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A Father

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A tragic father, Old Musatov, finds himself lucky to have very dedicated children. Musatov is a drunkard and is constantly seeking out money from his sons, which they routinely give to him over and over again. Musatov is drunkenly relating the pride and appreciation he feels for all of his sons to one of his sons, Boris, while also admitting his own flaws. His children indulge their father continually, even though he doesn't deserve it for all the trouble he causes them and the fact that he has nothing to give them in return.

Audiobook

Published December 4, 2012

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About the author

Anton Chekhov

5,951 books9,852 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

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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
8 reviews2 followers
December 7, 2020
Maybe as I am familiar to how family relationships can be tarnished by feelings of ungratefulness, detachment and unchecked addiction can cause experiences such as these. A silent child always seeking to constantly give and never let their father down. Never truly being able to embrace one another as child and parent should. It feels all too sad, lonely and distant when there is love felt, but it isn’t enough to bridge an understanding of the gap felt between the different worlds – even between family.

As beautiful as it was, maybe my experiences tainted my impression of this story, but it truly disheartened me.
Profile Image for Forked Radish.
3,911 reviews84 followers
June 26, 2021
This inspiring story should be read every Father's Day.
Profile Image for Niklas Zenius Jespersen.
304 reviews3 followers
January 3, 2021
Meget rørende fortælling om en alkoholiseret far, der er ked af den smerte han tilføjer sin familie, men alligevel ikke kan stoppe sig selv, men hvis børn alligevel elsker ham og tager sig af ham. Særligt i betragtning af alkoholismens udbredelse i Tzarrusland (og i eftertidens Rusland) og hvordan mange blev overladt til sig selv, så er det rørende ikke kun selve historien, men den livsfilosofi den promoverer hvor man ikke skal svigte den syge, men tilbyde dem respekt og kærlighed uanset hvor mange gange de fejler.
Profile Image for Pearl Reads.
187 reviews1 follower
August 31, 2020
Such a lucky father
Having such dedicated children.
I pity his children.
Profile Image for Donna.
1,313 reviews11 followers
August 17, 2019
Just finished reading the audible version of the short story “A FATHER” by ANTON CHEKHOV. It was narrated by ANNE MAKOTO. A tragic father, Old Musatov, finds himself lucky to have very dedicated children. Musatov is a drunkard and is constantly seeking out money from his sons, which they routinely give to him over and over again. Musatov is drunkenly relating the pride and appreciation he feels for all of his sons to one of his sons, Boris, while also admitting his own flaws. His children indulge their father continually, even though he doesn't deserve it for all the trouble he causes them and the fact that he has nothing to give them in return.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews

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