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Celebrity Chekhov: Stories by Anton Chekhov
by
Ben Greenman (Goodreads Author),
Constance Garnett , Ben Greenman (Goodreads Author)
Q: What do Tiger, Paris, Lindsay, Alec, and Oprah have in common with the enduring characters of Anton Chekhov?
A: Love, loss, pride, yearning, heartbreak, renewal, transcendence: the very stuff of life.The immortal stories of Anton Chekhov have long entranced readers with their insights into the universal truths of human behavior . . . but you've never read them quite like...more
A: Love, loss, pride, yearning, heartbreak, renewal, transcendence: the very stuff of life.The immortal stories of Anton Chekhov have long entranced readers with their insights into the universal truths of human behavior . . . but you've never read them quite like...more
Paperback, 205 pages
Published
October 5th 2010
by Harper Perennial
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For a book based entirely on a gimmick, Ben Greenman did a decent job of entertaining me. I don’t usually buy into these kind of books (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies & Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, anyone?), but I was looking for something quick and fun to read as I took a break from The Instructions. Having read a lot of Chekhov’s short stories, I was interested to see how he would mesh the “celebrity” into Chekhov’s writing. Some of the stories I thought worked really well, lik...more
Mar 11, 2012
R.
marked it as to-read
This book here, Celebrity Chekhov: Stories by Anton Chekhov must ruffle the feathers of some Chekhov purists much the way the Flaming Lips' whole-album remake of Dark Side of the Moon (with guest appearances by Henry Rollins! And Peaches!) must wrinkle the forehead of even the most forgiving fans of Pink Floyd: "Well, erm. It does have a sort of Syd Barrett's ghost-in-the-studio vibe, yeah?"
But've never read Chekhov. Maybe this will be the gateway. The way through. Sometimes a decent cover -- o...more
But've never read Chekhov. Maybe this will be the gateway. The way through. Sometimes a decent cover -- o...more
What a clever book this is! Ben Greenman has taken Chekhov's short stories and replaced the characters with todays "celebrities". David Letterman to Tiger Woods, Paris Hilton to Nichole Kidman, this book is such a witty reinvention of the classic with very interesting results.
By using popular culture figures, the stories seem to take on a fresh, new meaning. When I started this book, I did not see how it could work, but I quickly fell under its spell.
A found baby, a happy marriage, an insecure m...more
By using popular culture figures, the stories seem to take on a fresh, new meaning. When I started this book, I did not see how it could work, but I quickly fell under its spell.
A found baby, a happy marriage, an insecure m...more
Aug 18, 2011
Keith
added it
I have up to now never read a Chekhov play/story although like most people I have seen "The Seagull" & "Uncle Vanya" in fact I did not know that Chekhov wrote short stories. Picked up this book at the library (so as to laugh-I didn't want to read anything too deep) & laugh I did since it is funny to imagine Kim Kardashian & Britney & other major celebs in these all too human dramas-these moral dilemmas "how can that be?" the tabloids never discuss them in such a way. But really t...more
What a travesty. Normally I would tell the writer not to quit his day job, but in this case I should advise his day job to let him go, for The New Yorker could surely find staffers with a better appreciation for literature than this cheap basterdization shows. I'd love to give Greenman the benefit of the doubt, that he "wrote" this for shits and giggles and was enticed by a bigger fool to publish it, protesting that he hadn't put any thought into it all - "you can't be serious, only an idiot wou...more
What I Can Tell You:
I read this book last night in about 2 hours. It was so fun and witty. Until today, I had no idea who Chekhov was. My Russian girlfriend told me that he was Anton Chekhov one of the greatest short story writers in the world! While I am not big on short stories, because of the celebrity name dropping I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lindsay Lohan, Stephen Colbert, Eminem, Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, Letterman, Tiger, etc grace these stories and now I am interested in hearing more abo...more
I read this book last night in about 2 hours. It was so fun and witty. Until today, I had no idea who Chekhov was. My Russian girlfriend told me that he was Anton Chekhov one of the greatest short story writers in the world! While I am not big on short stories, because of the celebrity name dropping I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lindsay Lohan, Stephen Colbert, Eminem, Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, Letterman, Tiger, etc grace these stories and now I am interested in hearing more abo...more
What if Chekhov’s witty, insightful short stories of human society were re-written with celebrities in them? Imagine a twitchy Conan O’Brien frantically agonizing because he sneezed on Larry King or a Michael Douglas scared of everything, even his relationship with his lovely young wife Catherine Zeta-Jones or a bitter Artie Lange railing against the dead Andy Kaufman for inadvertently shuttling him into a wretched life of comedy. Amusing and wry, these collections show that celebrities are just...more
"Celebrity Chekhov" is one of those genius ideas that makes other writers kick themselves for not thinking of it first. However, unlike some high concepts that are good in theory, "Celebrity Chekhov" is quite brilliant in execution. It's the rare "mash-up" using work from the public domain that actually works. And why not? Chekhov was a satirist, and using his stories to satirize our celebrity-obsessed culture is a natural fit. Greenman manages to somehow give inner lives to celebrities such as...more
http://wineandabook.com/2012/03/31/re...
The circumstances surrounding my reading of Greenman's Celebrity Chekhov were, fittingly, Chekhovian. In March, I was seeing someone who is a fairly substantial Chekhov enthusiast. He had taken me to see Chekhovek! (which we decided must be Russian for "bad acting"), a staging of a series of Anton Chekhov's short stories, which piqued my interest in Greenman's "celebritization." (More on my life's Chekhovian plot twist post-rubric-rating.) Thankfully, Gree...more
The circumstances surrounding my reading of Greenman's Celebrity Chekhov were, fittingly, Chekhovian. In March, I was seeing someone who is a fairly substantial Chekhov enthusiast. He had taken me to see Chekhovek! (which we decided must be Russian for "bad acting"), a staging of a series of Anton Chekhov's short stories, which piqued my interest in Greenman's "celebritization." (More on my life's Chekhovian plot twist post-rubric-rating.) Thankfully, Gree...more
having never read any chekhov stories, this was a really interesting book to read. i had been hoping for a bit more snark and celeb gossip, because that's just what kind of jerk i am, but what i got was well-written stories which actually seemed to find a good fit between modern celebrities and their public personas and the original works of chekhov. (to the extent that in most cases, sense of time and place were somewhat blurred, which is pretty cool) so better luck next time on the bitchiness,...more
I've never actually read any of Chekhov's works, so I have no real foundation to compare this to in relation to the real stories. That said, some of the stories, like the David Letterman one were great. Others felt awkward, like the author merely inserted a few famous names for the sake of it.
That said, anyone who has a raging Perez Hilton addiction and a penchant for devouring celebrity gossip should find this book amusing.
That said, anyone who has a raging Perez Hilton addiction and a penchant for devouring celebrity gossip should find this book amusing.
It didn't really do it for me. I get it that by replacing the character's name with the name of a modern celebrity, you shortcut the process of character development because we "know" the celebrity or at least the characteristics and quirks the celebrity is usually known for. And you get the mash up of layering the modern on the historic. But this just started to feel forced and awkward very quickly.
Though the resemblance to Chekhov is slight, the book is an amusing diversion. I particularly enjoyed "The Darling", starring Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Keith Urban, and Brad Pitt (with cameos by Angelina and the kids). But the best result of picking it up at the library was that it led me back to the real thing.
As a former Russian lit major, I found this hilarious. Not sure what Chekhov would say- Tolstoy would roll over in his grave if anyone did this to his work, but then he always was rather uptight about those things. I am now hunting down copies of the original Chekhov stories to see how they compare to the celebritized versions. Really witty.
Hated it. Why did I even think this was a good idea in the first place? Chekhov is my favorite writer (I lament not being born when he was alive) and I am
saddened by how his stories were butchered. I dislike most of the celebrities and feel that they added nothing; dumbed things down, in fact. Chekhov's stories are perfect already! I am so sad for the time wasted reading the first two stories....
saddened by how his stories were butchered. I dislike most of the celebrities and feel that they added nothing; dumbed things down, in fact. Chekhov's stories are perfect already! I am so sad for the time wasted reading the first two stories....
I've not read any Chekhov, but was intrigued by this when I saw it in a recent eBook sale. It was entertaining and inspired me to actually look into reading the stories which were the inspiration for those used in this compilation.
Imagine a modern day celebrity plunked down into a fabulous short story by Chekhov...making it real for our modern NON-reading audiences....great idea, nicely done!
Wish I'd thought of it....
Wish I'd thought of it....
This was an easy book to read by the pool because they are short stories. However, some of the stories did not make sense to me because I have not read any of Chekhov's stories.
Just couldn't do it. Maybe I am a dumb ass and didn't get it, but I read about 30 pages and hat to put it down.
If you are a great writer, please, write something that is not as shallow as celebrity crap.
If you are a great writer, please, write something that is not as shallow as celebrity crap.
I posted a full review here: http://nicoleinanutshell.blogspot.com...
My review is at http://cineastesbookshelf.blogspot.com
These are fun and entertaining satires.
The celebrity names used in these stories are as easily forgotten as the Russian ones: the stories stay with you. I found trying to recall who were the celebrities in one story or another and in some which weren't included in the book.
Chekhov's stories are updated and cast with modern-day celebrities. Cleverly done, but the fun of it wore off for me about half way through. I don't think I would particularly like Chekhov's stories without the celebrities.
Blue Bookcase review coming in a couple of weeks.
Blue Bookcase review coming in a couple of weeks.
Oct 10, 2010
Sara Q
marked it as to-read
Recommended to Sara Q by:
Unshelved Book Club, 9/17/2010
Shelves:
fiction,
books-on-books
Chekhov short stories redone with modern-day celebrities standing in as the characters! Ooo, I can't wait to read this!
Meh. Maybe I should have read the back cover first.
SIX WORD REVIEW: Chekhov mixed with celebrities changes things...
May 14, 2013
Lyndsay
is currently reading it
Apr 26, 2013
Halee
marked it as to-read
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Ben Greenman is an editor at The New Yorker whose short fiction, journalism, and essays have appeared there, The New York Times, McSweeneys, The Paris Review, and Zoetrope: All Story. He is the author of several acclaimed books of fiction, including Superbad, Superworse, A Circle is a Balloon and Compass Both, Correspondences, and the novel Please Step Back. HIs new book of stories What He's Poise...more
More about Ben Greenman...
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Nov 11, 2010 12:06pm