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A Country Cottage
*Illustrated
*Includes Table of Contents
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) may have suffered an untimely death, but he squeezed the most out of his 44 years of life. Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be one of the greatest writers in history, particularly in the genre of short stories.
Chekhov’s major illustration near the end of the 19th century was in what became known as “stream-of-consciousness” writing, in which he eschewed common traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Renowned writers like James Joyce and William Faulkner would eventually run with this theme, producing classics in the same vein. Chekhov was one of Russia’s most famous and popular writers in his time, producing well-received works like The Lady with the Dog and The Bishop.
This edition of Chekhov’s short story, A Country Cottage, is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and is illustrated with over a dozen pictures of Chekhov.
*Includes Table of Contents
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) may have suffered an untimely death, but he squeezed the most out of his 44 years of life. Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be one of the greatest writers in history, particularly in the genre of short stories.
Chekhov’s major illustration near the end of the 19th century was in what became known as “stream-of-consciousness” writing, in which he eschewed common traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Renowned writers like James Joyce and William Faulkner would eventually run with this theme, producing classics in the same vein. Chekhov was one of Russia’s most famous and popular writers in his time, producing well-received works like The Lady with the Dog and The Bishop.
This edition of Chekhov’s short story, A Country Cottage, is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and is illustrated with over a dozen pictures of Chekhov.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
18 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
21 people want to read
About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,969 books9,792 followers
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
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
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 17, 2025
The Country Cottage is a story about a young couple who are admiring the view around them at a train station while waiting for Sasha's relatives to disembark.
It is a bit funny how the couple react to the relatives. Both thinking how their lives are disrupted.Their home is a small place. The food prepared will be swallowed up in no time! The children! Their life and cottage will be in a shambles but on the surface it is all happy smiles as the children hang from their necks.
A lovely short story by Anton Chekhov
It is a bit funny how the couple react to the relatives. Both thinking how their lives are disrupted.Their home is a small place. The food prepared will be swallowed up in no time! The children! Their life and cottage will be in a shambles but on the surface it is all happy smiles as the children hang from their necks.
A lovely short story by Anton Chekhov
April 20, 2019
I have arranged my thoughts into a haiku:
"A couple's true test:
Any fools can fall in love
But can they take stress?"
"A couple's true test:
Any fools can fall in love
But can they take stress?"
December 27, 2021
“The moon as though she had taken a pinch of snuff hid her face behind a cloud. Human happiness reminded her of her own loneliness, of her solitary couch beyond the hills and dales.” - what a quote
Read
February 9, 2023Smell of her perfume
June 13, 2025
Creepy, not quite sure what to make of it
June 20, 2025
A Country Cottage by Anton Chekhov – the Short Stories of this sublime writer are included on The 100 Greatest Books Ever Made – author of The Shooting Party https://realini.blogspot.com/2022/01/...
9 out of 10
Anton Chekhov is one of the greatest writers in history, his short stories and plays are landmarks, masterpieces that will enchant future generations, if they do not have to live on such a hot planet, that they can hardly breathe
You can read A Country Cottage at https://americanliterature.com/author... and in quite a number of other places, including archive.org, the LibriVox, Gutenberg sites and more
‘Two young people who had not long been married were walking up and down the platform of a little country station’ – this is the beginning of what is a flash story, only a couple of pages long, which makes it even more remarkable
"How beautiful it is, Sasha, how beautiful!" they are merry, felicitous, but it will not last long, in just a few more lines, they experience a dramatic lowering of their wellbeing, when they have a rather unwanted visit
Sasha’s uncle has arrived, with his whole family, and they have four children, they wish to stay for three or four days, and the thought of enjoying that meal they were just speaking of is now gone, their peace is vanishing too
Studies have shown that the happiest people do not have a lot of money – that obviously helps, although there is a limit of about 60 k, maybe now 75k in Alabama, and 120k, or 150 in the terms of the present
These would be the thresholds which ensure a decent, merry life, because we cannot say you could be happy living on the streets, homeless, but on the other hand, when looking at lottery winners, it was proved the jack pot does not equal bliss
So, the happiest people I was saying do not have huge wealth, but what they have in common is strong bonds with family and friends, the problem here being that it may not be ‘the extended family’ analyzed in that research
It probably refers to spouse, children, parents, and those ties, and not the uncle that drops and then all hell breaks loose, if he has four small children, with the chaos, the crying, the broken things and the rest of it…
I am now watching episodes of Frasier, and enjoying it https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... and in some of those, Daphne has a brother – and then another, what, nine – coming over
This fellow is a drunkard, thief and parasite, but even without those aggravating circumstances, there is joy in seeing some of those cousins, uncles, but there is the discomfort, differences, sharing genealogy does not mean the same interests
According to Mark https://realini.blogspot.com/2023/02/... is a splendid novel by Penelope Lively with a marvelous point regarding the books one has read, or did not, and how they separate humans
We are divided just as much by the number of books we have read, and what they were, as by wealth, status, and there are relatives that may, do support what we loathe, like Orange Jesus aka Trump in America
I remember one of my serious clashes with an uncle -for some time, he drove the Audi I had – in the old days, just after the Revolution I took part in (the link is at the end of this) I saw a jump in my income, to a stratospheric level, for the age
There were clients for tours, and I was the lover of Miss Romania, and the uncle was the chauffer, which meant he got paid for something he wanted to do – having an Audi (if a second hand one) was like owning a yacht today
However, this uncle had a buddy I disliked – at one point this mate asked for some excessive profit on some deal, business, whatever, and I said to myself, alright, from now, it is strictly business, no more favors for this loan shark
Besides, he was no Chili Palmer https://realini.blogspot.com/2020/04/... as in he lacked the charm of the fellow who says ‘I am the one telling you the way it is’ in Get Shorty
So, I gave my uncle the use of the Audi, in his own time, but made it clear that I do not want this loan shark to benefit and what do I find? The tow of them went to Valcele, some place 150 kilometers from here
They took a trip, enjoyed the country side, some other relatives there, and I called uncle Sandu to reproach this ‘misdemeanor’, and what do I hear in reply, but something like ‘he is not the slave of a moron’
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’
“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”
9 out of 10
Anton Chekhov is one of the greatest writers in history, his short stories and plays are landmarks, masterpieces that will enchant future generations, if they do not have to live on such a hot planet, that they can hardly breathe
You can read A Country Cottage at https://americanliterature.com/author... and in quite a number of other places, including archive.org, the LibriVox, Gutenberg sites and more
‘Two young people who had not long been married were walking up and down the platform of a little country station’ – this is the beginning of what is a flash story, only a couple of pages long, which makes it even more remarkable
"How beautiful it is, Sasha, how beautiful!" they are merry, felicitous, but it will not last long, in just a few more lines, they experience a dramatic lowering of their wellbeing, when they have a rather unwanted visit
Sasha’s uncle has arrived, with his whole family, and they have four children, they wish to stay for three or four days, and the thought of enjoying that meal they were just speaking of is now gone, their peace is vanishing too
Studies have shown that the happiest people do not have a lot of money – that obviously helps, although there is a limit of about 60 k, maybe now 75k in Alabama, and 120k, or 150 in the terms of the present
These would be the thresholds which ensure a decent, merry life, because we cannot say you could be happy living on the streets, homeless, but on the other hand, when looking at lottery winners, it was proved the jack pot does not equal bliss
So, the happiest people I was saying do not have huge wealth, but what they have in common is strong bonds with family and friends, the problem here being that it may not be ‘the extended family’ analyzed in that research
It probably refers to spouse, children, parents, and those ties, and not the uncle that drops and then all hell breaks loose, if he has four small children, with the chaos, the crying, the broken things and the rest of it…
I am now watching episodes of Frasier, and enjoying it https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... and in some of those, Daphne has a brother – and then another, what, nine – coming over
This fellow is a drunkard, thief and parasite, but even without those aggravating circumstances, there is joy in seeing some of those cousins, uncles, but there is the discomfort, differences, sharing genealogy does not mean the same interests
According to Mark https://realini.blogspot.com/2023/02/... is a splendid novel by Penelope Lively with a marvelous point regarding the books one has read, or did not, and how they separate humans
We are divided just as much by the number of books we have read, and what they were, as by wealth, status, and there are relatives that may, do support what we loathe, like Orange Jesus aka Trump in America
I remember one of my serious clashes with an uncle -for some time, he drove the Audi I had – in the old days, just after the Revolution I took part in (the link is at the end of this) I saw a jump in my income, to a stratospheric level, for the age
There were clients for tours, and I was the lover of Miss Romania, and the uncle was the chauffer, which meant he got paid for something he wanted to do – having an Audi (if a second hand one) was like owning a yacht today
However, this uncle had a buddy I disliked – at one point this mate asked for some excessive profit on some deal, business, whatever, and I said to myself, alright, from now, it is strictly business, no more favors for this loan shark
Besides, he was no Chili Palmer https://realini.blogspot.com/2020/04/... as in he lacked the charm of the fellow who says ‘I am the one telling you the way it is’ in Get Shorty
So, I gave my uncle the use of the Audi, in his own time, but made it clear that I do not want this loan shark to benefit and what do I find? The tow of them went to Valcele, some place 150 kilometers from here
They took a trip, enjoyed the country side, some other relatives there, and I called uncle Sandu to reproach this ‘misdemeanor’, and what do I hear in reply, but something like ‘he is not the slave of a moron’
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’
“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”
July 19, 2021
You aren't just marrying your spouse.
June 11, 2020
Excellent use of literary devices and mood changes. Humorous.
November 24, 2021
The Country Cottage is also a short, whimsical, funny, sad, truth of a young couple inviting relatives over, to their small place, then, seeing the size of the family have resentments for all the food they are going to eat, the disruption to their life and cottage, whilst blaming each other, on the surface it is all happy smiles.
October 13, 2024
The moon as though she had taken a pinch of snuff hid her face behind a cloud. Human happiness reminded her of her own loneliness, of her solitary couch beyond the hills and dales.
How love and poetry can voluptuously turn into anger and spite. Only a visit from family can justify it!! It would be funny if it werent so true.
How love and poetry can voluptuously turn into anger and spite. Only a visit from family can justify it!! It would be funny if it werent so true.
December 11, 2018
I loved the figurative language and the tongue in cheek response of the couple.
December 31, 2022
Classic family biz...
November 13, 2023
haha, I feel like I have done this so many times... acting nice for guests and seething inside. Gotta love family!
January 2, 2025
So funny!
January 5, 2025
true definition of a short story. to the point, message clear and unmuddled
November 13, 2025
I get it. I so get it. Don’t we all need a little break sometimes in that country cottage!?
December 19, 2025
After time spent in idilic conditions, a couple goes to pieces due to familial stress. Sorta funny
January 29, 2022
This is a comical social interaction explored by Chekhov.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews