Selected Stories

by Anton Chekhov, Ann Dunnigan (Translator), George Pahomov (Introduction)

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.

The confession --
The understood --
At sea--a sailor's story --
A nincompoop --
Surgery --
Ninochka--a love story --
A cure for drinking --
The jailer jailed --
The dance pianist --
The milksop --
Marriage in ten or fifteen years --
In Spring --
Agafya --
The kiss --
The father --
In exile --
Three years --
The house with the mansard--an artist's story --
Peasants --
The darling.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Russia, Russian Literature, Literature, 19th Century

300 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1898

About the author

Antón Chéjov (Spanish)

Dramas, such as The Seagull (1896, revised 1898), and including "A Dreary Story" (1889) of Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, also Chekov, concern the inability of humans to communicate.

Born ( Антон Павлович Чехов ) in the small southern seaport of Taganrog, the son of a grocer. His grandfather, a serf, bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught to read. A cloth merchant fathered Yevgenia Morozova, his mother.

"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." Tyranny of his father, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, open from five in the morning till midnight, shadowed his early years. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog from 1867 to 1868 and then Taganrog grammar school. Bankruptcy of his father compelled the family to move to Moscow. At the age of 16 years in 1876, independent Chekhov for some time alone in his native town supported through private tutoring.

In 1879, Chekhov left grammar school and entered the university medical school at Moscow. In the school, he began to publish hundreds of short comics to support his mother, sisters and brothers. Nicholas Leikin published him at this period and owned Oskolki (splinters), the journal of Saint Petersburg. His subjected silly social situations, marital problems, and farcical encounters among husbands, wives, mistresses, and lust; even after his marriage, Chekhov, the shy author, knew not much of whims of young women.

Nenunzhaya pobeda , first novel of Chekhov, set in 1882 in Hungary, parodied the novels of the popular Mór Jókai. People also mocked ideological optimism of Jókai as a politician.

Chekhov graduated in 1884 and practiced medicine. He worked from 1885 in Peterburskaia gazeta.

In 1886, Chekhov met H.S. Suvorin, who invited him, a regular contributor, to work for Novoe vremya, the daily paper of Saint Petersburg. He gained a wide fame before 1886. He authored The Shooting Party , his second full-length novel, later translated into English. Agatha Christie used its characters and atmosphere in later her mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . First book of Chekhov in 1886 succeeded, and he gradually committed full time. The refusal of the author to join the ranks of social critics arose the wrath of liberal and radical intelligentsia, who criticized him for dealing with serious social and moral questions but avoiding giving answers. Such leaders as Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Leskov, however, defended him. "I'm not a liberal, or a conservative, or a gradualist, or a monk, or an indifferentist. I should like to be a free artist and that's all..." Chekhov said in 1888.

The failure of The Wood Demon , play in 1889, and problems with novel made Chekhov to withdraw from literature for a period. In 1890, he traveled across Siberia to Sakhalin, remote prison island. He conducted a detailed census of ten thousand convicts and settlers, condemned to live on that harsh island. Chekhov expected to use the results of his research for his doctoral dissertation. Hard conditions on the island probably also weakened his own physical condition. From this journey came his famous travel book.

Chekhov practiced medicine until 1892. During these years, Chechov developed his concept of the dispassionate, non-judgmental author. He outlined his program in a letter to his brother Aleksandr: "1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion." Because he objected that the paper conducted against [a:Alfred Dreyfu

Reviews

[Jim Fonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short stories from a master. I’m amazed at the VARIETY of types of stories in this collection, so I’ll pick a few of the 24 to illustrate different themes.



Many are humorous. In The Decoration, a young man borrows medals from a friend so he can impress the ladies at a fancy dinner he is going to. When he gets there he’s shocked to see another good friend of his with his chest covered with medals he never knew he had. It turns into a sitcom.

In contrast to humor, The Trousseau is a terribly sad story of wasted lives of a mother and daughter endlessly sewing outfits that they store in trunks for a marriage that will never come. An uncle steals the clothes and sells them – but the clothes just keep coming.)

Another heartbreaking story is Little Jack. A young orphan boy is apprenticed by his grandfather to a cobbler in a distant town. The boy lives a life of hunger and abuse. Most of the story is in the letter he writes to his grandfather. ‘Come get me or I will die.’

In At Home, a lawyer tries using his high-powered logic to get his son to stop smoking. The man’s butler snitched on the boy. By the way, his son is still young enough to sit in his father’s lap! How times change.

The story titled Children focuses on psychological profiles. It’s the story of six kids of different ages home alone for the evening. They play a type of bingo/lotto game for kopecks. Chekhov shows us how the very different personalities of the six are reflected in how and why they are playing the game.

On the Way is the story of a widow and a widower meeting on the road at an inn. The man has a young daughter with him. He hits on the widow in a unique way. With tears and much gnashing of teeth, he bares his soul to her and tells her what a despicable man he has been. The story almost works and we suspect this is not the first time he used this ploy.

A couple of stories are about evil. In The Head Gardener’s Tale, the gardener tells of a local doctor who was such a good man that when someone murdered him the judge and jury could not believe that anyone could be so evil. So, despite tons of evidence, they rule it happened by accident and let the murderer off.

In the Ravine is a tale of jealousy. A wealthy merchant with two sons has his two feuding daughters-in-law living with him. One daughter-in-law gets back at the other in what has to be one of the most atrociously cruel scenes in literature.

Hush is about the tyranny of a writer. He works at home, constantly bitching about how hard he labors at writing while he expects his wife to keep the children quiet and wait on him. He even wakes her up several times a night to get him hot tea. Can this marriage be saved? LOL



A lot of good stories. Most were written in the 1880s and 1890s so they bear the style of that era. Many have a ‘moral,’ I guess from an era when people might ask ‘what’s the moral of that story?’ Chekhov wrote most of these for newspapers when he was a medical student. Note that there are dozens of editions of different collections of his stories. (One edition has 100!)

The author only wrote one novel, The Shooting Party, but several of his short stories are long enough to be considered novellas, such as In a Ravine included in this collection. However, Chekhov is best known for his plays, especially The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters and The Seagull. He died of tuberculosis when he was 44 (1860 – 1904).

Top photo of Russian peasants in the early 1900s from histclo.com
The author and his Moscow home on a Russian stamp from Wikimedia.org

[Edited 1/1/24]

[Mackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who have an interest in Russian literature, I wholeheartedly recommend Chekhov (especially for those new to Russian literature). There is nothing confusing or complex in the way that he writes, nor any segments of lengthy and intimidating befuddlement. Chekhov is transient yet fluent in his expression, intention and efficiently goes above and beyond to provide everything that is required as a writer. There was something about him that I was grateful for as a reader. His works displayed simplicity, realism, truth and sincerity in all its glory.

Chekhov had a habit of unveiling surges of empathy from me, as if I was reading a mirror amongst the pages. Often, his characters are stripped from any forms of pretension and furnished with an ironclad fidelity to the plot of the story. He bestowed a winsome sense of clarity and unconditional truth in the ordinariness of his characters who try to make the most of their difficult lives. It was a beautiful concept to discover. He left me feeling a little more human after each tale.

In this book, there are 24 short stories. Each one is unique in its theme, purpose, emotional evocation and somehow they all manage to simultaneously seize interest, penetrate the imagination and tickle the soul. I found that Chekhov has revealed my inner philosopher, exposed feelings of sadness and sympathy, but also left me with instances of laughter.

All of the stories were great, there was not one that I didn't like.

An amazingly talented writer, truly. After reading about him as a person, I found Chekhov to be all the more brilliant. It is suggested that his stories are allegorical, in that they share autobiographical components. A (if not, the) leading master in the art of the short story and one of the foremost humanists in the realm of Russian writers.

[Bbrown · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, let me make clear that this Norton Critical Edition edited by Cathy Popkin deserves five stars, easily. Norton Critical Editions are almost always great in terms of including interesting additional material, such as a variety of criticism, but this edition by Popkin goes above-and-beyond by selecting specific translations of the various stories and providing an in-depth analysis of the different translations of Chekhov. It provides a side-by-side comparison of different translations, and I wish the same type of comparison were available for every important work translated into English. This is basically an entire college (graduate?) class condensed into a single volume, and I wholeheartedly recommend it if you’re set on reading Chekhov’s short stories.

But should you be set on reading Chekhov’s short stories? He’s such an important Russian writer that it seems absurd to answer that question with a “no,” but the stories on offer here (and again, this was an expertly curated collection with the best available translations) left me underwhelmed. There are some good stories here, to be sure. The five I enjoyed most from the collection are:

• Grief (translated by others as “Misery”)
• The Kiss
• The Lady with the Little Dog
• Breakdown (translated by others as “An Attack of Nerves”)
• Let Me Sleep (translated by others as “Sleepy”)

However, despite the collection containing some stories that I enjoyed, the vast majority of them did not interest me, to the extent that I could barely remember many of them even a day after I read them—and sometimes I forgot them even sooner than that. Many of the stories early in Chekhov’s career are too short for him to do anything memorable with, but even his longer stories later in his career are unmemorable, and I think I’ve figured out why: Chekhov almost always fails to write characters that feel like real people.

Instead of writing characters that seem real, Chekhov typically populates his stories with characters that seem like marionettes, instructed to do a few set actions for the sake of the story but that do not feel like they have a real life outside the confines of the story. So they endlessly pine for their wandering husband for twelve years (The Huntsman), they are perpetually a stick-in-the-mud for fifty years to the chagrin of their entire village (The Man in a Case), they stick to the same routine that they don’t actually enjoy for literally decades without variance (Ward No. 6), and that works alright for the sake of the story’s plot, but that renders the characters as nothing more than dolls in service of that plot. The Kiss provides an example of a simple character that works, as that story focuses on a character that has no romantic experience and therefore obsesses over a single instance, but few other Chekhov stories justify the inactivity/boringness/static nature of the characters therein. Thus, Chekhov’s characters don't feel like real people; in retrospect, this is likewise true of the characters in Chekhov’s plays.

However, Chekhov’s short stories and his plays are distinct in an important way: Chekhov’s plays repeat elements such that you can read The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, and Swan Song and pretty much get what Chekhov’s plays are like, but his short stories have enough variety I can’t say that reading only a limited selection of them will give you a good grasp on what his stories have to offer. They all feel similar, but for better or worse I think you’ll have to read a whole bunch of Chekhov’s short stories to get the full picture of what his short stories are like. I just wish that picture were better.

Great edition, largely mediocre and forgettable stories. I strongly suspect that Chekhov just isn’t a writer that clicks with me, and I’ve certainly found his works so far to be vastly inferior to Bulgakov or Gogol. But I already have a collection of Chekhov’s short novels on my shelf, so I’ll inevitably give that a read in the near future. While this edition is a 5/5, the Chekhov stories in this collection average out to a 3/5.

[Lisa (NY) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biting, funny and entertaining stories about ordinary people.

[Hugo Emanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta foi a primeira colecção de histórias que li de Chekhov (ou Tchekhov, se preferirem a tradução dada ao nome do autor em português. Usarei nesta “review” a tradução utilizada pela editora que publicou a edição que li). Já tinha lido em algumas antologias que coleccionavam contos de vários autores umas duas ou três das suas histórias, as quais deixaram uma impressão extremamente favorável do autor. Tinha prometido a mim próprio na altura vir a ler muito mais da obra de Chekhov num futuro próximo mas, como decerto compreenderão a maioria dos leitores compulsivos, o universo literário está de tal modo populado de um sem numero de autores e obras aliciantes que cumprir uma promessa dessa natureza nem sempre é exequível. Assim Chekhov foi sendo relegado para o fundo da minha lista de autores por ler em favor de outros. Agora que de facto li uma colecção de contos inteiramente dedicada a Chekhov não me arrependo minimamente de ter adiado a leitura de mais trabalhos deste autor. Isto porque pois a resposta emocional que tive a estes foi de tal modo intensa que não posso deixar de regozijar-me com o facto de ter ainda uma considerável quantidade de trabalhos do autor ainda por ler e, consequentemente, horas de imenso prazer.
Os contos desta colecção compreendem um considerável período da vida do autor, pois inclui alguns dos seus primeiros contos – os quais são na sua maioria bastante curtos – assim como trabalhos mais tardios. A selecção de histórias escritos em períodos distintos da vida de Chekhov e a sua distribuição por ordem mais ou menos cronológica permite ao leitor acompanhar a evolução do autor – a transição de contos curtos e maioritariamente satíricos para histórias mais compridas e com um humanismo amplificado. E apesar de tal distribuição garantir uma considerável variedade de temas e abordagens a estes a colecção é consistentemente excelente. Tal consistência deve-se certamente á genialidade do autor. Chekhov é igualmente brilhante a escrever um curto e anedótico “sketch” cómico e satírico como a explorar as dificuldades e preocupações que infernizam a existência das diversas classes da população russa da época e fá-lo com recurso a uma linguagem directa, pouco floreada, despretensiosa e breve mas que apesar disso, é bela, incisiva, hilariante, triste e profundamente emotiva – por vezes simultaneamente.
Chekhov, ao contrário dos seus precursores e compatriotas Dostoievski e Tolstoi, não pretendia com a sua ficção fazer qualquer tipo de exposição moral, politica ou religiosa – o seu objectivo era somente capturar momentos da existência humana tal como estes se apresentam, com uma objectividade desprovida de considerações ou juízos morais. Caberá ao leitor colorir com a sua própria percepção e valores os episódios da vida russa que lhes são relatados. No entanto não os quero induzir a pensar que a escrita de Chekhov é de alguma forma seca e desapaixonada; muito pelo contrário – das linhas escritas pelo autor transpira um humanismo e realismo tão forte que é impossível não sermos de algum modo movidos por estas – pelo menos para mim foi. Seria preciso que um leitor estivesse equipado de um coração de pedra para não se deixar mover pelo conto “Little Jack” que se debruça sobre um rapazinho órfã aprendiz de sapateiro que é maltratado e mal alimentado pelo seu patrão e que escreve ao seu avô na vã esperança de que este o salve da deplorável situação em que se encontra; ou por “A Night Before Easter”, em que um monge de baixa condição confessa a tristeza e saudade que lhe causa a recentíssima morte de um outro monge da mesma condição que lhe era muito próximo a um passageiro do barco de passagem que ficou incumbido de conduzir pelos seus superiores não obstante a dor e sofrimento de que sabem ele padecer; e ainda por “The Trosseau”, em que uma mãe esperançosa costura incessantemente um enxoval de casamento para uma filha que já faleceu há muito. Mas nem tudo é triste e sombrio no universo literário de Chekhov – muitos dos contos são sketches cómicos ilusoriamente simples e com características algo “Gogolianas” como por exemplo “Lean And Fat” em que a felicidade e informalidade com que se tratam dois amigos de infância que não se encontravam há muito altera-se subitamente quando um destes revela ter um posto mais elevado que o outro; “The Decoration” no qual um professor leva emprestada uma medalha de um amigo condecorado para “ornamentar” a sua presença num jantar para o qual foi convidado que lhe pode acabar por prejudicar mais do que favorecer; “Murder Will Out!” durante o qual um inspector do governo que crê viajar incógnito com o intuito de surpreender indivíduos a cometer irregularidades descobre correrem rumores e factos sobre a sua pessoa muito pouco lisonjeadores ou “The Man In A Case” no qual um homem excessivamente preocupado em projectar uma imagem virtuosa e séria da sua pessoa acaba por cair constantemente no ridículo e no desagrado da população geral.
Não sei se esta edição será ou não a melhor colecção de contos de Chekhov por aí disponível mas satisfez-me completamente e está disponível por um preço muito simpático. Estou no entanto certo de que a leitura dos outros trabalhos do autor serão igualmente prazenteiros e que independentemente da edição que adquirirem será certamente do agrado da maior parte dos leitores.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much to learn from the creator, literally, of the modern short story--and its arc.

And so worth it writers and readers to remember this: “‘Who will read me, who will care?’ It does not help the work to be done, that work already completed is surrounded by silence and indifference—if it is published at all. Few books ever have the attention of a review—good or bad. Fewer stay longer than a few weeks on bookstore shelves, if they get there at all. … ‘Works of art’ (or at least books, stories, poems, meriting life) ‘disappear before our very eyes because of the absence of responsible attention,’ Chekhov wrote nearly ninety years ago."

Tillie Olsen in her book _Silences_ wrote this in 1965.

[Thekelburrows · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this Russian peasant walks into a bar...

[Enko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dang, Chekhov was just your average 21st century depressed yet witty Twitter thread author who mixed existential dread with memes
Loved The Decoration. The Malefactor, & Death of an Official

“‘Here is the nut you had when he arrested you. Is this true?’
‘What's that?’
'Did everything happen as Akinfoff reports?’
‘Yes; just as he reports.’
’Very well. Now, what was your object in unscrewing that nut?‘
’What's that?’
'Stop your “What's that?" and answer my question; why did you unscrew that nut?,'
‘If I hadn't needed the nut I wouldn't have unscrewed it,’”

[June Archbold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need to get my hands on the bigger collection of selected Chekhov stories asap

[Herdis Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something so wonderfully simplistic, yet beautifully engaging, about this collection of tales.

Chekhov writes, above all else, about people. His ability to create believable, varied, and colourful characters makes his stories riveting even when they leave you with the impression that nothing really happened.

His prose is simple, but never boring.

When you read this, you kind of feel like you get a brief respite from the world.

[Angelique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the stories weren't the best in terms of entertainment, but all were well written and some were so heartbreaking and touching, they brought me to tears. It's a great translation as well. I wouldn't have guessed it was in Russian first.

[Elliot Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first intro to him and loved it. I’m always blown away by the ability of people from different lands and times to write down ideas and stories that resonate and ring true.

[Anna Kļaviņa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Хористка" (1886) 5, "Предложение" (1886) 5, "В потемках" (1886) 5, "Чтение" (1884) 5, "Экзамен на чин" (1884) 4, "Ведьма" (1886) 5, "Ванька" (1886) 5, «Хамелеон» (1884)5, «Сапоги» (1885) 4, «Студент» (1894) 3, «Хитреце» (1883) 4, «Безнадежный» (1885) 4, «Актёрская гибель» (1886) 3, «Кухарка женится» 5, «Скрипка Ротшильда» 3, «Хористка» 5, «Дамы» 5, «Толстый и тонкий» 5, «Пари» 3, «Радость» (1883) 5, «Выигрышный билет» ,«От нечего делать», «Необыкновенный», «О, женщины, женщины!», «Необыкновенный», «Красавицы», «Шампанское", «Лошадиная фамилия»,«Шуточка», "Скучная история", "Черный монах", «Ионыч», «Человек в футляре», «Крыжовник», «Лошадиная Фамилия», "Анна на шее", «Верочка» (1887) и HeBecTa

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection with a wide assortment of Chekhov’s stories and of translations. The book also offers information on his life, a sampling of his letters, comparisons of translations, and critical essays.

Read for SJC Summer Classics July 2022:
—In Exile
—Rothschild’s Violin
—The Teacher of Literature
—Anna on the Neck
—The House with the Mezzanine
—Gooseberries
—About Love
—Sweetheart (The Darling)
—The Lady with the Little Dog
—The Bishop

[Niraj 123 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure if this is the same ed. Mine also has other stories including 'Death of an Official' - hilariously funny. 'At Sea' and 'the Dance Pianist' I count among my favourites too. Great collection.

[Lucas]

Meep 🏜

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

In all of history, there is one master who stands apart in the realm of short prose fiction; His name was Anton Chekhov.

Quite the assertion and a sure-fire way to turn other off, attract debate, and oversell stories than can occasionally be as confusing as anything else available. But Chekhov seems more consistently capable of getting at the very heart of what great literature (and all art?) is really striving toward. He tells deeply human stories about broken people who are immensely relatable. He explores social brokenness and cultural failures without offering simple solutions. He does not attempt to teach, but he does guide us through incredibly uncomfortable and common experiences among the wealthy and the impoverished, the lonely and the gregarious, the young, the old, men, and women. His prose (in translation) is almost aggressively straightforward. There is nothing flowery or even rhythmic in most of his storytelling. He gives the facts as quickly as he can come by them, nearly eliminating dialogue and telling the things others would take chapters to show. Somehow, Chekhov managed to keep finding insights into the depths of different human experiences, incredibly diverse, incredulously unpredictable at times, and all ringing truer and truer to the experiences with which we can personally relate.

These stories start shorter and range into the novella territory by the end. Chekhov tends to explore poverty v. wealth, the complicated true nature of fleeting romantic attraction, and the melancholy of an intellectual or artistic mind. With a few interesting exceptions, most of these stories deal with one or more of these concepts. The shorter works at the beginning were good, but the middle and end stories really began to wholly captivate me. The Kiss was one of the most remarkably stories I have ever read, original in approach and completely relatable in naive emotional candor. Three Years was basically a novel, with very little plot development but an overall effect that is the truest evolution from romantic infatuation to “old married couple” I have ever read at any length or format. Likewise, The House With The Mansard Roof and Peasants were really stunning.

Chekhov, as well as any other storyteller I have ever read, shows us what depth of human connection can be achieved through ink scratches on a sheet of paper. It is all the more compelling when considered to be translated, 140 years separated from the reader, from another continent, and across a few world wars and government collapses. He somehow manages to do in a couple dozen pages what most authors wish they could do in a novel’s length. While the short story may not be as in vogue as the novel, it cannot be taken lightly for as long as we have Chekhov to reflect upon. Perhaps more writers should rethink their format of choice.

[Graham Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not being very familiar with Russian work I imagined this would be weighty and difficult to understand. It is neither!

Despite most (but not all) of the stories having a slightly depressing slant, the book is surprisingly light and easy to read. Chekhov is brilliant at capturing the souls of his subjects, and given the difficulty of life for most in late 19th century Russia (or any country in that era) it is not surprising there tend to be quite bleak pictures. But I found myself lost in his brilliant writing, to the extent that the bleak subject matter did not leave me feeling at all depressed.

Despite the culture of 19th century Russia being very different from my own, and despite my lack of in-depth knowledge of any of that culture, this did not make any of the stories difficult to understand. Again, Chekhov's brilliant writing easily counters this apparent difficulty. I found myself understanding that culture a little better as a result.

This collection includes a wide variety of different kinds of story. The difficulties of finding the right way to bring up your children; a rather pompous inspector general who is brought down to size; a lay brother who so much wishes to attend the funeral of a monk only he really understood; a thief who cannot understand why anyone should object to his trade; a wanderer looking forward to being deported to Siberia because he believes at least he will then have his own land; and a marvelously funny story set in a remote monastery (I laughed out loud when I reached the end, but will not spoil your enjoyment by saying why).

If you enjoy short stories I am sure you will love this collection. If you don't, then try it anyway as it may convert you!

[Alana · Rating 3 out of 5]

i like chekhov cause everyone is stuffy and a little bit upset with thoughts of whether or not they are dressed appropriately for the windchill out coupled with a mounting paranoia making them afraid to ask. there are beautiful rivers with not enough fish by a dismal but hard scrubbed entrance and he makes you go through it inside. i read Chekhov and begin fooling to myself that i know what a wtf waistcoat is, i thought snuff was only a type of porno. a porno where someone dies at the end makes a lot more sense to me than racking some tobacco or whatever the fuck. besides all that, for chekhov everything is very soft boy emotional boy 18-something-or-other alternating between broad brushstrokes and pretty details to convey how the rest of a life played out from a few pages to go on. boredom despair futility triviality pettiness and tragedy AND vodka. it’s where dreams are pathetic and sad especially when in ernest. i for one know mine are! send me to siberia already!

[Sammi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like any short story collection some stories were better than others.

Chekhov’s writing is pretty breezy but I didn’t particularly care for his writing themes - much of it was making fun of certain types of people, and lots of extramarital affairs.

I would read his work again but he’s on the chopping block.

[Brother Gregory Rice, SOLT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite selection of his but still has all the characteristic charm. His character descriptions are so precise and detached, and I cannot help but imagine that his medical practice created this perspective.

It seems to me that a definite morality comes across in his stories that is essentially that of the Judeo-Christian tradition. He holds up the simple and just, those who stick to their work in poverty of spirit, as lights of integrity while parodying the arrogant and delusional. Vice is depicted in verisimilitude with its accompanying corruption. However, the foibles of man are depicted always with a touch of ironical humor and a definite feeling of standing before incomprehensible mystery. It seems, though, that he is convinced of moral realities shining through the world he detachedly describes even if he does not espouse religion.

[Allan Claydon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very strong short stories, the final story 'in the ravine' was very solemn and quite shocking

[merve · Rating 4 out of 5]

chekhov i love you

[Alasdair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect mid-January read! Favorites were The Night Before Easter, The Decoration, The Man in the Case, Little Jack, and Without a Title.

[Hamza Razzak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chekhov was a master of words, gifted at depicting people and their lives in a manner that was both insightful and satirical.

[Teo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anton Chekhov, a Russian writer active in the 1880 onwards, had a relatively short, but prosperous career. The majority of his work had been written during a course of 3 years (1885-1887), and yet in these few years he amounted to be widely regarded as one of the greatest and most important writers of short fiction.

This volume published by Wordsworth Editions in their “Classics” category, collects on 188 pages 24 selected short stories. Their titles are, in order: Overseasoned, The Night Before Easter, At Home, Champagne, The Malefactor, Murder Will Out, The Trousseau, The Decoration, The Man in a Case, Little Jack, Dreams, The Death of an Official, Agatha, The Beggar, Children, The Troublesome Guest, Not Wanted, The Robbers, Lean and Fat, On the Way, The Head Gardener’s Tale, Hush!, Without a Title, and finally, In the Ravine.

Used primarily to western fiction and the western style of writing, Chekhov short stories came initially as a surprise to me, and not exactly a pretty one. You see, I expected to see actual storylines, with a beginning, middle, and an end, with action and drama described openly. Chekhov stories, as it would show, were exactly the opposite. His tales are, as called in the introduction, “slices of life”, taken out of the whole picture with no traditional beginning, build up, or conclusion. A small event, a single occurrence in one’s long life is what Chekhov tales are all about. Because of it, his fiction may, to the modern western reader, appear sort of pointless, or to be “about nothing”.

That is because Chekhov indeed implies things rather than conveying them openly, and much is left to the reader’s imagination. Each story, in fact, tackles one aspect of human life – dealing with poverty, the problems of child rearing, the tragedy of a meaningless existence, the stupidity of common folk, fears and phobias, the obsession with rank and social status, living poor and free vs. living rich and bound by society’s norms, … Chekhov’s covered it all.

So the stories are hardly about nothing – they’re just different than what we’re used to. In but a few pages, the writer shows more greatness and maturity than others managed in volumes. However, be warned that Chekhov is all about literary realism; you won’t find any supernatural elements here.

Also, if there ever was an objective writer, it was him. Chekhov is, maybe even the only author I’ve ever read, who takes a totally neutral stance towards all of his characters – those good and those who could be considered evil. He just presents them to you as they are, with all their virtues and faults, but without taking sides or passing judgments, even though he does “display compassion for human suffering and misfortune […] a clear moral sense can be detected beneath his apparent objectivity”.

Wordsworth Editions’ “Selected Stories” are a wonderful introduction to this amazing doctor-turned-writer, and for the ultra-cheap prices of Wordsworth Editions it would be a sin not to pick this up.

P. S. The general introduction advises the reader to read the collection first, and then turn to the introduction. However, due to Chekhov different approach to storytelling than western reader are accustomed to, I would recommend the opposite. Either read the introduction first, or read a story, then go find the paragraph about it in the introduction. It will help you better understand the stories and put them in perspective.

Rating: 8/10

[Raisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chekhov started writing after many of the great Russian authors (Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev). He was different to them in a lot of ways. For one, he breathed life into an under-rated genre - short stories.

The son of a grocer, Chekhov also had a different background to his predecessors, most of whom were wealthy. They had this Romantic conception that in being writers they were demi-gods, and were duty bound to untangle the knotty questions; the meaning of life, death, religion and so on. And these were of course major themes in their work.

Chekhov's childhood was different - he was often beaten and knew privation and hard work. As such, his own work is more down to earth, seeking to portray the bleakness of Russian peasant life. In his earlier work, he didn't really try to convey a message. There was no theme or hidden meaning; he just tried to show life as he saw it. The stories are short, no-frills and devoid of sentimentality. With his later work, you can see him progress from portraying life as it was to also conveying a sense of how life should be.

In this volume of short stories, what stands out is that Chekhov doesn't try to favour one character over another. The protagonists aren't perfect, and even the 'villains' such as they are, have some likeable qualities.

Chekhov has this knack for portraying a snapshot of a life in vivid colour. In just a few paragraphs, you get the full sense of a person's character. A major theme he draws on is the bleakness of poverty, which he shows from a number of different viewpoints, from a tired, frightened orphan writing to his grandfather to a bent old peasant about to be sentenced to hard labour. In this sense he's sort of like a Russian Charles Dickens, except unlike Dickens he leavens the bleakness with deft touches of humour in some of his stories. This, to me, makes him a much easier read than Dickens.

In this volume he also deals with class differences, and the subservience of people of lower class, who in their submissiveness almost ensure their position in life. Apparently Chekhov was heavily influenced by Gogol when he wrote these stories.

He's also quite at home in sketching in a life which he has little experience with - whether portraying some children playing a game while waiting for their parents to return home from a christening, or a frightened young wife returning to her husband after having spent a night with someone else. Apart from these sharp sketches of human life, there are also beautiful descriptive touches, language-wise. The whole collection makes for absorbing reading, being funny in some parts, touching in others. Definitely worth a read, and a new personal favourite.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this Wordsworth Classics compilation of Anton Chekhov's selected stories. What makes this addition such a rewarding read was the care with which these selections have been chosen. As noted in the superb introduction by Joe Andrew, Professor of Russian Literature from Keele University, "All but four of the stories first appeared in the 1880's and many of them are only a few pages long. Consequently, they give the reader not only a particularly keen insight into the early period, but also afford many instances of Chekhov's hallmark style, his brevity, concision, and simple realism." In other words, this is a fantastic introduction to Chekhov. Chekhov was a prolific writer of short stories, so if this catches your fancy you have the rest of his literary career and maturation before you to explore. He wrote up until his untimely death at the age of 44 in 1904.

Because there is no definitive collection of Chekhov's stories, one would be best advised to approach his work chronologically and pay attention to how the collection of stories is compiled. Other reviews here have provided erroneous information as to the stories included in this collection. Most likely, I think they are reviewing a separate compilation and thinking one is much the same as another.

For the Wordsworth Classics Selected Stories of Anton Chekhov

Published in 1996, ISBN: 1853262889

Stories in this version include:

"Overseasoned"

"The Night before Easter"

"At Home"

"Champagne"

"The Malefactor"

"Murder Will Out"

"The Trousseau"

"The Decoration"

"The Man in a Case"

"Little Jack"

"Dreams"

"The Death of an Official"

"Agatha"

"The Beggar"

"Children"

"The Troublesome Guest"

"Not Wanted"

"The Robbers"

"Lean and Fat"

"On the Way"

"The Head Gardner's Tale"

"Hush!"

"Without a Title"

"In the Ravine"

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating vignettes about numerous fairly odd people, set in a collection of worlds that I can't quite grasp. Almost grotesque, but not quite. Was provincial Russia really like that in the late nineteenth century!? (Really, though, could a person fatally attack a baby in front of witnesses and suffer no legal or even social consequences!?)

Some of these stories left me a bit cold, but most of them were curiously gripping, even when uneventful. A few (such as 'The Malefactor') were very funny, and a few were desperately sad. Some characters moralise plenty, whether in their inmost thoughts or in their conversations (and these exchanges are often quite brutal in exposing how inconsequential most of what passes between us actually is), but the narrator and author somehow manage to stand apart. 'At Home' and 'The Head Gardener' are exceptions and illustrative in this regard -- the characters have genuinely substantial conversations, but we really don't know what Chekhov thinks about the "issues" raised.

The edition leaves a little to be desired -- who was the translator, for instance? A not unimportant detail, surely. And when was the translation made? It's not just the antiquarian or pedant in me that wants to know: credit should be given where credit is due. I wanted to knock off another star for that lacuna but it wouldn't be fair to the quality of the original. And while I always enjoy a scholarly (or lighter) introduction this one by Joe Andrew was a bit hand-wavy and spoilery, neither scholarly enough nor light enough, despite his obvious erudition and lengthy bibliography.

The next step is to get all the unselected stories for perusal...

[𝕸𝖎𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖊𝖑 𝕮. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this book at a little free library box and had never heard of Chekhov before.
I am SO GLAD that I found and read this book!
The stories are so different and wonderful.



Here are the stories in this book:

The Confession
He Understood
At Sea--A Sailor's Story
A Nincompoop
Surgery
Ninochka-A Love Story
A Cure for Drinking
The Jailer Jailed
The Dance Pianist
The Milksop
Marriage in Ten or Fifteen Years
In Spring
Agafya
The Kiss
The Father
In Exile
Three Years
The House with the Mansard- An Artist's Story
Peasants
The Darling


I found all of these short stories to be excellent, interesting, and unique.
My least favorite was "Peasants", just because it was so jacked up how all the people acted. Like wild dogs, but worse. The story was still written well, though.

I have 3 absolute favorites and here they are in order:
1. The Kiss
2. Three years
3. The House with the Mansard - An Artist's Story

I'll say a bit about each of these. ☺️

⚠️⚠️⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD⚠️⚠️⚠️




♥️♥️➡️The Kiss

This was brilliant! The soldier (Ryabovich) who was accidentally kissed by a woman in a dark part of a house because he was mistaken for someone else.
He then thought about this incident for days and days after, and fell in love. He never found out who the woman was, but i really enjoyed this story. Reading about Ryabovich's thoughts and actions was neat.


Parts i liked:


"No? Is that what you think?" Lobytko badgered him.
"Good God in heaven, if you dropped me on the moon, I could find beer and women in no time! I'll go right now, and I'll find it--and you can call me a scoundrel if I don't!" 🤣🤣


"How foolish! How foolish!" he thought, gazing at the flowing water. "How stupid it all is!"
Now that he expected nothing, the incident of the kiss, his impatience, his vague hopes and disappointment, presented themselves to him in a clear light. It no longer seemed strange that he had waited in vain for the general's messenger, or that he would never see the one who had accidentally kissed him instead of someone else; on the con-trary, it would have been strange if he had seen her. . ..

And the whole world, all of life, seemed to Ryabovich to be an incomprehensible, aimless jest. ... Raising his eyes from the water and gazing at the sky, he again recalled how fate in the guise of an unknown woman had by chance caressed him; and remembering his summer dreams and fan-tasies, his life now seemed singularly meager, wretched, and drab.

When he returned to the hut he found not one of his comrades. The orderly informed him that they had all gone "to General Fontriabkin's, who sent a messenger on horseback to invite them."
....For an instant joy flamed in his breast,
but he immediately stifled it and went to bed, and in his wrath with his fate, as though wishing to spite it, did not go to the general's.


What a crazy, interesting ending.... and I liked it!! He was very practical.
I fell in love with Ryabovich while reading this. ♥️



♥️♥️➡️ Three Years

This story was really good.
It was longer than all the others and was fun to read. I wondered where Chekhov would take this! Would Yulia die? Would Yulia cheat on Laptev, or vice versa?

I loved how Laptev was so infatuated with Yulia. How IN LOVE he was with her! I loved the awkward, rushed proposal from him on account of his love that he couldn't contain any longer!
Yulia refused right away, and then thought it over and accepted! I like that she wasn't just after Laptev's money.
She said, "I swear to God, no! I didn't think of the money. I didn't want it. I simply thought I should do wrong if I refused you. I was afraid of ruining your life and my own."

I enjoyed the slow, subtle way that Yulia was falling in love with her husband.
Like when she went home to her father and craved to be back in Laptev's home. she finally realized that was her true home.

While the ending to the story is very
open-ended, I like to think (and there's no reason not to) that Laptev and Yulia are good now. That their relationship is good, and there is love, reciprocated. Chekhov never tells us that Laptev fell OUT of love for Yulia, and at the very end of the book, Yulia says she loves him, and Laptev is describing his wife, thinking how lovely she is.

"I miss you so!" She stood up, passed her hand over his hair, and looked intently into his face, at his shoulders, and his hat. "You know, I love you," she said, blushing. "You are very dear to me. Now you have come, I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you!

"He sat on the porch and watched his wife walking slowly along the avenue toward the house. She was no longer the pale, slender, fragile girl she once had been, but a mature, vigorous, beautiful woman..... It was as though he were seeing her for the first time in his life. ..... and he was thinking that perhaps he would have to live another thirteen, another thirty years..
..And
what would he be obliged to live through in that time?.
..What does the future hold for us?
And he thought: We shall live and we shall see."

♥️♥️➡️ The House with the Mansard - An Artist's Story

The story was really cool and sad. Bittersweet.
The love story here is realistic, sadly. Lovers broken apart by circumstances, by people, even by your own close family.

The ending of the story:

"About Zhenya he could tell me only that she no longer lived at home, and that he did not know where she was.
I am beginning to forget the house with the mansard, and only now and then, when I am painting or reading, suddenly, for no apparent reason, I recall the green light in the win-dow, the sound of my footsteps echoing through the field at night as I walked home, in love, and chafing my cold hands.
And even more rarely, when I am oppressed by loneliness and feeling sad, I dimly remember, and little by little begin to feel that I too am being remembered and waited for, and that we shall meet. ...
Misuce, where are you?"

Obviously, this man is still alive and remembers, and he says that he hasn't seen her since, but there's no saying they WON'T meet again... (I'm a hopeless romantic) 😄
Great love story.


⬇️
My first taste of Chekhov! Absolutely amazing.
"A Nincompoop", the story about a man trying to trick his children's governess to teach her a lesson about standing up for herself, was a great one.
"Marriage in Ten or Fifteen Years" was really cool too, and that's exactly what marriage is like today! Crazy, i mean, that was written so long ago!
"In Spring", the story of a writer who everyone hates and mistreats! What a story.
The ending was good!