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61st out of 283 books
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1,045 voters
Ward No. 6 and Other Stories (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
Ward No. 6 and Other Stories, by Anton Chekhov, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics (1899), as well as several lesser-known works, no less masterful in their composition. David Plante is a Professor of Writing at Columbia University. He is the author of many novels, including The Ghost of Henry James, The Family (nominated for the National Book Award), and The Woods...more
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
July 1st 2003
by Barnes & Noble Classics
(first published 1892)
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Прекрасная повесть о торжестве невежества над разумом...
Кто как не Чехов сможет так тонко и просто передать столь глубокие и мудрые мысли и заставить своих читателей взглянуть на жизнь с другой стороны.
Кто как не Чехов сможет так тонко и просто передать столь глубокие и мудрые мысли и заставить своих читателей взглянуть на жизнь с другой стороны.
Sastra satir dari Chekov. Memuat kritik-kritik sosial yang menggunakan permajasan. Hal ini dilakukan bisa jadi dari cermin kerasnya belenggu besi Tsar Russia yang tak segan-segan membuang/memberangus para penentangnya.
Chekov yang berlatar pendidikan dokter sangat pas sekali menampilkan kondisi sosial di awal abad 20. Ketertindasan rakyat lapis bawah, kondisi tahanan di kota pembuangan, korupsi kaum bangsawan, dipaparkannya dalam bentuk cerpen. Tak heran, dirinya dijuluki si Raja Cerpen dan diak...more
Chekov yang berlatar pendidikan dokter sangat pas sekali menampilkan kondisi sosial di awal abad 20. Ketertindasan rakyat lapis bawah, kondisi tahanan di kota pembuangan, korupsi kaum bangsawan, dipaparkannya dalam bentuk cerpen. Tak heran, dirinya dijuluki si Raja Cerpen dan diak...more
Serious Book Club, my selection *5 out of 5 stars
Still have 3 stories to finish -
I have always hated short stories and Chekhov has cured me. From the first "The Cook's Wedding" and on I am mesmerized. The author can take any universal theme and work magic in a few pages while I have been reading books doing the same thing sometines badly in over 800 pages. Granted with most authors you are happy to read that many pages but with Chekhov it it satisfying that he addressed adultery or poverty in 30...more
Still have 3 stories to finish -
I have always hated short stories and Chekhov has cured me. From the first "The Cook's Wedding" and on I am mesmerized. The author can take any universal theme and work magic in a few pages while I have been reading books doing the same thing sometines badly in over 800 pages. Granted with most authors you are happy to read that many pages but with Chekhov it it satisfying that he addressed adultery or poverty in 30...more
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Jul 28, 2011
Anatoli
added it
"El pabellón número 6"
Parece ser que Dostoyevski decía, de manera pragmática e irónica, que sólo sabía que no estaba loco porque no estaba encerrado en un manicomio. Chejov, en este extraordinario relato, nos sumerge en el inquietante carácter ubicuo de la locura al que la sociedad intenta hacer frente mediante el levantamiento de barreras que delimitan lo normal, lo racional, lo moralmente aceptable frente a lo Otro de la locura, una fuerza oscura aún no configurada por los mecanismos de poder...more
Parece ser que Dostoyevski decía, de manera pragmática e irónica, que sólo sabía que no estaba loco porque no estaba encerrado en un manicomio. Chejov, en este extraordinario relato, nos sumerge en el inquietante carácter ubicuo de la locura al que la sociedad intenta hacer frente mediante el levantamiento de barreras que delimitan lo normal, lo racional, lo moralmente aceptable frente a lo Otro de la locura, una fuerza oscura aún no configurada por los mecanismos de poder...more
I just can't say enough. Probably THE ONE, truly, who impacted 20th century writing style. His philosophy toward the craft is quite interesting whether one agrees or not.
One can see Chekhov in Mansfield's writings, as well.
The intro's, just from a purely writing POV, are subject for study and admiration for any writer. Situation, character, and tone usually are established with one line.
The scene with "the pickle" in Ward No. 8 st...more Wow !
I just can't say enough. Probably THE ONE, truly,...more
One can see Chekhov in Mansfield's writings, as well.
The intro's, just from a purely writing POV, are subject for study and admiration for any writer. Situation, character, and tone usually are established with one line.
The scene with "the pickle" in Ward No. 8 st...more Wow !
I just can't say enough. Probably THE ONE, truly,...more
I am naturally drawn to the negative. It’s a character trait that I have been trying to change over the last decade. But this gravity towards the negative has had one positive impact, when I give props, you can rest assured that it is from the heart. And I’m going to give a props, but not to Anton Chekhov. My Dad is a lover of the good short story and has passed that onto me and in this day of mass produced James Patterson and DiVinci Code spin offs, the short story has been relegated to the loc...more
What stands out about Chekhov for me is the imagery in his stories. Even several years after reading the pieces here, I can still vividly picture many of their scenes in my mind.
Chekhov's characters are so lifelike that they become familiar as old friends; the weary man and his daughter in a plain tavern room (On the Road), the monk lamenting the death of his friend while crossing the river Goltva (Easter Eve), the Doctor who is obsessed with suffering and tricked into becoming a resident of hi...more
Chekhov's characters are so lifelike that they become familiar as old friends; the weary man and his daughter in a plain tavern room (On the Road), the monk lamenting the death of his friend while crossing the river Goltva (Easter Eve), the Doctor who is obsessed with suffering and tricked into becoming a resident of hi...more
The title story concerns itself with country doctor Ragin who would rather talk philosophy with mental patients in Ward Six than round on his other cases. Enter an upstart new doctor Khobotov fresh from the city, who covets Ragin's easy practice. Over time, townspeople start to wonder whether Ragin's prolonged association with the mental patients signifies that he himself may actually be mentally ill. The brilliance of the storytelling is in the uncertainties... could Ragin actually be mentally...more
ward No.6 is amazing ...Its so interesting that a useless doctor is going to end up in the same lunatic hospital with his only mad friend Ivan that he used to treat him and even he is going to meet his final fate there i.e beaten to death by his own assistant ..
Doctor :
"What a wilderness fate has carried us to, though, really! What's most vexatious of all is to have to die here. Ech! . ."Scene 12-p.62
Mihail :
"I must own I doubt it too. And yet I have a feeling as though I should never die. Oh,...more
Doctor :
"What a wilderness fate has carried us to, though, really! What's most vexatious of all is to have to die here. Ech! . ."Scene 12-p.62
Mihail :
"I must own I doubt it too. And yet I have a feeling as though I should never die. Oh,...more
طريقة تشيخوف عظيمة جداً ! أعجبتني الرواية و المقدرة الهائلة على مزج المرارة بالضحك فتتمثل الحياة كاملة في بضع صفحات
El libro tiene 22 cuentos, hay de todo, típicas depresiones rusas, historias de amor y hasta tragicomedias. Me gusta muchísimo como escribe Chéjov: incluye opiniones sin perder la naturalidad en la narración, sabe manipular al lector, escribe desde la perspectiva humana.
Sin lugar a dudas El Pabellón No.6 es lo más grande del libro, lloré y reí, pero le tomé cariño a dos cuentos: Relato de la Señora N. N. y La Dama del Perrito.
La edición que leí es de 1967, espero que la traducción haya sido co...more
Sin lugar a dudas El Pabellón No.6 es lo más grande del libro, lloré y reí, pero le tomé cariño a dos cuentos: Relato de la Señora N. N. y La Dama del Perrito.
La edición que leí es de 1967, espero que la traducción haya sido co...more
كما هي قصص تشيخوف دوماً، عميقة، مؤلمة، وجميلة
Chekhov is definitely an acquired taste and isn't for everyone. Chekhov tries to portray life as realistically as possible much like a landscape painter. He avoids symbolism, allegory, and the all the tools that literature professors use to "dissect" books. In Chekhov what you see is what you get. Chekhov is careful never to reveal his opinions or let a character speak for his morals. He attempts to remain totally neutral on all topics. In his career he deviated from this only twice, once to att...more
Last month when I was reading Gary Shteyngart’s entertaining Super Sad True Love Story, he made a reference to an Anton Chekhov short story that I was unfamiliar with, “Three Lives.” So I sought out the collection it was in, Ward No.6 and Other Stories and read it. However, since I’ve read only a couple of his stories in anthologies over the years I decided to read the rest of the stories in the collection. Overall, I think he has a great ability to describe people and their shortcomings and con...more
I've learned a lot from reading Chekhov over the past few weeks in terms of how short stories work. It seems in modern short stories action happens quickly and the author comes speeding toward the endpoint from the first sentence. There are workshops devoted to crafting that first sentence even. Other times, there are these "slice of life" stories which tend to be a little, well for lack of a better word, boring. Chekhov could fall under that category, except there tends to be more going on in h...more
This collection of short stories was recommended to me through another book that I had read (Prose) that was loosely about how writers write, and how to better appreciate their craft. This collection was wonderful, and understandably well recommended.
Although they may prove a less satisfying read if one is desirous of a vibrant plot, Checkov's shorts are a tour de force of non-judgemental observation of human nature. His descriptions of people, and to a lesser extent their surroundings always...more
Although they may prove a less satisfying read if one is desirous of a vibrant plot, Checkov's shorts are a tour de force of non-judgemental observation of human nature. His descriptions of people, and to a lesser extent their surroundings always...more
I found the majority of the short stories in this book to be mediocre and boring, interspersed with some poignant statements. My favorite story was the title story, "Ward No. 6" though there was no suspense. I knew what was going to happen early on.
The benefit of reading short stories is that the story is over quick and you get to move on. I felt that the book dragged the first half. After "Ward No. 6" it picked up. The stories are arranged in this particular compilation by date and I wonder wha...more
The benefit of reading short stories is that the story is over quick and you get to move on. I felt that the book dragged the first half. After "Ward No. 6" it picked up. The stories are arranged in this particular compilation by date and I wonder wha...more
This selection of Chekhov's short stories is notable for making Chekhov's best stories seem so good. Part of this effect is accomplished by mixing in a few of Chekhov's lesser stories which, though never exceeding 12 pages, seem to require five hour stretches to get through.
When Chekhov is on, though, he's unbeatable. "The Witch", "The Grasshopper", "The Darling" and "The Lady with the Dog" compose a quartet of stories that arguably no writer could surpass.
I recommend this, or any, collection of...more
When Chekhov is on, though, he's unbeatable. "The Witch", "The Grasshopper", "The Darling" and "The Lady with the Dog" compose a quartet of stories that arguably no writer could surpass.
I recommend this, or any, collection of...more
I enjoy short stories, this is an excellent choice for that form and Chekhov is the master. Some claim Chekhov was "obsessed with the dreariness of life." Yes, he does write with a certain darkness and continues a theme of the powerlessness of human nature. His portrayals depict the vast simplicity of life and include no grand events or characters either but like reality create the inexorable struggles as his characters proceed from one day to the next. These Russian authors are always fascinati...more
Chekhov's versatility within the short story is very impressive. In this collection, his characters range from elderly peasants to a two year-old, yet each "slice of life" character development lacks nothing. It is clear Chekhov was a keen observer of society in his time. The storylines are good too( good in the typical miserable Russian fashion, with a little insanity thrown in here and there), and somewhat predictable yet suspenseful in a Twilight Zone kind of way.
"Experience often repeated, truly bitter experience, had taught him long ago that with decent people, especially Moscow people - always slow to move and irresolute - every intimacy, which at first so agreeably diversifies life and appears a light and charming adventure, inevitably grows into a regular problem of extreme intricacy, and in the long run the situation becomes unbearable. But at every fresh meeting with an interesting woman this experience seemed to slip out of his memory, and he was...more
I saw the film "Ward No.6," which was devastating and gripping, and then I ordered this book of stories. When I read Chekhov, which is always pure pleasure, I am struck by how contemporary his themes, his characters and their problems, his world view all feel to me. I read all the Chekhov I could lay my hands on about 20 years ago, and, having read this, I want to re-read everything. My favorite genius!
Aug 10, 2011
Sean
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
somewhere-else,
short-stories
Good grief! Why has it taken me so long to get around to reading Mr. Chekhov's fiction?! We read some of his plays in high school, but for some reason his short fiction was deemed unworthy of our young hungry eyes. What tragedy! Having now read these stories, I am hard-pressed to imagine so many of my favorite modern short story writers writing the way they did and do without the existence of Mr. Chekhov and his "stories where nothing happens." It has always seemed to me that Russian writers hav...more
Aug 09, 2011
Ryan Milbrath
added it
I have not read many short story authors, but Chekhov struck a chord with me as one the best. Ward Six, In the Ravine, My Life, a Dull Story all show an uncomprimising, often depressing view of life and redemption. Though in his career Chekhov wrote a lot that did not possess the quality of his later works, his best stand among the great Russian writers.
I keep telling myself if this guy and Khaled Hosseini are doctors and made books this good, surely I will be a great novelist one day... ... ... NOT. Seriously though this is a fantastic collection of stories, especially Ward No. 6, you can definitely see his clinical observation and awareness of the 'ordinary' in his writing, and his storytelling keeps you reading.
There is no more humane and compassionate writer than Chekhov. In spite of recent and more accurate translations, Constance Garnett's remain the gold standard for Chekhov at least. There is a wonderful fluidity and specificity to her use of language. The Russian mind and landscape rendered in lucid and lovely English prose.
I enjoyed Ward Six and I also found Ariadne interesting, but overall the stories were dated and in some instances boring. Sorry to the Chekhov fans! Even the tales I enjoyed reading were obvious in their outcome. I have not read any of this author before (alas!) and would like to see some of his plays.
he's the best short story writer i've read, drawing idiosyncratic characters and their effect in the world with seemless ease and utter poinience. This 19C writing continues to be absolutely relevant since human psychology is his subject and enquiry. masterful.
Chekhov is all about character development with no plot. That would be OK if all of his characters weren't amoral. I am reminded why Russian writers are not my favorite. Out of 23 stories I would say that only two had any redeeming quality at all.
Great book if you want to increase your feelings of hopeless futility and sadness. Incredible writing and insight into the human condition. May cause the desire to place stones in your pockets and wade into a river.
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Anton Pavlovich Chekhov Russian: Антон Павлович Чехов was born in the small seaport of Taganrog, southern Russia, the son of a grocer. Chekhov's grandfather was a serf, who had bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught himself to read and write.Yevgenia Morozov, Chekhov's mother, was the daughter of a cloth merchant.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recal...more
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"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recal...more
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“I reflected how many satisfied, happy people there really are! What a suffocating force it is! You look at life: the insolence and idleness of the strong, the ignorance and brutishness of the weak, incredible poverty all about us, overcrowding, degeneration, drunkenness, hypocrisy, lying... Yet all is calm and stillness in the houses and in the streets; of the fifty thousand living in a town, there s not one who would cry out, who would give vent to his indignation aloud. We see the people going to market for provisions, eating by day, sleeping by night, talking their silly nonsense, getting married, growing old, serenely escorting their dead to the cemetery; but we do not see and we do not hear those who suffer, and what is terrible in life goes on somewhere behind the scenes...Everything is so quiet and peaceful, and nothing protests but mute statistics: so many people gone out of their minds, so many gallons of vodka drunk, so many children dead from malnutrition... And this order of things s evidently necessary; evidently the happy man only feels at ease because the unhappy bear their burdens in silence, and without that silence happiness would be impossible.”
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“The past,' he thought, 'is linked with the present by an unbroken chain of events flowing one out of another.' And it seemed to him that he had just seen both ends of that chain; that when he touched one end the other quivered.”
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