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26th out of 155 books
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Peasants and Other Stories
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, ...more
Paperback, 496 pages
Published
September 30th 1999
by New York Review Books
(first published 1947)
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No matter how much Russian literature I read—in English translation, of course—and no matter who the translator happens to be, I am left with the nagging suspicion that there is something essential about Russian literature and culture that I don't fully 'get.' The reactions and behavior of these characters and the social milieux they inhabit are mostly familiar, I suppose, but they are also haunted around the edges by an irreducible strangeness which no particular translation and no generosity o...more
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An NYRB curio. I have no argument with Chekhov's stories, they are wonderful and should be read by all. However, those collected in this volume are the Garnett translations--a good starting place, but certainly not definitive. There is also a throwaway introduction by Edmund Wilson, of all people, delineating what is perhaps the least interesting thing about Chekhov: the social background and class of his characters. The NYRB has rendered innumerable services to literature by reprinting out-...more
Ahh, excellent, excellent. Chekhov's stories are all incredibly atmospheric and engrossing, which is great when you're on the train- nothing like being distracted from public transportation by the grim portrayal of peasant life in late 19th-century Russia. But seriously, he creates some amazing stories in such a short frame. One of the things I enjoy about short stories is to say so much while not using that many words. My personal favourite story was "The Duel," and if you can only re...more
Chekhov makes me wish I knew Russian, because I'd love to read him in his own language. I wonder if he's capable with prose of the same accomplishments he made with character and structure, of the very essential sense of story, that draws me to him. Still, every decent translation shares those qualities, so I can safely assume they're original to his work, and this is why I love Chekhov. Who else can get away with the kind of meandering organicism, the almost digressive sense of plot, that Ch...more
I'm sure I'm supposed to rate this higher because it's Chekhov... I read 4 stories from the collection for a discussion group. Somewhat interesting, I understand the importance, and done.
I'm not sure the translation I read was that good. It was done by Constance Garnett. I'm beginning to fully appreciate the translator's contribution. I wonder if there is anyone who rates translators.
I only have two stories left, but I don't know if I can finish this book. It is far too depressing. When I got to the part where a jealous woman murders the newborn of another women by pouring scalding water over it, I had had enough.
Este libro es hermoso. Con algunos cuentos estuve apunto de llorar y sin embargo, también me reí. Otros cuentos simplemente me divirtieron muchísimo. Es una delicia leer a Chéjov.
i can never remember which chekhov collection i like best, but this one is definitely top-shelf and the cover art is smokin'. A++++++++++
Breve cuento que nos lanza a la cruda realidad de la miseria.
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Антон Павлович Чехов
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov 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 childh...more
More about Anton Chekhov...
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov 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 childh...more
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