student', Chekhov's favourite story, a young man recounts a tale from the gospels and undergoes a spiritual epiphany. In all the stories collected here, Chekhov's characters face madness, alienation and frustration before they experience brief, ephemeral moments of insight, often earned at great cost, where they confront the reality of their existence.