What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lady With The Dog
"The talk was that a new face had appeared on the embankment: a
lady with a little dog..."
While vacationing in Yalta, Gurov, a married, middle-aged man, becomes enraptured by a lovely young woman on the beach walking her dog. After a brief affair, the couple part, but despite the pressures of their separate lives, both are deeply affected by their fleeting attachment.
'The Lady with the Dog' is a short story by Anton Chekhov first published in 1899. It tells the story of an adulterous affair between a Russian banker and a young lady he meets while vacationing in Yalta. The story comprises four parts:
- I - Description of the initial meeting in Yalta,
- II - Consummation of the affair and the remaining time in Yalta
- III - Gurov's return to Moscow and his visit to Anna's town
- IV - Anna's visits to Moscow.
'The Lady with the Dog' was written shortly after Chekhov met Olga Knipper, an actress he would marry two years later. The work deals with the complexities and realities of deep human relationships. Vladimir Nabokov declared that it was one of the greatest short stories ever written.
HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in eBook production and celebrating reading in all its forms.
lady with a little dog..."
While vacationing in Yalta, Gurov, a married, middle-aged man, becomes enraptured by a lovely young woman on the beach walking her dog. After a brief affair, the couple part, but despite the pressures of their separate lives, both are deeply affected by their fleeting attachment.
'The Lady with the Dog' is a short story by Anton Chekhov first published in 1899. It tells the story of an adulterous affair between a Russian banker and a young lady he meets while vacationing in Yalta. The story comprises four parts:
- I - Description of the initial meeting in Yalta,
- II - Consummation of the affair and the remaining time in Yalta
- III - Gurov's return to Moscow and his visit to Anna's town
- IV - Anna's visits to Moscow.
'The Lady with the Dog' was written shortly after Chekhov met Olga Knipper, an actress he would marry two years later. The work deals with the complexities and realities of deep human relationships. Vladimir Nabokov declared that it was one of the greatest short stories ever written.
HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in eBook production and celebrating reading in all its forms.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1888
199 people are currently reading
5052 people want to read
About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,970 books9,794 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,017 reviews
November 13, 2020
What librarian has done this? I wrote this review in 2015 from a paperback book and on my shelf it is showing a 2011 Kindle edition. I reviewed it twice. The other edition has been changed to А.П. Чехов: Дама с собачкой = A.P. Chekhov: The Lady with the Dog. And the librarian has written a note 'do not combine with...' This has really screwed my shelves around.
____________________
Same old. Same old. A well-off man twice the age of a pretty blonde young woman, fancies her and playing on her loneliness as she is far from home without any companion but her dog, he becomes her friend until he can get her into bed. Both of them are married.
She worries that he doesn't respect her. She's right, he doesn't. He doesn't respect women at all but the company of men bores him. She lies to her husband so she can travel to meet him. He probably gives some excuse or other to his wife and they meet in hotel rooms.
"He had two lives: one, open, seen and known by all who cared to know, full of relative truth and of relative falsehood, exactly like the lives of his friends and acquaintances; and another life, running its course in secret."
So what's new?
When she finally realises that the man she loves isn't really all that, or he is but she knows he doesn't think she is, she says,
"I am a bad, low woman; I despise myself and don't attempt to justify myself. It's not my husband but myself I have deceived. And not only just now; I have been deceiving myself for a long time.”
So nothing new there. How many books, films, tv series are about the older man who fancies the young blonde and convinces her that their fervid afternoons in a hotel room are real love? This man who had never really had much emotion for any woman now thinks he really loves her. But we know that in part two (which is not written in the story but we've read this story a million times before), when push comes to shove he will go back to his wife and next year, or the year after, there will be another pretty young blonde to distract him.
One thing with classic stories like these, back in the days when contraception wasn't reliable, of adultery is that they rarely include the woman getting pregnant. I always wonder about that. Perhaps it is the male authors just don't want to complicate their musings about love and lust with real life.
Some of the writing of this story was exquisite but in common with a lot of Russian literature it did go on so. Chekov was a very prolific writer. Nothing in this story has made me fall in love with him myself, but should I do so, it will have the makings of a very long and involved affair.
____________________
Same old. Same old. A well-off man twice the age of a pretty blonde young woman, fancies her and playing on her loneliness as she is far from home without any companion but her dog, he becomes her friend until he can get her into bed. Both of them are married.
She worries that he doesn't respect her. She's right, he doesn't. He doesn't respect women at all but the company of men bores him. She lies to her husband so she can travel to meet him. He probably gives some excuse or other to his wife and they meet in hotel rooms.
"He had two lives: one, open, seen and known by all who cared to know, full of relative truth and of relative falsehood, exactly like the lives of his friends and acquaintances; and another life, running its course in secret."
So what's new?
When she finally realises that the man she loves isn't really all that, or he is but she knows he doesn't think she is, she says,
"I am a bad, low woman; I despise myself and don't attempt to justify myself. It's not my husband but myself I have deceived. And not only just now; I have been deceiving myself for a long time.”
So nothing new there. How many books, films, tv series are about the older man who fancies the young blonde and convinces her that their fervid afternoons in a hotel room are real love? This man who had never really had much emotion for any woman now thinks he really loves her. But we know that in part two (which is not written in the story but we've read this story a million times before), when push comes to shove he will go back to his wife and next year, or the year after, there will be another pretty young blonde to distract him.
One thing with classic stories like these, back in the days when contraception wasn't reliable, of adultery is that they rarely include the woman getting pregnant. I always wonder about that. Perhaps it is the male authors just don't want to complicate their musings about love and lust with real life.
Some of the writing of this story was exquisite but in common with a lot of Russian literature it did go on so. Chekov was a very prolific writer. Nothing in this story has made me fall in love with him myself, but should I do so, it will have the makings of a very long and involved affair.
September 25, 2021
Another thought provoking story from Anton Chekhov.
Dmitri Gurov thinks very highly of himself and very little of women, believing them to be of a lower species. However, when he meets the eponymous ‘Lady with the little dog’ they begin an illicit affair. Could he now be persuaded otherwise?
Dmitri Gurov thinks very highly of himself and very little of women, believing them to be of a lower species. However, when he meets the eponymous ‘Lady with the little dog’ they begin an illicit affair. Could he now be persuaded otherwise?
May 27, 2021
And both of them clearly realized that the end was far, far away and that the most complicated and difficult part was only just beginning.
link: source
Words! How much an author depends on words to portray his/ her ideas, is it only words or something beneath the humdrum of words, that separates an extraordinary work of literature from an ordinary one. And how many words are really required for an author to create an impact he/ she actually wants to, for we have superfluous creations in literature, which appears to fail to kindle the literary sensibilities of a reader though it seems to inundate the reader with words; what is that then which actually connects an author with the reader. Yet we say, especially in structuralism and post-structuralism, that words are self-sufficient in themselves which means that the psyche, cultural bend, and beliefs of an author are not required when we interpret a text since it has a being of its own as if its language speaks rather than the author. But it is the author who gives birth to those texts or language however, he/ she may not be a part of the interpretation, which we love to do, of the text or language; does it essentially mean that words are necessary evils for an author. And what about an artist like painter then, in contrast to an author, does a painter has more liberty than an author since we have modern forms of art wherein the conservative ideas about objects, colors are abandoned to more abstract forms which perhaps depict human life as it is, yet we call some authors as artists. Perhaps it takes the talent, observation, and perseverance of the highest form, for an author to turn into an artist; it takes blood, sweat, tears, grief, emotions, the whole being of the author to rise above the mundanity and limitations of words, to turn his/ her work into an art, a true form of art embodies an artist’s soul. We have here the artist of the highest grade- Anton Chekhov- who brought his precision of medical profession into his literary vocation.
As one ventures into the world of Chekhov, right from the first paragraph, one may sense that the text appears to be refined, miles away from any superfluidity, as if it has been written (edited) with the precision of a surgeon to produce an immediate impact in just a few words, for there is no place for superfluousness in his world, as he is an acclaimed proponent of minimalism. As soon I plunge myself into it, the story reminds me of Sunflower by Gyla Krudy, which I read last year, probably more because of the setting of the story, for the treatments by the authors are different. We met Dmitry Dmitrich Gurov, a middle-aged charming, elusive man, unfaithful to his wife, with traits of misogyny as he always speaks disparagingly of women and would call them an ‘inferior breed’. However, he finds it hard to live without the ‘inferior breed’ as he seems not to adore the company of ‘superior breed’, for he feels free as a bird in the company of women.
link: source
It seems that every affair, Gurov falls into, though seems spicy, adventurous at the outset, inevitably transformed into an enormous, extraordinarily complex problem as human relationships are. However, as we see with human gluttony, all these learnings and experiences go for a toss before every new chance of such adulterous liaison, he simply wants to relish the immediate pleasures it may provide, without taking into consideration the eventual complex outcomes; such is the nature of humanity as we know it, the alluring thought of a swift, fleeting affair with a strange woman always gets better of him. Anna Sergeyevna is a reserved, married, beautiful, young, and charming woman but still there is something strange about her; however, she immediately gets hold of senses of Gurov. They both start casual hangouts with each other, as in the outbreak of any association; inconsequential, light-hearted conversations develop between them, without care of anything, an affair germinates in the womb of time.
A strange, sudden, animalistic, and predatory desire gets hold of Gurov’s consciousness; to seize, to capture from life more than it could provide, as he chances upon any woman but he feels it is somewhat distinct this time with Anna, anew relationship with love and emotions is blossoming underneath this seemingly casual affair. Soon, everything looks pointless to him, since he doesn’t have his heart in it. Chekhov throws an enigma here to readers, as he is known for unsettling them, to ponder upon that whether it is real love or another one of those temporary, inconsequential, lustful affairs we know Gurov is capable of, of pulling off.
The pointless business affairs and perpetual conversations- always on the same theme- were commandeering the best part of his time, his best strength, so that in the end there remained only a limited, humdrum life, just trivial nonsense.
At times it seems that there can not be an any better portrayal of romantic love than what Chekhov’s skillful and adept pen does with this story. Gradually, the unceremonious affair develops into a serious adulterous relationship in which the familiar fear of societal fear creeps in, the shame and self-hatred encompasses Anna as she feels that society would find it hard to digest their quest to live life to the fullest, at the same time, she is also afraid that perhaps Gurov does not respect her, as if her being is prohibited from expressing itself. Eventually, they become likes birds who have been imprisoned in different cages of morality and ethics of society.
He was leading a double life: one was undisguised, plain for all to see ad known to everyone who needed to know, full of conventional truths and conventional deception, identical to the lives of his friends and acquaintances; and another which went on in secret.
The prose of the story is as poetic and lyrical as you expect from Chekhov, in fact, some scenes are so picturesque that they get registered in the cervices of your memory forever. There is a subtle infusion of symbolism into the tale with precise usage of certain things to convey the underlying meaning. ' That fence is enough to make you want to run away.’ Gurov thought, looking now at the windows, now at the fence. What appears to be a simple love story on an incautious outing, is perhaps essentially a tale of the transformation of Gurov- from a bitter, flirty man to the one who really understands real human emotions and could love someone truly and whole-heartedly, or it is the realization of one’s true existence by leaving aside the disguised, inauthentic life we may be living. Such transformations may seem to be highly improbable in the real world, for such human beings become uncontrolled glum over the period of time, but it is the ability of Chekhov to weave an utterly believable web around your consciousness.
The story underlines the departure of Anton Chekhov from realism to modernism, initially, the author draws the picture of human behavior through external details interspersed in a tightly woven plot, but gradually he shifts to more complex psychological features of the characters through a narrative built upon the thoughts and memories of them, in other words, he moves from outward to inward. It digresses me to an intriguing point that during remembering old memories, whether we actually recall those memories from our past or we relive them since, as we say, the memories become part of our present and past, intermingling with our thoughts. And since these memories become part of our consciousness, our being, so essentially do we really love those memories or the actual person who instigates those memories.
The story may represent a mirror to show our own nature, for we tend to succumb to our lust and avarice; of course, most of us may not be exposed to society but an infernal fear terrifies every one of us. The climax of the short story is unconventional, to say the least, as expected from Chekhov, for firstly it doesn’t come at the end of the tale as you expect, rather eventually, it is being left at a point which more appropriately could be said to be the beginning rather than the end; it is further left upon the curious readers to interpret it whichever way they want, for a text stands unconnected and uninfluenced from the author.
The private, personal life of everyone is grounded in secrecy and this perhaps partly explains why civilized man fusses so neurotically over having this personal secrecy respected.
link: source
Words! How much an author depends on words to portray his/ her ideas, is it only words or something beneath the humdrum of words, that separates an extraordinary work of literature from an ordinary one. And how many words are really required for an author to create an impact he/ she actually wants to, for we have superfluous creations in literature, which appears to fail to kindle the literary sensibilities of a reader though it seems to inundate the reader with words; what is that then which actually connects an author with the reader. Yet we say, especially in structuralism and post-structuralism, that words are self-sufficient in themselves which means that the psyche, cultural bend, and beliefs of an author are not required when we interpret a text since it has a being of its own as if its language speaks rather than the author. But it is the author who gives birth to those texts or language however, he/ she may not be a part of the interpretation, which we love to do, of the text or language; does it essentially mean that words are necessary evils for an author. And what about an artist like painter then, in contrast to an author, does a painter has more liberty than an author since we have modern forms of art wherein the conservative ideas about objects, colors are abandoned to more abstract forms which perhaps depict human life as it is, yet we call some authors as artists. Perhaps it takes the talent, observation, and perseverance of the highest form, for an author to turn into an artist; it takes blood, sweat, tears, grief, emotions, the whole being of the author to rise above the mundanity and limitations of words, to turn his/ her work into an art, a true form of art embodies an artist’s soul. We have here the artist of the highest grade- Anton Chekhov- who brought his precision of medical profession into his literary vocation.
As one ventures into the world of Chekhov, right from the first paragraph, one may sense that the text appears to be refined, miles away from any superfluidity, as if it has been written (edited) with the precision of a surgeon to produce an immediate impact in just a few words, for there is no place for superfluousness in his world, as he is an acclaimed proponent of minimalism. As soon I plunge myself into it, the story reminds me of Sunflower by Gyla Krudy, which I read last year, probably more because of the setting of the story, for the treatments by the authors are different. We met Dmitry Dmitrich Gurov, a middle-aged charming, elusive man, unfaithful to his wife, with traits of misogyny as he always speaks disparagingly of women and would call them an ‘inferior breed’. However, he finds it hard to live without the ‘inferior breed’ as he seems not to adore the company of ‘superior breed’, for he feels free as a bird in the company of women.
link: source
It seems that every affair, Gurov falls into, though seems spicy, adventurous at the outset, inevitably transformed into an enormous, extraordinarily complex problem as human relationships are. However, as we see with human gluttony, all these learnings and experiences go for a toss before every new chance of such adulterous liaison, he simply wants to relish the immediate pleasures it may provide, without taking into consideration the eventual complex outcomes; such is the nature of humanity as we know it, the alluring thought of a swift, fleeting affair with a strange woman always gets better of him. Anna Sergeyevna is a reserved, married, beautiful, young, and charming woman but still there is something strange about her; however, she immediately gets hold of senses of Gurov. They both start casual hangouts with each other, as in the outbreak of any association; inconsequential, light-hearted conversations develop between them, without care of anything, an affair germinates in the womb of time.
A strange, sudden, animalistic, and predatory desire gets hold of Gurov’s consciousness; to seize, to capture from life more than it could provide, as he chances upon any woman but he feels it is somewhat distinct this time with Anna, anew relationship with love and emotions is blossoming underneath this seemingly casual affair. Soon, everything looks pointless to him, since he doesn’t have his heart in it. Chekhov throws an enigma here to readers, as he is known for unsettling them, to ponder upon that whether it is real love or another one of those temporary, inconsequential, lustful affairs we know Gurov is capable of, of pulling off.
The pointless business affairs and perpetual conversations- always on the same theme- were commandeering the best part of his time, his best strength, so that in the end there remained only a limited, humdrum life, just trivial nonsense.
At times it seems that there can not be an any better portrayal of romantic love than what Chekhov’s skillful and adept pen does with this story. Gradually, the unceremonious affair develops into a serious adulterous relationship in which the familiar fear of societal fear creeps in, the shame and self-hatred encompasses Anna as she feels that society would find it hard to digest their quest to live life to the fullest, at the same time, she is also afraid that perhaps Gurov does not respect her, as if her being is prohibited from expressing itself. Eventually, they become likes birds who have been imprisoned in different cages of morality and ethics of society.
He was leading a double life: one was undisguised, plain for all to see ad known to everyone who needed to know, full of conventional truths and conventional deception, identical to the lives of his friends and acquaintances; and another which went on in secret.
The prose of the story is as poetic and lyrical as you expect from Chekhov, in fact, some scenes are so picturesque that they get registered in the cervices of your memory forever. There is a subtle infusion of symbolism into the tale with precise usage of certain things to convey the underlying meaning. ' That fence is enough to make you want to run away.’ Gurov thought, looking now at the windows, now at the fence. What appears to be a simple love story on an incautious outing, is perhaps essentially a tale of the transformation of Gurov- from a bitter, flirty man to the one who really understands real human emotions and could love someone truly and whole-heartedly, or it is the realization of one’s true existence by leaving aside the disguised, inauthentic life we may be living. Such transformations may seem to be highly improbable in the real world, for such human beings become uncontrolled glum over the period of time, but it is the ability of Chekhov to weave an utterly believable web around your consciousness.
The story underlines the departure of Anton Chekhov from realism to modernism, initially, the author draws the picture of human behavior through external details interspersed in a tightly woven plot, but gradually he shifts to more complex psychological features of the characters through a narrative built upon the thoughts and memories of them, in other words, he moves from outward to inward. It digresses me to an intriguing point that during remembering old memories, whether we actually recall those memories from our past or we relive them since, as we say, the memories become part of our present and past, intermingling with our thoughts. And since these memories become part of our consciousness, our being, so essentially do we really love those memories or the actual person who instigates those memories.
The story may represent a mirror to show our own nature, for we tend to succumb to our lust and avarice; of course, most of us may not be exposed to society but an infernal fear terrifies every one of us. The climax of the short story is unconventional, to say the least, as expected from Chekhov, for firstly it doesn’t come at the end of the tale as you expect, rather eventually, it is being left at a point which more appropriately could be said to be the beginning rather than the end; it is further left upon the curious readers to interpret it whichever way they want, for a text stands unconnected and uninfluenced from the author.
The private, personal life of everyone is grounded in secrecy and this perhaps partly explains why civilized man fusses so neurotically over having this personal secrecy respected.
October 17, 2024
السيدة صاحبة الكلب قصة قصيرة لتشيخوف تحكي عن قصة حب نشأت بين رجل متزوج يعيش حياة روتينة مملة وبين سيدة متزوجة أيضاً ولكنها غير سعيدة في حياتها...
حتخلص القصة وتسأل نفسك هل فعلاً الحب دايماً بيجي في الوقت الغير مناسب و لا اللي بينهم مش حب و إنما مجرد رغبة في التغيير و لا ممكن يكون فقط إن الممنوع مرغوب ومجرد إمتلاكنا له بنكتشف إننا كنا بنجري وراء سراب؟
بحبك يا تشيخوف والله:)
(القصة موجودة في المجلد الثاني للأعمال القصصية الكاملة لتشيخوف..)
حتخلص القصة وتسأل نفسك هل فعلاً الحب دايماً بيجي في الوقت الغير مناسب و لا اللي بينهم مش حب و إنما مجرد رغبة في التغيير و لا ممكن يكون فقط إن الممنوع مرغوب ومجرد إمتلاكنا له بنكتشف إننا كنا بنجري وراء سراب؟
بحبك يا تشيخوف والله:)
(القصة موجودة في المجلد الثاني للأعمال القصصية الكاملة لتشيخوف..)
July 9, 2017
Μια απλή ερωτική περιπέτεια ξεκινάει κατα τη διάρκεια των διακοπών σε ένα παραθαλάσσιο θέρετρο της Γιάλτας,ανάμεσα σε δυο εντελώς διαφορετικούς ανθρώπους μα και τόσο ίδιους.
Ο Γκούροφ είναι ένας ευπαρουσίαστος,ευκατάστατος
και κοινωνικά καταξιωμένος άνδρας γύρω στα σαράντα.
Εργάζεται σε τράπεζα και έχει μια σύζυγο την οποία απεχθάνεται,φοβάται και απατά κατ' εξακολούθηση με το "κατώτερο είδος". Έτσι, χαρακτηρίζει συλλήβδην το γ��ναικείο φύλο.
Έχει τρία παιδιά στα οποία προσφέρει τα πάντα μαζί με την πλήρη αδιαφορία του.
Ο Γκούροφ, στεγνός και κενός συναισθηματικά,προσπαθεί μάταια μέσα απο διασκεδάσεις και κραιπάλες να νιώσει λαχτάρα και ελπίδα για τη ζωή του.
Η Άννα Σεργκέγεβνα είναι μια νέα κι όμορφη γυναίκα παγιδευμένη μέσα σε ενα γάμο που βρίθει απο ύστερη δυστυχία και αμοιβαία ανοχή.
Ο Γκούροφ και η Άννα γνωρίζονται κατά τη διαρκεία των διακοπών τους και ανταλάσσουν πάθη και πόθους με μια εναλλαγή συναισθημάτων ανάμεσα στον λυρισμό και τον κυνισμό.
Για εκείνον ήταν μια ακόμη περιπέτεια με το
"κατώτερο είδος",
για εκείνη,μια πρωτόγνωρη εμπειρία.
Όταν επιστρέφουν στην οικογενειακή τους ρουτίνα επανέρχονται και οι σκληρές τυπικές περιφράξεις των συμβιβασμών τους.
Ένας ανέλπιδος έρωτας τους σιγολιώνει,παρέα με τις αναμνήσεις και την ηδονική νοσταλγία αναβιώνει μνήμες και στιγμές που δεν γίνεται να ξεπεραστούν και να ξεχαστούν.
Μοιραία θα ξανασυναντηθούν,τυλιγμένοι απο τη θλίψη μιας αγάπης ανάμεσα σε ανθρώπους που είναι δεσμευμένοι με άλλους....
Κατανοούν πως δεν μπορούν να χωρίσουν, επειδή ο χωρισμός απλώς δραματοποιεί περισσότερο την αγάπη τους.
Έτσι συνεχίζουν να βιώνουν μια περιθωριακή ευτυχία.
Η κατάληξη της ιστορίας είναι η επιτυχία της αποτυχίας ή αντίστροφα.
Η αναποτελεσματικότητα του τέλους, η επιτηδευμένη ανικανότητα του Τσέχοφ να μας δείξει αν μπορούν να βρουν την ευτυχία κάτω απο αυτές τις συνθήκες ή όχι, κάνει αυτή την κοινή ερωτική ιστορία απίστευτα αριστουργηματική.
Οι ερμηνείες πολλές και τα συμπεράσματα καθαρά υποκειμενικά.
" Και του φάνηκε πως λίγο έλειπε ακόμα...
και θα βρισκόταν η λύση και τότε θ' άρχιζε μια καινούργια,
μια όμορφη ζωή...
κι ήταν ξεκάθαρο και στους δυο πως το τέλος ήταν μακριά ακόμα,και πως το πιο περίπλοκο και δύσκολο κομμάτι μόλις άρχιζε".
Καλή ανάγνωση.
Πολλούς ασπασμούς.
Ο Γκούροφ είναι ένας ευπαρουσίαστος,ευκατάστατος
και κοινωνικά καταξιωμένος άνδρας γύρω στα σαράντα.
Εργάζεται σε τράπεζα και έχει μια σύζυγο την οποία απεχθάνεται,φοβάται και απατά κατ' εξακολούθηση με το "κατώτερο είδος". Έτσι, χαρακτηρίζει συλλήβδην το γ��ναικείο φύλο.
Έχει τρία παιδιά στα οποία προσφέρει τα πάντα μαζί με την πλήρη αδιαφορία του.
Ο Γκούροφ, στεγνός και κενός συναισθηματικά,προσπαθεί μάταια μέσα απο διασκεδάσεις και κραιπάλες να νιώσει λαχτάρα και ελπίδα για τη ζωή του.
Η Άννα Σεργκέγεβνα είναι μια νέα κι όμορφη γυναίκα παγιδευμένη μέσα σε ενα γάμο που βρίθει απο ύστερη δυστυχία και αμοιβαία ανοχή.
Ο Γκούροφ και η Άννα γνωρίζονται κατά τη διαρκεία των διακοπών τους και ανταλάσσουν πάθη και πόθους με μια εναλλαγή συναισθημάτων ανάμεσα στον λυρισμό και τον κυνισμό.
Για εκείνον ήταν μια ακόμη περιπέτεια με το
"κατώτερο είδος",
για εκείνη,μια πρωτόγνωρη εμπειρία.
Όταν επιστρέφουν στην οικογενειακή τους ρουτίνα επανέρχονται και οι σκληρές τυπικές περιφράξεις των συμβιβασμών τους.
Ένας ανέλπιδος έρωτας τους σιγολιώνει,παρέα με τις αναμνήσεις και την ηδονική νοσταλγία αναβιώνει μνήμες και στιγμές που δεν γίνεται να ξεπεραστούν και να ξεχαστούν.
Μοιραία θα ξανασυναντηθούν,τυλιγμένοι απο τη θλίψη μιας αγάπης ανάμεσα σε ανθρώπους που είναι δεσμευμένοι με άλλους....
Κατανοούν πως δεν μπορούν να χωρίσουν, επειδή ο χωρισμός απλώς δραματοποιεί περισσότερο την αγάπη τους.
Έτσι συνεχίζουν να βιώνουν μια περιθωριακή ευτυχία.
Η κατάληξη της ιστορίας είναι η επιτυχία της αποτυχίας ή αντίστροφα.
Η αναποτελεσματικότητα του τέλους, η επιτηδευμένη ανικανότητα του Τσέχοφ να μας δείξει αν μπορούν να βρουν την ευτυχία κάτω απο αυτές τις συνθήκες ή όχι, κάνει αυτή την κοινή ερωτική ιστορία απίστευτα αριστουργηματική.
Οι ερμηνείες πολλές και τα συμπεράσματα καθαρά υποκειμενικά.
" Και του φάνηκε πως λίγο έλειπε ακόμα...
και θα βρισκόταν η λύση και τότε θ' άρχιζε μια καινούργια,
μια όμορφη ζωή...
κι ήταν ξεκάθαρο και στους δυο πως το τέλος ήταν μακριά ακόμα,και πως το πιο περίπλοκο και δύσκολο κομμάτι μόλις άρχιζε".
Καλή ανάγνωση.
Πολλούς ασπασμούς.
September 29, 2024
«Como são diferentes os encontros que temos na vida»
Procuramos os encontros ou eles simplesmente acontecem? Acreditamos mais no destino, nas coincidências ou nas nossas escolhas? Ou as coincidências são manifestações do destino que aceitamos como algo importante prestes a acontecer?
As interpretações são múltiplas e o autor termina este conto com reticências, esse sinal gráfico - esses três pontinhos - que tanto aprecio pela possibilidade que me oferecem de continuar para além da palavra Fim.
Uma jovem tímida, casada, e um homem mais velho, pai, e com um casamento marcado por relacionamentos extraconjugais, encontram-se numa estância de férias - o cachorrinho facilita a aproximação. O inevitável acontece: o amor.
O conto aborda o adultério, as frustrações matrimoniais, a solidão, o desejo de segurança na felicidade de um amor verdadeiro, terno, sincero e decisões difíceis no seio de uma sociedade moralista e hipócrita de mentiras e verdades convencionais.
Optarão por enfrentar juntos a realidade e as possíveis adversidades das suas escolhas, procurando um novo começo ou uma nova forma de viver as suas vidas que o amor transformou?
Em muitos aspectos da vida, é possível aplicar uma analogia com o teorema de Pitágoras: ou seguimos pelos catetos ou pela hipotenusa assim como o relacionamento entre Gurov e Anna criou uma nova hipótese nas suas vidas unindo-os de forma a modificar as suas trajectórias individuais.
A vida é uma mistura de destino, coincidências e escolhas individuais e/ou colectivas. Quem não arrisca, não petisca. Cada escolha traz as suas próprias consequências, aprendizagens e, quero acreditar, uma vida nova e maravilhosa, embora consciente que, muitas vezes, não há finais perfeitos.
Celeste Corrêa
Procuramos os encontros ou eles simplesmente acontecem? Acreditamos mais no destino, nas coincidências ou nas nossas escolhas? Ou as coincidências são manifestações do destino que aceitamos como algo importante prestes a acontecer?
As interpretações são múltiplas e o autor termina este conto com reticências, esse sinal gráfico - esses três pontinhos - que tanto aprecio pela possibilidade que me oferecem de continuar para além da palavra Fim.
Uma jovem tímida, casada, e um homem mais velho, pai, e com um casamento marcado por relacionamentos extraconjugais, encontram-se numa estância de férias - o cachorrinho facilita a aproximação. O inevitável acontece: o amor.
O conto aborda o adultério, as frustrações matrimoniais, a solidão, o desejo de segurança na felicidade de um amor verdadeiro, terno, sincero e decisões difíceis no seio de uma sociedade moralista e hipócrita de mentiras e verdades convencionais.
Optarão por enfrentar juntos a realidade e as possíveis adversidades das suas escolhas, procurando um novo começo ou uma nova forma de viver as suas vidas que o amor transformou?
Em muitos aspectos da vida, é possível aplicar uma analogia com o teorema de Pitágoras: ou seguimos pelos catetos ou pela hipotenusa assim como o relacionamento entre Gurov e Anna criou uma nova hipótese nas suas vidas unindo-os de forma a modificar as suas trajectórias individuais.
A vida é uma mistura de destino, coincidências e escolhas individuais e/ou colectivas. Quem não arrisca, não petisca. Cada escolha traz as suas próprias consequências, aprendizagens e, quero acreditar, uma vida nova e maravilhosa, embora consciente que, muitas vezes, não há finais perfeitos.
Celeste Corrêa
November 8, 2019
"Experience often repeated, truly bitter experience, had taught him long ago that—every intimacy, which at first so agreeably diversifies life and appears light and charming adventure, inevitably grows into a regular problem of extreme intricacy, and in the long run the situation becomes unbearable. But at every fresh meeting with an interesting woman this experience seemed to slip out of his memory, and he was eager for life, and everything seemed simple and amusing."
If you like Chekhov's realistic stories, you will find this a good one as in this story, the intricacies of an out of marriage relationship between a man and a lady (with the dog) are depicted in a very alluring manner.
Even Nabokov, who criticized Chekhov many times, had declared this as one of the greatest stories ever written on such a complicated theme.
This story shows how useless pursuits and conversations about the same things all the time absorb the better part of one's time and the better part of one's strength, and in the end there is left a life groveling and curtailed, worthless and trivial, and there is no escaping or getting away from it—just as though one were in a madhouse.
A beautifully written story with a beginning ..... But without an end!
If you like Chekhov's realistic stories, you will find this a good one as in this story, the intricacies of an out of marriage relationship between a man and a lady (with the dog) are depicted in a very alluring manner.
Even Nabokov, who criticized Chekhov many times, had declared this as one of the greatest stories ever written on such a complicated theme.
This story shows how useless pursuits and conversations about the same things all the time absorb the better part of one's time and the better part of one's strength, and in the end there is left a life groveling and curtailed, worthless and trivial, and there is no escaping or getting away from it—just as though one were in a madhouse.
A beautifully written story with a beginning ..... But without an end!
August 8, 2022
What happens when a misogynistic philanderer falls in love for the first time? Chekhov won’t give you an answer, which is one of the notable and enjoyable things about this story from 1899. Much is unknown and unsaid, by the author and his characters. Chekhov takes advantage of the brevity of the form to let the reader fill in the gaps - possibly in different permutations with each reading. There are gaps of backstory as well as the middle and, especially, the abrupt and open ending. It means Chekhov avoids moralising and the reader chooses whether it's a tragedy or happy-ever-after.
Nevertheless, I wouldn’t be as hyperbolic as Nabokov’s final sentence, here:
“All the traditional rules of story telling have been broken in this wonderful short story of twenty pages or so. There is no problem, no regular climax, no point at the end. And it is one of the greatest stories ever written.”
Image: Chekhov in his study at his White Dacha in Yalta (Source)
The anti-hero
After the first few sentences, I noted “what a horrid, horrid, stalkerish man he is. Self-justification drips from every page”. He often states that women are “the inferior race”, but he needs their company because men are boring and he knows he is attractive to women. I didn’t warm to Gurov as the story progressed, but I don’t mind that: it is an interesting character study. His thoughts about women are derogatory and dismissive, and are part of his deflection of blame or guilt.
“The personal life of every individual is based on secrecy, and perhaps it is partly for that reason that civilized man is so nervously anxious that personal privacy should be respected.”
He does reach a point of self-reflection, but it doesn’t mark a meaningful or plausible change. He thinks there has never been love in his affairs (another excuse), and acknowledges that “not one of them had been happy with him”. But he immediately remembers that they loved what they thought him to be (an image he cultivated), saw their mistake, and then continued to love him. So had they loved him or not? Either way, it’s the women’s fault.
What happens in Yalta stays in Yalta?
“They walked and talked of the strange light of the sea: the water was a soft, warm, lilac color, and there was a golden band of moonlight upon it.”
Yalta was a fashionable resort in Crimea (part of Ukraine, but occupied by Russia since 2014). Gurav is nearing forty and Anna is only twenty two. Both are on holiday without their spouses. The scenery is beautiful, the days are long, and the weather sultry. So far, so predictable. Where the story becomes interesting is what happens after they part “forever”.
Image: Sunset over Yalta by Ivan Ayvazovsky, in 1861, as it would have looked in their grandparents’ day (Source)
No gun
I’ve long been familiar with the principle of Chekhov’s Gun: that every element is necessary, so if a gun is mentioned early on, you know it will be fired before the end.
That’s not true here. There are lots of specific details that add realism, but don’t seem to affect the plot or have obvious symbolism: unhurriedly eating a watermelon, someone commenting that a sturgeon was “a bit high”, and an inkstand so unusual, I couldn’t find a picture of anything close to the description: “gray with dust and topped by a figure on horseback, its hat in its raised hand and its head broken off”.
Image: Inkwell with horse and jokey, c1900, French (Source)
There are even a couple of times the illicit lovers could have been caught, and in the case of the guard at Oreanda, Chekov teases the reader: “and this detail, too, seemed so mysterious and beautiful”. But nothing comes of it.
Quotes
Excuses, coupled with misogyny
• “They had found a wife for him when he was very young.”
• “He was eager for life.”
• “Women like his wife who loved without sincerity.”
• “Beautiful, frigid women.”
• “And these were women no longer young… and when Gurov grew cold to them their beauty aroused his hatred, and the lace on their lingerie seemed to him to resemble scales.”
• “He preserved the memory of carefree, good-natured women whom love made gay and who were grateful to him for the happiness he gave them, however brief it might be; and of women like his wife, who loved without sincerity… and of two or three others, very beautiful, frigid women, across whose faces would suddenly flit a rapacious expression… and when Gurov grew cold to them their beauty aroused his hatred, and the lace on their lingerie seemed to him to resemble scales.”
After Yalta
See also
• I’ve read a trio of other Chekhov stories and given them very different ratings:
The Bet, 5*. See my review HERE.
The Death of a Government Clerk, 2*. See my review HERE
Misery, 5*. See my review HERE.
• Is Anna a nod to Tolstoy’s adulterous Anna Karenina?
• Was Amor Towles nodding to Chekhov when he created willowy Anna Urbanova with dogs in A Gentleman in Moscow? See my review HERE.
Short story club
I read this as one of the stories in The Art of the Short Story, by Dana Gioia, from which I'm aiming to read one story a week with The Short Story Club, starting 2 May 2022.
You can read this story here.
You can join the group here.
Nevertheless, I wouldn’t be as hyperbolic as Nabokov’s final sentence, here:
“All the traditional rules of story telling have been broken in this wonderful short story of twenty pages or so. There is no problem, no regular climax, no point at the end. And it is one of the greatest stories ever written.”
Image: Chekhov in his study at his White Dacha in Yalta (Source)
The anti-hero
After the first few sentences, I noted “what a horrid, horrid, stalkerish man he is. Self-justification drips from every page”. He often states that women are “the inferior race”, but he needs their company because men are boring and he knows he is attractive to women. I didn’t warm to Gurov as the story progressed, but I don’t mind that: it is an interesting character study. His thoughts about women are derogatory and dismissive, and are part of his deflection of blame or guilt.
“The personal life of every individual is based on secrecy, and perhaps it is partly for that reason that civilized man is so nervously anxious that personal privacy should be respected.”
He does reach a point of self-reflection, but it doesn’t mark a meaningful or plausible change. He thinks there has never been love in his affairs (another excuse), and acknowledges that “not one of them had been happy with him”. But he immediately remembers that they loved what they thought him to be (an image he cultivated), saw their mistake, and then continued to love him. So had they loved him or not? Either way, it’s the women’s fault.
What happens in Yalta stays in Yalta?
“They walked and talked of the strange light of the sea: the water was a soft, warm, lilac color, and there was a golden band of moonlight upon it.”
Yalta was a fashionable resort in Crimea (part of Ukraine, but occupied by Russia since 2014). Gurav is nearing forty and Anna is only twenty two. Both are on holiday without their spouses. The scenery is beautiful, the days are long, and the weather sultry. So far, so predictable. Where the story becomes interesting is what happens after they part “forever”.
Image: Sunset over Yalta by Ivan Ayvazovsky, in 1861, as it would have looked in their grandparents’ day (Source)
No gun
I’ve long been familiar with the principle of Chekhov’s Gun: that every element is necessary, so if a gun is mentioned early on, you know it will be fired before the end.
That’s not true here. There are lots of specific details that add realism, but don’t seem to affect the plot or have obvious symbolism: unhurriedly eating a watermelon, someone commenting that a sturgeon was “a bit high”, and an inkstand so unusual, I couldn’t find a picture of anything close to the description: “gray with dust and topped by a figure on horseback, its hat in its raised hand and its head broken off”.
Image: Inkwell with horse and jokey, c1900, French (Source)
There are even a couple of times the illicit lovers could have been caught, and in the case of the guard at Oreanda, Chekov teases the reader: “and this detail, too, seemed so mysterious and beautiful”. But nothing comes of it.
Quotes
Excuses, coupled with misogyny
• “They had found a wife for him when he was very young.”
• “He was eager for life.”
• “Women like his wife who loved without sincerity.”
• “Beautiful, frigid women.”
• “And these were women no longer young… and when Gurov grew cold to them their beauty aroused his hatred, and the lace on their lingerie seemed to him to resemble scales.”
• “He preserved the memory of carefree, good-natured women whom love made gay and who were grateful to him for the happiness he gave them, however brief it might be; and of women like his wife, who loved without sincerity… and of two or three others, very beautiful, frigid women, across whose faces would suddenly flit a rapacious expression… and when Gurov grew cold to them their beauty aroused his hatred, and the lace on their lingerie seemed to him to resemble scales.”
After Yalta
See also
• I’ve read a trio of other Chekhov stories and given them very different ratings:
The Bet, 5*. See my review HERE.
The Death of a Government Clerk, 2*. See my review HERE
Misery, 5*. See my review HERE.
• Is Anna a nod to Tolstoy’s adulterous Anna Karenina?
• Was Amor Towles nodding to Chekhov when he created willowy Anna Urbanova with dogs in A Gentleman in Moscow? See my review HERE.
Short story club
I read this as one of the stories in The Art of the Short Story, by Dana Gioia, from which I'm aiming to read one story a week with The Short Story Club, starting 2 May 2022.
You can read this story here.
You can join the group here.
February 19, 2022
This short story takes us to Yalta, in the Crimean Peninsula. The locals, who have very little to occupy their provincial minds, focus much of their interest on a mystery visitor to the town's seafront; a fair-haired young lady and her little Pomeranian dog.
She arrests the attention of an older man, who is also holidaying alone; one Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov, a snobbish husband with a wandering eye. He treats women as his inferior but (needless to say) this doesn't stop him from wanting to hop into bed with them.
So he pursues the young lady. They meet, they exchange polite conversation and they walk together in the moonlight.
Gurov, whose brain is evidently tucked in his pants, is beguiled and, despite feeling that the young lady isn't his emotional and intellectual equal, is prepared to overlook his misgivings in pursuance of a night of passion.
Chekhov, with his keen eye for human tendencies and frailties, captures the couples' confused dynamic with great skill and subtlety. And, as you would expect from the great man, there is also some top-tier imagery to purr over…
"The town with its cypresses had quite a deathlike air, but the sea still broke noisily on the shore; a single barge was rocking on the waves, and a lantern was blinking sleepily on it."
An engaging ten-minute short story, cleverly crafted. I've dropped one star because of the unfulfilling ending.
The story free to read online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/13415...
My thanks to Kimber, for drawing my attention to this mini-masterpiece, and to Laysee for drawing Kimber's attention.
She arrests the attention of an older man, who is also holidaying alone; one Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov, a snobbish husband with a wandering eye. He treats women as his inferior but (needless to say) this doesn't stop him from wanting to hop into bed with them.
So he pursues the young lady. They meet, they exchange polite conversation and they walk together in the moonlight.
Gurov, whose brain is evidently tucked in his pants, is beguiled and, despite feeling that the young lady isn't his emotional and intellectual equal, is prepared to overlook his misgivings in pursuance of a night of passion.
Chekhov, with his keen eye for human tendencies and frailties, captures the couples' confused dynamic with great skill and subtlety. And, as you would expect from the great man, there is also some top-tier imagery to purr over…
"The town with its cypresses had quite a deathlike air, but the sea still broke noisily on the shore; a single barge was rocking on the waves, and a lantern was blinking sleepily on it."
An engaging ten-minute short story, cleverly crafted. I've dropped one star because of the unfulfilling ending.
The story free to read online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/13415...
My thanks to Kimber, for drawing my attention to this mini-masterpiece, and to Laysee for drawing Kimber's attention.
July 5, 2021
Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov, an insensitive lothario, is holidaying in Yalta when the unimposing Anna Sergeyevna, and her little white dog, slip quietly into his world.
The excitement of their romantic attraction, the entanglement of forbidden love, and the sorrow of saying goodbye captivated me. But is it truly farewell forever?
This thought-provoking short story made my heart pound. A BIG thank you to Laysee for her splendid review that unearthed this little gem for me!
The excitement of their romantic attraction, the entanglement of forbidden love, and the sorrow of saying goodbye captivated me. But is it truly farewell forever?
This thought-provoking short story made my heart pound. A BIG thank you to Laysee for her splendid review that unearthed this little gem for me!
March 11, 2019
Вървя през гъста бяла мъгла, като онази, която като че е нагнетена печал. Вървя и с всяка стъпка разкъсвам плътния ѝ воал, а той отново алчно се спуска зад мен. Подминавам хора с бледи лица и блуждаещи погледи. Персонажите от Чеховите разкази също крачат забързано през кобната мъгла, блъскат се едни в други, отнесено разменят погледи и отминават нататък, без повече да се озърнат през рамо.
Чехов оставя на всяка страница по едно мастилено петно, окръжено от малка плеяда други петънца и те са Русия – ту бляскава изтънчена вечеринка, ту затънтена монотонна провинция, ту безкрайно зелено степно море. Докато четеш, имаш усещането, че душата ти прелива между тази многоликост и зъбчатките на ума ти щракат ли, щракат и размишляваш. За пустотата на живота. За грешните избори. За отминалите и ненамерените любови. За това, че си просто човек и имаш само един живот да разпалиш божествената искра у себе си, преди тя да угасне завинаги. Размишляваш и за неслучените неща – тези, по които всички копнеем. Онова неизказано и неуловимо полуминало, което се размива пред очите ти, защото ти се струва, че си го оставил да си иде, а то всъщност е само призракът на среднощна фантазия.
Чеховите персонажи притежават оная особена екстатичност, присъща за руската литература. Те като че ли непрестанно задъхано препускат по огромно стълбище между рая и ада и не знаят друго състояние, освен възторга или пълната безнадеждност. Оплакват съпрузи, мамят съпруги, пишат писма, пропити с хрускави капчици надежда, спускат се вихрено с шейнички и едва не умират от страх, само и само да чуят лелеяното „Наденка, обичам Ви!“ и влагат цялата разточителност на душите си. А ако се осмелите да открехнете вратата на „Стая № 6“, дори ще станете свидетели на твърде интересния спор откъде идва щастието – дали единствено от дълбините на човешкото същество или средата също има значение. Като отявлен търсач на щастие аз лично с настървение послушах какво ми шепнеше един мъдър човек през времето и пространството по тази тема.
В своите разкази Антон Павлович Чехов тъче битие. Вплита в него сивите конци на скуката, пламтящо червеното на (не)споделената любов или черната прежда на смъртта. Тук-там извезва и най-човешкия въпрос – „Ами ако?“, който проблясва изкусително като натрошени стъкълца по цялото пано, но и порязва дълбоко. А Чехов всъщност е лекар по образование – това личи и в сигурната ръка, с която прави вивисекция на човешкия характер. През целия си живот практикува „сериозната“ си професия, наричайки я „своя законна съпруга“. Литературата обаче остава неговата обична любовница, която дарява с цялата си страст, вдъхновение и въображение. Пия за любовниците. До дъно.
Чехов оставя на всяка страница по едно мастилено петно, окръжено от малка плеяда други петънца и те са Русия – ту бляскава изтънчена вечеринка, ту затънтена монотонна провинция, ту безкрайно зелено степно море. Докато четеш, имаш усещането, че душата ти прелива между тази многоликост и зъбчатките на ума ти щракат ли, щракат и размишляваш. За пустотата на живота. За грешните избори. За отминалите и ненамерените любови. За това, че си просто човек и имаш само един живот да разпалиш божествената искра у себе си, преди тя да угасне завинаги. Размишляваш и за неслучените неща – тези, по които всички копнеем. Онова неизказано и неуловимо полуминало, което се размива пред очите ти, защото ти се струва, че си го оставил да си иде, а то всъщност е само призракът на среднощна фантазия.
Чеховите персонажи притежават оная особена екстатичност, присъща за руската литература. Те като че ли непрестанно задъхано препускат по огромно стълбище между рая и ада и не знаят друго състояние, освен възторга или пълната безнадеждност. Оплакват съпрузи, мамят съпруги, пишат писма, пропити с хрускави капчици надежда, спускат се вихрено с шейнички и едва не умират от страх, само и само да чуят лелеяното „Наденка, обичам Ви!“ и влагат цялата разточителност на душите си. А ако се осмелите да открехнете вратата на „Стая № 6“, дори ще станете свидетели на твърде интересния спор откъде идва щастието – дали единствено от дълбините на човешкото същество или средата също има значение. Като отявлен търсач на щастие аз лично с настървение послушах какво ми шепнеше един мъдър човек през времето и пространството по тази тема.
В своите разкази Антон Павлович Чехов тъче битие. Вплита в него сивите конци на скуката, пламтящо червеното на (не)споделената любов или черната прежда на смъртта. Тук-там извезва и най-човешкия въпрос – „Ами ако?“, който проблясва изкусително като натрошени стъкълца по цялото пано, но и порязва дълбоко. А Чехов всъщност е лекар по образование – това личи и в сигурната ръка, с която прави вивисекция на човешкия характер. През целия си живот практикува „сериозната“ си професия, наричайки я „своя законна съпруга“. Литературата обаче остава неговата обична любовница, която дарява с цялата си страст, вдъхновение и въображение. Пия за любовниците. До дъно.
January 25, 2019
My goodness, this was a crisp short story! More than that, for the type of character the man was, I thought I would love to hate him, being a philanderer and a generally nasty sort when it comes to women... what we have here is one of the best-written examples of Redemption Through Love.
You know the story. It's EVERYWHERE in the romance market. But this short story is probably the crispest and crispiest I've ever read... by an undisputed master of the form. :)
Well worth reading. :)
You know the story. It's EVERYWHERE in the romance market. But this short story is probably the crispest and crispiest I've ever read... by an undisputed master of the form. :)
Well worth reading. :)
December 10, 2011
The Lady with the Pet Dog
Written by: Anton Chekhov
Translated By: Avrahm Yarmolinsky
The story is often translated “The Lady with the Little Dog.”
The Lady with the Pet Dog
Characters:
Dmitry Dmitrich Gurov
Anna Segeyevna (Lady)
Gurov is almost forty (40) years old and from Moscow. He is married and work s for a bank in his native city. He studied languages and literature at his university, years ago. Gurov is visiting Yalta, a resort city on the Black Sea. He normally takes in the sights of the promenade while sitting in a confectionery shop, in the afternoons. Today he spots a woman, Anna Segeyevna, walking a small white Pomeranian.
Gurov was immediately attracted to Anna a fair haired woman of medium height. He notices that she is alone, except for her dog and decides that he wants to get to know her. Gurov has had many affairs during his marriage. He considers his wife and women, in general, an inferior race. However, Gurov can not live without the company of women, other than his wife. He is bored with the company of men.
Gurov asks around and nobody knows this women. He sees her and her dog again, this time dining in a public garden. He sits at the table next to her attracts dog and offers him a bone. He strikes up a conversation with Anna and their relationship begins.
He finds out that she too is married and in Yalta without her husband. She seems to welcome his attention. Anna is only about twenty years old. This is a new experience for Anna, being alone and talking to a stranger away from home.
Gurov can’t stop thinking about Anna, and continues to seek her company, since her husband is not expected to join her anytime soon. They meet daily and enjoy each others company. Gurov was well aware of his intentions; however, I believe Anna was lonesome and just seeking company, at first. Later, Anna knows what is happening, but is involved at this time and is concerned about whether Gurov really respects her. There has been some kissing and touching, but, it is not clear whether their relationship has gone any further, at this time. At some point, Anna’s husband decides that he is not coming to Yalta, and asks her to come home.
Both Dmitry and Anna return to their homes respectively. Dmitry decides that he can not get along without her and leaves home to see her. He finds out where she lives and lurks around her house to try to see her. She does not appear at home. He thinks maybe he might see her at the theater after seeing a playbill. He goes to the theater and he sees her. She is upset but agrees to meet him later.
Anna decides that she would go to Moscow every couple of months, telling her husband that she was going to see a doctor about a “woman’s ailment.” Gurov would meet her in her hotel room. They continued this affair not wanting to leave one another.
Noting the difference in age and experience Gurov took advantage of Anna. Of course, she could have chosen not entered into the relationship, but I believe she was vulnerable due to being alone and young in age.
Written by: Anton Chekhov
Translated By: Avrahm Yarmolinsky
The story is often translated “The Lady with the Little Dog.”
The Lady with the Pet Dog
Characters:
Dmitry Dmitrich Gurov
Anna Segeyevna (Lady)
Gurov is almost forty (40) years old and from Moscow. He is married and work s for a bank in his native city. He studied languages and literature at his university, years ago. Gurov is visiting Yalta, a resort city on the Black Sea. He normally takes in the sights of the promenade while sitting in a confectionery shop, in the afternoons. Today he spots a woman, Anna Segeyevna, walking a small white Pomeranian.
Gurov was immediately attracted to Anna a fair haired woman of medium height. He notices that she is alone, except for her dog and decides that he wants to get to know her. Gurov has had many affairs during his marriage. He considers his wife and women, in general, an inferior race. However, Gurov can not live without the company of women, other than his wife. He is bored with the company of men.
Gurov asks around and nobody knows this women. He sees her and her dog again, this time dining in a public garden. He sits at the table next to her attracts dog and offers him a bone. He strikes up a conversation with Anna and their relationship begins.
He finds out that she too is married and in Yalta without her husband. She seems to welcome his attention. Anna is only about twenty years old. This is a new experience for Anna, being alone and talking to a stranger away from home.
Gurov can’t stop thinking about Anna, and continues to seek her company, since her husband is not expected to join her anytime soon. They meet daily and enjoy each others company. Gurov was well aware of his intentions; however, I believe Anna was lonesome and just seeking company, at first. Later, Anna knows what is happening, but is involved at this time and is concerned about whether Gurov really respects her. There has been some kissing and touching, but, it is not clear whether their relationship has gone any further, at this time. At some point, Anna’s husband decides that he is not coming to Yalta, and asks her to come home.
Both Dmitry and Anna return to their homes respectively. Dmitry decides that he can not get along without her and leaves home to see her. He finds out where she lives and lurks around her house to try to see her. She does not appear at home. He thinks maybe he might see her at the theater after seeing a playbill. He goes to the theater and he sees her. She is upset but agrees to meet him later.
Anna decides that she would go to Moscow every couple of months, telling her husband that she was going to see a doctor about a “woman’s ailment.” Gurov would meet her in her hotel room. They continued this affair not wanting to leave one another.
Noting the difference in age and experience Gurov took advantage of Anna. Of course, she could have chosen not entered into the relationship, but I believe she was vulnerable due to being alone and young in age.
October 7, 2024
It's incredible how through such a short story (a sketch, really) written in such a simple language, in an indifferent onlooker's tone, Chekhov manages to speak about so many things and ask so many questions - about happiness/unhappiness and loneliness in a marriage, the sudden love which comes too late and what profound changes it can cause inside a person regardless of his/her age. And about the unbearable existence one has to lead when there is and will be no way out.
The story is common and as old as the hills. But reading it we are really able to see (the author makes us) how the people in this difficult situations feel and become a little bit more empathetic even though we realize that the characters are responsible for their own misfortune.
'Anna Sergeyevna and he loved each other like people very close and akin, like husband and
wife, like tender friends; it seemed to them that fate itself had meant them for one another, and
they could not understand why he had a wife and she a husband; and it was as though they were
a pair of birds of passage, caught and forced to live in different cages. They forgave each other
for what they were ashamed of in their past, they forgave everything in the present, and felt that
this love of theirs had changed them both.
In moments of depression in the past he had comforted himself with any arguments that
came into his mind, but now he no longer cared for arguments; he felt profound compassion, he
wanted to be sincere and tender. . . .
“Don't cry, my darling,” he said. “You've had your cry; that's enough. . . . Let us talk now,
let us think of some plan.”
Then they spent a long while taking counsel together, talked of how to avoid the necessity
for secrecy, for deception, for living in different towns and not seeing each other for long at a
time. How could they be free from this intolerable bondage?'
The story is common and as old as the hills. But reading it we are really able to see (the author makes us) how the people in this difficult situations feel and become a little bit more empathetic even though we realize that the characters are responsible for their own misfortune.
'Anna Sergeyevna and he loved each other like people very close and akin, like husband and
wife, like tender friends; it seemed to them that fate itself had meant them for one another, and
they could not understand why he had a wife and she a husband; and it was as though they were
a pair of birds of passage, caught and forced to live in different cages. They forgave each other
for what they were ashamed of in their past, they forgave everything in the present, and felt that
this love of theirs had changed them both.
In moments of depression in the past he had comforted himself with any arguments that
came into his mind, but now he no longer cared for arguments; he felt profound compassion, he
wanted to be sincere and tender. . . .
“Don't cry, my darling,” he said. “You've had your cry; that's enough. . . . Let us talk now,
let us think of some plan.”
Then they spent a long while taking counsel together, talked of how to avoid the necessity
for secrecy, for deception, for living in different towns and not seeing each other for long at a
time. How could they be free from this intolerable bondage?'
May 3, 2022
“And only now, when he was gray-haired, had he fallen in love properly, thoroughly, for the first time in his life.”
"The Lady with the Little Dog," one of Anton Chekhov's most famous short stories, is an engaging recounting of an adulterous affair between an older man, Dmitri Gurov, and a younger woman, Anna Sergeyevna, while both vacation in Yalta. Initially, Dmitri is far from being a sympathetic character. He has a low opinion of women and this looks to be just another conquest for him. By the end of the story, it appears that both have fallen in love. Is this true love? Or just a representation of two people who realize they are dissatisfied with their lives? It seems a simple story but in Chekhov's hands it is layered and complex.
"The Lady with the Little Dog," one of Anton Chekhov's most famous short stories, is an engaging recounting of an adulterous affair between an older man, Dmitri Gurov, and a younger woman, Anna Sergeyevna, while both vacation in Yalta. Initially, Dmitri is far from being a sympathetic character. He has a low opinion of women and this looks to be just another conquest for him. By the end of the story, it appears that both have fallen in love. Is this true love? Or just a representation of two people who realize they are dissatisfied with their lives? It seems a simple story but in Chekhov's hands it is layered and complex.
January 25, 2022
“La dama del perrito”, un relato sobre el amor tan etéreo como volátil y que me recuerda en cierta manera a la pequeña nouvelle “Noches blancas”, de Fiódor Dostoievski con la diferencia que el personaje de Gurov en este cuento en cierta forma tiene su revancha luego de su apasionado affaire con Anna Sergueievna, entrando ya en las líneas finales.
Es un cuento de elevado vuelo poético y artístico. He leído muchos cuentos de Chéjov que están narrados de forma estupenda pero nunca llegan a semejante nivel de perfección como este.
Es un cuento de elevado vuelo poético y artístico. He leído muchos cuentos de Chéjov que están narrados de forma estupenda pero nunca llegan a semejante nivel de perfección como este.
June 14, 2021
Dimitri Gurov is on vacation at a seaside resort when he sees a lady walking with a little white dog. He is attracted to her. Both have spouses awaiting their return. The lust of the eyes is hard to resist.
Dimitri, a seasoned philanderer, treats women as ‘the lower race.’ Yet, women seem to find him irresistible even though they sense his ‘coarse condescension.’ Chekhov let his readers feel his misogyny. Would this be another conquest? What stood out was Chekhov’s perception of human frailty: the lust of the flesh, the slippery slope, guilt and self-loathing, and irretrievable loss.
This very short story is a nuanced exploration of the deceptive nature of love and intractable attraction between man and woman. This is my first Chekhov story in a long time. I have forgotten his sharp insight into the human condition and the lyricism of his prose.
Dimitri, a seasoned philanderer, treats women as ‘the lower race.’ Yet, women seem to find him irresistible even though they sense his ‘coarse condescension.’ Chekhov let his readers feel his misogyny. Would this be another conquest? What stood out was Chekhov’s perception of human frailty: the lust of the flesh, the slippery slope, guilt and self-loathing, and irretrievable loss.
This very short story is a nuanced exploration of the deceptive nature of love and intractable attraction between man and woman. This is my first Chekhov story in a long time. I have forgotten his sharp insight into the human condition and the lyricism of his prose.
August 9, 2022
**3.5 stars**
"…she, this little woman, in no way remarkable, lost in a provincial crowd, with a vulgar lorgnette in her hand, filled his whole life now, was his sorrow and his joy, the one happiness that he now desired for himself... He thought and dreamed."
Probably, if you aren’t an ardent fan of Russian shorter fiction, you won’t have heard of this tale. However, this one has made its name in quite some lists of stories with open-endings and also among the most loved works of Chekov; I had the reminiscence from The Reader (2009) where Hanna Schmitz (so masterfully portrayed by Kate Winslet), who couldn’t read, started learning on her own to read through this story. Even you can find the story pinned to the wall of her prison.
That will get you thinking about the story, even if you are devastated by Winslet’s performance. And that’s how I got to read this story a second time. I thought I will like it more, but still, I didn’t.
It’s an extremely important piece of work, undeniably. Telling a tale of adultery in Russia where it was a punishable offence from the Criminal Code of 1845, is probably nothing short of bold only a few years thereafter. ( After 1864, however, anyone who wanted to charge their spouse with adultery had to make a choice: either to bring a charge of adultery in the criminal courts or to sue for divorce in the ecclesiastical courts. Most people opted for divorce, so the number of prosecutions for adultery declined.) Laura Engelstein (the author of the insightful The Keys to Happiness: Sex and the Search for Modernity in Fin-de-Siècle Russia (1992), which allowed us to know about all those Acts), however, didn’t tell us how it was viewed in the society back then, however, we needn’t ask, extramarital affairs are looked upon as just as offensive in most places, not without doubts raised on the wife’s inner nature. And the character arc of Dmitri Gurov is also as well relevant now, someone who looks upon women as a “lower race”, yet “when he was in the company of women he felt free, and knew what to say to them and how to behave;…”: typical. And he fell for someone who allured him with an unaffected, moody nature; and with whom he could relate his daughter by her "diffidence, the angularity of inexperienced youth". Well, she was almost half his age.
And the tale is about how they try to get closer…and attempt to discard their previous lives for a new beginning. Truth be told, it’s not likeable. And standing in this time, however impactful may the story is, I didn’t find it special. Well, it does have its ups. Chekov is a master “budgetary” storyteller, and he did here what he does: not waste a word. He keeps the tale compact, and the deliberately brief delineation he applied only increases the intensity of the emotional quotient of the characters. And the characters are that close to reality as is the fact that I am writing this review just before sitting for an exam.
Still, it felt over-hyped. Chekov is one of my favourite storytellers when it comes to plays and shorter fiction, and this one simply doesn’t deserve to be his most well-known work. Simple reason: it isn’t special, and can be forgotten in a trifle, which most of his other works refuse to. Also, the ending isn’t as ambiguous as they tell it to be: well, obviously, it’s a short story, not their biography!
“Guilt and no guilt: these were the worst things. The only thing worse than the guilt was the fear of getting caught.”
― Elin Hilderbrand, (A Summer Affair)
"…she, this little woman, in no way remarkable, lost in a provincial crowd, with a vulgar lorgnette in her hand, filled his whole life now, was his sorrow and his joy, the one happiness that he now desired for himself... He thought and dreamed."
Probably, if you aren’t an ardent fan of Russian shorter fiction, you won’t have heard of this tale. However, this one has made its name in quite some lists of stories with open-endings and also among the most loved works of Chekov; I had the reminiscence from The Reader (2009) where Hanna Schmitz (so masterfully portrayed by Kate Winslet), who couldn’t read, started learning on her own to read through this story. Even you can find the story pinned to the wall of her prison.
That will get you thinking about the story, even if you are devastated by Winslet’s performance. And that’s how I got to read this story a second time. I thought I will like it more, but still, I didn’t.
It’s an extremely important piece of work, undeniably. Telling a tale of adultery in Russia where it was a punishable offence from the Criminal Code of 1845, is probably nothing short of bold only a few years thereafter. ( After 1864, however, anyone who wanted to charge their spouse with adultery had to make a choice: either to bring a charge of adultery in the criminal courts or to sue for divorce in the ecclesiastical courts. Most people opted for divorce, so the number of prosecutions for adultery declined.) Laura Engelstein (the author of the insightful The Keys to Happiness: Sex and the Search for Modernity in Fin-de-Siècle Russia (1992), which allowed us to know about all those Acts), however, didn’t tell us how it was viewed in the society back then, however, we needn’t ask, extramarital affairs are looked upon as just as offensive in most places, not without doubts raised on the wife’s inner nature. And the character arc of Dmitri Gurov is also as well relevant now, someone who looks upon women as a “lower race”, yet “when he was in the company of women he felt free, and knew what to say to them and how to behave;…”: typical. And he fell for someone who allured him with an unaffected, moody nature; and with whom he could relate his daughter by her "diffidence, the angularity of inexperienced youth". Well, she was almost half his age.
And the tale is about how they try to get closer…and attempt to discard their previous lives for a new beginning. Truth be told, it’s not likeable. And standing in this time, however impactful may the story is, I didn’t find it special. Well, it does have its ups. Chekov is a master “budgetary” storyteller, and he did here what he does: not waste a word. He keeps the tale compact, and the deliberately brief delineation he applied only increases the intensity of the emotional quotient of the characters. And the characters are that close to reality as is the fact that I am writing this review just before sitting for an exam.
Still, it felt over-hyped. Chekov is one of my favourite storytellers when it comes to plays and shorter fiction, and this one simply doesn’t deserve to be his most well-known work. Simple reason: it isn’t special, and can be forgotten in a trifle, which most of his other works refuse to. Also, the ending isn’t as ambiguous as they tell it to be: well, obviously, it’s a short story, not their biography!
“Guilt and no guilt: these were the worst things. The only thing worse than the guilt was the fear of getting caught.”
― Elin Hilderbrand, (A Summer Affair)
August 10, 2022
Unsurprising that two short stories by Chekhov would have been included in Gioia’s selection of the genre. Chekhov is typically considered an iconic figure in the short story, even if his plays are also in the literary canon.
Just before Covid I attended the presentation of a volume of Chekov’s letters and other documents, Sobre literatura y vida: Cartas, opiniones y pensamientos, in an independent bookshop in Madrid. The editor, also the translator, was there to present his book. There was also a pneumologist who writes. During the discussion we heard a fair amount of detail about Chekov’s life, which deeply impressed me, particularly his willingness to Sakhalin to work as a doctor in the penal colony. Regrettably I have not read this book yet but have now pulled it out of the bookshelf.
I am narrating this because the few works by Chekhov I have read, as well as the plays I have watched, have not impressed me, so far, as much as his personality. And I say this with misgivings because a Russian friend of mine is a wholeheartedly admirer of his work, and she often speaks of him. When I mentioned to her that I was reading this, she immediately said that this was one of the Yalta stories.
The two stories we’ve read in the Gioia selection and in the Short Story Group are a fortunate choice, because they are so different. The first, The Lady With the Pet Dog, did not catch much of my interest in its first half, proposing a typical story of a young man, bored with his marriage, having an inconsequential affair with a much younger woman, also married, but we suspect, not entirely happy. Then it is the protagonist’s mind that working on memories, works himself up to the point of converting the inconsequential into a consequential experience. The ending is not quite ‘modernist’, in the sense that I did not find it ambivalent – instead I saw the couple heading towards an impasse in their lives. And in this, the story seemed to me to fall in the naturalist and rationalist tradition that depicts life as it comes, with its harshness and elusive happiness.
The second story, Misery, is of a completely different tone. It was written a few years before The Lady, and it made me think of Chekov and his experience whenever he had to face the relatives after the death of a patient. What would have he been thinking in those difficult occasions? The need to talk, to communicate, to share one’s sorrow is presented as the only, partial, remedy to complete Misery. May be this is one of the reasons Chekhov wrote.
This sad story will stay in my mind. I may be beginning to approach his art better now.
July 28, 2022
Well written. Good pace, small story.
June 8, 2018
La ricerca della felicità
"Viveva due esistenze: una palese, che vedevano e conoscevano tutti quelli che vi avevano un qualche interesse, un’esistenza piena di verità convenzionali e di inganni convenzionali, del tutto simile a quella dei suoi conoscenti e amici; ed un’altra che scorreva segreta.
E, per una strana coincidenza di circostanze, tutto ciò che per lui era importante, attraente, necessario, ciò in cui era sincero e non ingannava se stesso e che costituiva il nocciolo della sua vita, si svolgeva all’insaputa degli altri.
Tutto ciò invece che era la sua menzogna, il suo involucro, nel quale si celava per occultare la verità, e cioè la sua attività alla banca, le discussioni al circolo, quel suo parlare della “razza inferiore”, le visite che faceva con la moglie in occasione di qualche anniversario, tutto questo era palese."
Dimitri è un distinto funzionario di banca. Tutto è perfetto nella sua vita. Famiglia, lavoro, rispettabilità.
Poi il fulmine. Per la prima volta in vita sua prova un sentimento forte ed autentico per una donna. Un sentimento così potente da sembrare l’unica cosa importante della sua vita.
Come fare? Cosa fare? Cosa scegliere? Proseguire nell'ombra o uscire allo scoperto? Continuare con la vita ufficiale ma falsa o uscire allo scoperto con la vita nascosta ma vera e soddisfacente? Chi fare soffrire? Perché?
Cechov fa centro, con questo attualissimo racconto del 1889. L'amore con la A maiuscola che arriva tardi, troppo tardi per evitare di far soffrire, con le sue passioni e emozioni forti ma anche con le sue ossessioni, le difficoltà della clandestinità, i sensi di colpa, le ansie.
August 21, 2020
Antón Pávlovich Chéjov (1860 - 1904) es considerado uno de los más grandes cuentistas rusos de todos los tiempos y un precursor del espíritu narrativo ruso por excelencia. Cuentista y dramaturgo, la prolífica obra de su autor está impregnada de realismo y psicología. 𝑳𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒍 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒐 es otro ejemplo de su maestría y su gran talento para narrar una historia con un nivel de delicadeza mediante una bella y elegante prosa. Ofreciendo al lector sencillez y detalle para un relato de gran profundidad. Una historia que está envuelta en un halo de nostalgia y que te muestra la infelicidad de dos seres y su búsqueda constante por anular su tristeza interior.
Chéjov crea un relato de una trama sin tantas inflexiones pero con un detenimiento pausado y descriptivo. Dividida en cuatro pequeñas partes leeremos sobre un amor imposible entre un hombre y una mujer con una vida de la cuál no se sienten satisfechos. Ella es muy joven y está casada con un hombre mucho mayor pero al que no ama y él es un hombre mayor pero que su vida de casado lo agobia. Ambos seres insatisfechos nos contarán una historia romantizada de un adulterio como tantos otros en la historia de la literatura universal, pero que Chejov se encarga de narrar con personajes muy humanos, imperfectos y llenos de dramatismo. Un relato que al pasar el tiempo sigue cautivando a sus lectores.
Chéjov crea un relato de una trama sin tantas inflexiones pero con un detenimiento pausado y descriptivo. Dividida en cuatro pequeñas partes leeremos sobre un amor imposible entre un hombre y una mujer con una vida de la cuál no se sienten satisfechos. Ella es muy joven y está casada con un hombre mucho mayor pero al que no ama y él es un hombre mayor pero que su vida de casado lo agobia. Ambos seres insatisfechos nos contarán una historia romantizada de un adulterio como tantos otros en la historia de la literatura universal, pero que Chejov se encarga de narrar con personajes muy humanos, imperfectos y llenos de dramatismo. Un relato que al pasar el tiempo sigue cautivando a sus lectores.
November 6, 2020
إننا نكتب الروايات لنقتل الأبطال لا غير، وننتهي من الأشخاص الذين أصبح وجودهم عبئا على حياتنا. فكلما كتبنا عنهم فرغنا منهم..وإمتلأنا بهواء نظيف.
-أحلام مستغانمي
يقول تشيخوف : "أنه كان يعيش حياتين: حياة ظاهرة حياة مليئة بالصدق النسبي و الخداع النسبي، و تشبه تماما حياة معارفه و اصدقائه، و حياة أخرى تمضي سرا. و حسب اتساق غريب للظروف، ربما كان عرضا، جرى كل ما كان بالنسبة له مهما، و طريفا، و ضروريا، كل ما كان فيه مخلصا وصادقا مع نفسه، كل ما كان يشكل نواة حياته، جرى فى سرية عن الآخرين. أما ما كان كذبا، و قشرة يختبىء خلفها ليخفي الحقيقة"
فما الذي دفعه ��يكتب عن حياته السرية تلك ؟ رغم أنه كان أدرى الناس بنتيجة فعله ، فبعد إنتشار الكتاب عرف الجميع من كانت السيدة صاحبة الكلب ، وافترق تشيخوف عن حبيبته ليديا ولم يراها مرة أخري ، وقام برحلة طويلة شاقة إلي جزيرة سخالين وألف كتاب عن ظروف حياته هناك
"أحبا بعضهما، كشخصين قريبين جداً، كأهل، كزوج وزوجة، كصديقين رقيقين، وبدا لهما كأن القدر نفسه قد هيأ أحدهما للآخر .ولم يكون مفهوماً لماذا هو متزوج وهي متزوجة ، وكأنما كان طائرين مهاجرين ذكراً وأثنى وأجبروهماً علي العيش في قفصين منفردين"
الكتاب عن الحب الحقيقي في حياة تشيخوف ليديا لقائهما الأول وكانت متزوجة وأم لطفل ، ولقائهما الثاني بعد ثلاث سنوات و نشأة علاقتهما
"كانت تبكي من الإضطراب ومن إدراكها الحزين بأن حياتهما تمضي علي هذا النحو البائس إذا لا يلتقيان إلا سراً ، ويخبئان من الناس كاللصوص ، أليست حياتهما محطمة!"
وفي نهاية الكتاب يتساءل الأبطال آنا و جوروف كيف يتخلصوا من التخفي والخداع وكيف السبيل للتحرر من الأغلال التي تربطهم؟
وكأن تشيخوف عرف أن هذا الحب سيقتله فاختار أن يبعدها عنه قسرًا وفضح علاقتهما للملأ بنشر الكتاب وتركه موسكو وذهابه إلي سيبربا
-الرواية موجودة مترجمة في المجلد الثاني للأعمال تشيخوف الصادر عن دار الشروق
-أحلام مستغانمي
يقول تشيخوف : "أنه كان يعيش حياتين: حياة ظاهرة حياة مليئة بالصدق النسبي و الخداع النسبي، و تشبه تماما حياة معارفه و اصدقائه، و حياة أخرى تمضي سرا. و حسب اتساق غريب للظروف، ربما كان عرضا، جرى كل ما كان بالنسبة له مهما، و طريفا، و ضروريا، كل ما كان فيه مخلصا وصادقا مع نفسه، كل ما كان يشكل نواة حياته، جرى فى سرية عن الآخرين. أما ما كان كذبا، و قشرة يختبىء خلفها ليخفي الحقيقة"
فما الذي دفعه ��يكتب عن حياته السرية تلك ؟ رغم أنه كان أدرى الناس بنتيجة فعله ، فبعد إنتشار الكتاب عرف الجميع من كانت السيدة صاحبة الكلب ، وافترق تشيخوف عن حبيبته ليديا ولم يراها مرة أخري ، وقام برحلة طويلة شاقة إلي جزيرة سخالين وألف كتاب عن ظروف حياته هناك
"أحبا بعضهما، كشخصين قريبين جداً، كأهل، كزوج وزوجة، كصديقين رقيقين، وبدا لهما كأن القدر نفسه قد هيأ أحدهما للآخر .ولم يكون مفهوماً لماذا هو متزوج وهي متزوجة ، وكأنما كان طائرين مهاجرين ذكراً وأثنى وأجبروهماً علي العيش في قفصين منفردين"
الكتاب عن الحب الحقيقي في حياة تشيخوف ليديا لقائهما الأول وكانت متزوجة وأم لطفل ، ولقائهما الثاني بعد ثلاث سنوات و نشأة علاقتهما
"كانت تبكي من الإضطراب ومن إدراكها الحزين بأن حياتهما تمضي علي هذا النحو البائس إذا لا يلتقيان إلا سراً ، ويخبئان من الناس كاللصوص ، أليست حياتهما محطمة!"
وفي نهاية الكتاب يتساءل الأبطال آنا و جوروف كيف يتخلصوا من التخفي والخداع وكيف السبيل للتحرر من الأغلال التي تربطهم؟
وكأن تشيخوف عرف أن هذا الحب سيقتله فاختار أن يبعدها عنه قسرًا وفضح علاقتهما للملأ بنشر الكتاب وتركه موسكو وذهابه إلي سيبربا
-الرواية موجودة مترجمة في المجلد الثاني للأعمال تشيخوف الصادر عن دار الشروق
September 13, 2020
This story is certainly timeless. A brief outline: A married man sees a pretty woman sitting on a bench and tries to say to hello to the dog first. Who knew that people were meeting through dogs over a century ago? The woman is married and very unhappy. She falls in love with her married seducer who initially is only interested in having a nice time. The affair continues with both of them suffering and he falls in love too. They both feel transformed by love but do not know how to continue. The ending is rather abrupt:
I can't say that I enjoyed this short story because it has been told (and seen in life) hundreds of times since this story was written. But I appreciate the fact that in Tolstoy's day it was probably more of a novelty to see such a story in print. Also, this short story was masterfully written in terms of how much takes place in such a brief space.
I can't say that I enjoyed this short story because it has been told (and seen in life) hundreds of times since this story was written. But I appreciate the fact that in Tolstoy's day it was probably more of a novelty to see such a story in print. Also, this short story was masterfully written in terms of how much takes place in such a brief space.
May 31, 2023
One of Chekov’s most known and beloved stories, The Lady with the Little Dog sheds light on how two lovers envision themselves through the other’s eyes. He is twice her age and though unsatisfactorily married has never really experienced true love. He admits to being a womanizer. She is also confined to married life but young and naive. Anna and Gurov vacation in Yalta alone, a place where people come to be romantic and let their hair down, so to speak. When the two become unexpectedly emotionally connected, they realize it’s time they move on. They recognize that what they’ve experienced is in part due to their past disappointments and future desires. What they have experienced here cannot be the same elsewhere.
There is an ambiguous ending leaving readers to wonder what will become of our two lovers.
There is an ambiguous ending leaving readers to wonder what will become of our two lovers.
September 20, 2016
Such a beautiful, sensitively-written story. It touches my heart.
July 29, 2022
Gurov is an upper class man in a loveless arranged marriage who has had past success as a womanizer. He tends to undervalue women, but he enjoys their company. Vacationing alone in Yalta, he sees Anna, a young married woman, walking her dog. They become acquainted, enjoy spending time together, and begin an affair. Anna wants excitement in her life, but she also wants to be a pure woman. She feels repentant about the affair, but she is also caught in a loveless marriage.
After Gurov returns home to Moscow, he realizes that he is in love for the first time in his life. The story is a journey as his thoughts turn from the superficial to interior deep emotions. He changes from being merely a seducer to being a man who truly loves a woman and values deep emotional intimacy. Their later secret meetings become the most authentic part of Gurov's and Anna's emotional lives. Since this is 1899, they cannot have more than a hidden relationship inside the confines of a Moscow hotel room. "The Lady With the Little Dog" does not have a traditional "happily ever after" ending, but it is a story of a meaningful emotional transformation.
". . . the most complicated and difficult part of their journey was just beginning."
After Gurov returns home to Moscow, he realizes that he is in love for the first time in his life. The story is a journey as his thoughts turn from the superficial to interior deep emotions. He changes from being merely a seducer to being a man who truly loves a woman and values deep emotional intimacy. Their later secret meetings become the most authentic part of Gurov's and Anna's emotional lives. Since this is 1899, they cannot have more than a hidden relationship inside the confines of a Moscow hotel room. "The Lady With the Little Dog" does not have a traditional "happily ever after" ending, but it is a story of a meaningful emotional transformation.
". . . the most complicated and difficult part of their journey was just beginning."
June 15, 2022
Αυτό το κομψοτέχνημα ήρθε και με βρήκε στην κατάλληλη -αναγνωστική και πραγματική- ηλικία. Και όχι, δεν ήταν αποκλειστικά η απόφανση του Ναμπόκοφ ότι πρόκειται για ένα από τα πλέον αριστουργηματικά διηγήματα που έχουν γραφτεί. Σύμφωνα με τους κριτικούς της λογοτεχνίας, ο Τσέχοφ έδωσε πνοή στο ρεαλιστικό διήγημα, για να ακολουθήσει ο Χέμινγουει (και όλη η αμερικανική σχολή έκτοτε που αγάπησε και μιμήθηκε όσο κανείς τον μεγάλο Ρώσο). Και το έπραξε με απαράμιλλο ύφος, κατορθώνοντας να συμπτύξει, να συμπιέσει και να αφαιρέσει τα περιττά στρώματα, κρατώντας το απόσταγμα, την ουσία.
Η ιστορία, όπως όλες του Τσέχοφ, είναι απλή. Μεσήλικας παντρεμένος γνωρίζει στις καλοκαιρινές διακοπές νεαρή κοπέλα παντρεμένη και συνάπτουν δεσμό. Μια πρόσκαιρη επαφή, ενός κυνικού βαριεστημένου από την κοινωνική και προσωπική του ζωή άντρα, και μιας γυναίκας που ο γάμος της ήταν μια σύμβαση δίχως ουσία και πάθος. Καθόλου τυχαία η επαφή λαμβάνει χώρα σε καλοκαιρινό θέρετρο, όπου οι άμυνες αποδεικνύονται πιο χαλαρές και οι άνθρωποι πιο δεκτικοί.
Κατά την πρώτη συνάντηση του ζευγαριού, το σκυλάκι γρυλίζει στον άντρα και εκείνη σπεύδει να τον καθησυχάσει ότι «δεν δαγκώνει». Η πραγματικότητα τη διαψεύδει σύντομα. Το «σκυλάκι» θα μπήξει τα κοφτερά του δόντια στις ψυχές των δύο πρωταγωνιστών, θα τους φέρει στο ίδιο δωμάτιο, θα τους δει να ενώνονται ερωτικά και στη συνέχεια θα παρατηρήσει τις αντιδράσεις τους. Ο άντρας θα αναλογιστεί αποστασιοποιημένα τη νέα του κατάκτηση (μία ακόμα), ενώ εκείνη θα περιπέσει σε κατάσταση αυτολύπησης και ενοχών. Εντούτοις, αν και ακόμη δεν το ξέρουν, αυτή η επαφή ήδη πέτυχε να ανοίξει την κερκόπορτα, με τα στίφη των αισθημάτων να χυμάνε, καταλαμβάνοντας τους άδειους χώρους που περίτεχνα προσπαθούσαν να μονώσουν οι μετέχοντες. Και θα συνεχίσουν, χωρίς δραματουργικές μεγαλοστομίες, με μια αίσθηση μόνο αδράνειας που κάνει τις καθημερινές τους επαφές αναπόφευκτες.
Όλα δείχνουν ότι η σχέση αυτή, μια καλοκαιρινή ανάπαυλα, θα λήξει σύντομα, περνώντας στη συνέχεια στον αποστειρωμένο χώρο των ιδιωτικών αναμνήσεων (ένας μικρός ανθισμένος κήπος που επισκέπτεσαι στα γεράματα όταν όλα έχουν πλέον μαραθεί εντός σου). Το ζευγάρι θα αποχαιρετιστεί στον σταθμό, υποτίθεται οριστικά, για να επιστρέψει ο καθένας στη ζωή του, στην οικογένεια και τις υποχρεώσεις του. Ο μεσήλικας θα γυρίσει στο σπίτι του στη Μόσχα για τον χειμώνα. Αλλά η «δαγκωνιά» είναι εκεί, στο δέρμα μου, στην ψυχή του, και δεν λέει να φύγει. Το δηλητήριό της έχει πλέον κατακλύσει την ύπαρξή του. Ο κόσμος γύρω του, τα αντικείμενα στον χώρο, οι άνθρωποι, έχουν αλλάξει απόχρωση, έχουν γκριζάρει. Το χρώμα το πήρε μαζί της εκείνη και τώρα του έχει αφήσει την απουσία της, καθώς αναλογίζεται και βλέπει όλα όσα τον περιβάλλουν μέσα από τη ματιά της.
Και ο μεσήλικας θα κάνει αυτό που επιτάσσει η καρδιά του: θα την αναζητήσει. Θα φύγει για την πόλη της, θα ψάξει το σπίτι της, θα την αφουγκραστεί από μακριά να παίζει πιάνο, θα ακούσει με χαρά το σκυλάκι της να γαυγίζει και μη έχοντας άλλη δυνατότητα επικοινωνίας θα πάει στην πρεμιέρα του τοπικού θεάτρου. Η τύχη θα του χαμογελάσει και θα τη συναντήσει εκεί. Η στιγμή της επαφής είναι και για τους δύο τους φορτισμένη συναισθηματικά καθώς εκδηλώνουν τον παράφορο έρωτά τους, ακόμα και με φόβο να προδοθούν.
Η Άννα (αυτό είναι το όνομά της) ξεκινάει να τον επισκέπτεται κάθε τόσο στη Μόσχα, δίνοντας στην επαφή τους οριστικά τον χαρακτήρα σχέσης. Κι εκεί, στις τελευταίες σελίδες, έρχεται απλά, ταπεινά, με τον χαμηλότονα σοφό τρόπο του Τσέχοφ, η αποκάλυψη (για τον ίδιο τον ήρωα και για τον αναγνώστη). Σε στιγμή έντονης συγκίνησης, όπου η κοπέλα καταφεύγει στο κλάμα, ο μεσήλικας την ακούει με υπομονή, αγκαλιάζοντάς τη τρυφερά. Τότε ακριβώς, το βλέμμα του συναντά τον καθρέφτη. Θα δει τον εαυτό του όπως είναι: μαλλιά γκριζαρισμένα, να έχει γεράσει, να έχει ασχημύνει (ο γόης, που οι γυναίκες πάντα τον επιθυμούσαν). Θα αρχίσει να αναρωτιέται γιατί η Άννα τον αγαπούσε τόσο, αφού καμία γυναίκα δεν είχε βρει κοντά του την ευτυχία.
Το απόσπασμα που ακολουθεί είναι συγκλονιστικό στην απλότητά του: «Και ο καιρός περνούσε – έκανε καινούργιες γνωριμίες, εφήμερες σχέσεις, χώριζε, ποτέ του όμως δεν αγάπησε στ’ αλήθεια: όλα τα είδε, όχι όμως την αγάπη. Και να, ερωτεύτηκε τώρα που τα μαλλιά άρχισαν να ασπρίζουν – ερωτεύτηκε αληθινά, όπως έπρεπε, για πρώτη φορά στη ζωή του».
Ετούτη η παραδοχή, η πλέον ε��λικρινής σε μια κενή νοήματος ζωή, είναι απελευθερωτική. Το ζευγάρι ξεκινά να σκέφτεται τα επόμενα στάδια (να μην κρύβονται, να μη λένε πια ψέματα…), τις προοπτικές, τα σχέδια. Τίποτα δεν απλό, και ο Τσέχοφ, κατά την πάγια αφηγηματική του τακτική, αρνείται να δώσει απαντήσεις, αφήνοντας ανοιχτά όλα τα ενδεχόμενα στο τέλος του διηγήματος.
Αυτή είναι η αφηγηματική μαγεία του μέγιστου δημιουργού και γι’ αυτό με συντάραξε όταν το ολοκλήρωσα. Μολονότι αυτό το μικρό κομψοτέχνημα είναι μόλις 20 σελίδες, πέτυχε να περικλείσει αριστοτεχνικά το δράμα δύο ζωών, ξεκινώντας από τη γνωριμία τους, για να ενώσει τη μοίρα τους μπροστά μας, να τους χωρίσει προσωρινά, να τους επαναφέρει, να τους προσφέρει -σε μια αστραπή- το τραγικό μεγαλείο της καθυστερημένης συνειδητοποίησης και να τους αφήσει εκεί στην κάμαρα να αναλογίζονται το μέλλον τους.
Και εμείς μαζί τους -παρατηρητές, συνένοχοι- κλείνοντας το βιβλίο, να κοιτάζουμε αφηρημένα το χέρι μας για σημάδια, «δαγκωματιές» που δεν έχουν ακόμη κλείσει.
https://fotiskblog.home.blog/2022/06/...
Η ιστορία, όπως όλες του Τσέχοφ, είναι απλή. Μεσήλικας παντρεμένος γνωρίζει στις καλοκαιρινές διακοπές νεαρή κοπέλα παντρεμένη και συνάπτουν δεσμό. Μια πρόσκαιρη επαφή, ενός κυνικού βαριεστημένου από την κοινωνική και προσωπική του ζωή άντρα, και μιας γυναίκας που ο γάμος της ήταν μια σύμβαση δίχως ουσία και πάθος. Καθόλου τυχαία η επαφή λαμβάνει χώρα σε καλοκαιρινό θέρετρο, όπου οι άμυνες αποδεικνύονται πιο χαλαρές και οι άνθρωποι πιο δεκτικοί.
Κατά την πρώτη συνάντηση του ζευγαριού, το σκυλάκι γρυλίζει στον άντρα και εκείνη σπεύδει να τον καθησυχάσει ότι «δεν δαγκώνει». Η πραγματικότητα τη διαψεύδει σύντομα. Το «σκυλάκι» θα μπήξει τα κοφτερά του δόντια στις ψυχές των δύο πρωταγωνιστών, θα τους φέρει στο ίδιο δωμάτιο, θα τους δει να ενώνονται ερωτικά και στη συνέχεια θα παρατηρήσει τις αντιδράσεις τους. Ο άντρας θα αναλογιστεί αποστασιοποιημένα τη νέα του κατάκτηση (μία ακόμα), ενώ εκείνη θα περιπέσει σε κατάσταση αυτολύπησης και ενοχών. Εντούτοις, αν και ακόμη δεν το ξέρουν, αυτή η επαφή ήδη πέτυχε να ανοίξει την κερκόπορτα, με τα στίφη των αισθημάτων να χυμάνε, καταλαμβάνοντας τους άδειους χώρους που περίτεχνα προσπαθούσαν να μονώσουν οι μετέχοντες. Και θα συνεχίσουν, χωρίς δραματουργικές μεγαλοστομίες, με μια αίσθηση μόνο αδράνειας που κάνει τις καθημερινές τους επαφές αναπόφευκτες.
Όλα δείχνουν ότι η σχέση αυτή, μια καλοκαιρινή ανάπαυλα, θα λήξει σύντομα, περνώντας στη συνέχεια στον αποστειρωμένο χώρο των ιδιωτικών αναμνήσεων (ένας μικρός ανθισμένος κήπος που επισκέπτεσαι στα γεράματα όταν όλα έχουν πλέον μαραθεί εντός σου). Το ζευγάρι θα αποχαιρετιστεί στον σταθμό, υποτίθεται οριστικά, για να επιστρέψει ο καθένας στη ζωή του, στην οικογένεια και τις υποχρεώσεις του. Ο μεσήλικας θα γυρίσει στο σπίτι του στη Μόσχα για τον χειμώνα. Αλλά η «δαγκωνιά» είναι εκεί, στο δέρμα μου, στην ψυχή του, και δεν λέει να φύγει. Το δηλητήριό της έχει πλέον κατακλύσει την ύπαρξή του. Ο κόσμος γύρω του, τα αντικείμενα στον χώρο, οι άνθρωποι, έχουν αλλάξει απόχρωση, έχουν γκριζάρει. Το χρώμα το πήρε μαζί της εκείνη και τώρα του έχει αφήσει την απουσία της, καθώς αναλογίζεται και βλέπει όλα όσα τον περιβάλλουν μέσα από τη ματιά της.
Και ο μεσήλικας θα κάνει αυτό που επιτάσσει η καρδιά του: θα την αναζητήσει. Θα φύγει για την πόλη της, θα ψάξει το σπίτι της, θα την αφουγκραστεί από μακριά να παίζει πιάνο, θα ακούσει με χαρά το σκυλάκι της να γαυγίζει και μη έχοντας άλλη δυνατότητα επικοινωνίας θα πάει στην πρεμιέρα του τοπικού θεάτρου. Η τύχη θα του χαμογελάσει και θα τη συναντήσει εκεί. Η στιγμή της επαφής είναι και για τους δύο τους φορτισμένη συναισθηματικά καθώς εκδηλώνουν τον παράφορο έρωτά τους, ακόμα και με φόβο να προδοθούν.
Η Άννα (αυτό είναι το όνομά της) ξεκινάει να τον επισκέπτεται κάθε τόσο στη Μόσχα, δίνοντας στην επαφή τους οριστικά τον χαρακτήρα σχέσης. Κι εκεί, στις τελευταίες σελίδες, έρχεται απλά, ταπεινά, με τον χαμηλότονα σοφό τρόπο του Τσέχοφ, η αποκάλυψη (για τον ίδιο τον ήρωα και για τον αναγνώστη). Σε στιγμή έντονης συγκίνησης, όπου η κοπέλα καταφεύγει στο κλάμα, ο μεσήλικας την ακούει με υπομονή, αγκαλιάζοντάς τη τρυφερά. Τότε ακριβώς, το βλέμμα του συναντά τον καθρέφτη. Θα δει τον εαυτό του όπως είναι: μαλλιά γκριζαρισμένα, να έχει γεράσει, να έχει ασχημύνει (ο γόης, που οι γυναίκες πάντα τον επιθυμούσαν). Θα αρχίσει να αναρωτιέται γιατί η Άννα τον αγαπούσε τόσο, αφού καμία γυναίκα δεν είχε βρει κοντά του την ευτυχία.
Το απόσπασμα που ακολουθεί είναι συγκλονιστικό στην απλότητά του: «Και ο καιρός περνούσε – έκανε καινούργιες γνωριμίες, εφήμερες σχέσεις, χώριζε, ποτέ του όμως δεν αγάπησε στ’ αλήθεια: όλα τα είδε, όχι όμως την αγάπη. Και να, ερωτεύτηκε τώρα που τα μαλλιά άρχισαν να ασπρίζουν – ερωτεύτηκε αληθινά, όπως έπρεπε, για πρώτη φορά στη ζωή του».
Ετούτη η παραδοχή, η πλέον ε��λικρινής σε μια κενή νοήματος ζωή, είναι απελευθερωτική. Το ζευγάρι ξεκινά να σκέφτεται τα επόμενα στάδια (να μην κρύβονται, να μη λένε πια ψέματα…), τις προοπτικές, τα σχέδια. Τίποτα δεν απλό, και ο Τσέχοφ, κατά την πάγια αφηγηματική του τακτική, αρνείται να δώσει απαντήσεις, αφήνοντας ανοιχτά όλα τα ενδεχόμενα στο τέλος του διηγήματος.
Αυτή είναι η αφηγηματική μαγεία του μέγιστου δημιουργού και γι’ αυτό με συντάραξε όταν το ολοκλήρωσα. Μολονότι αυτό το μικρό κομψοτέχνημα είναι μόλις 20 σελίδες, πέτυχε να περικλείσει αριστοτεχνικά το δράμα δύο ζωών, ξεκινώντας από τη γνωριμία τους, για να ενώσει τη μοίρα τους μπροστά μας, να τους χωρίσει προσωρινά, να τους επαναφέρει, να τους προσφέρει -σε μια αστραπή- το τραγικό μεγαλείο της καθυστερημένης συνειδητοποίησης και να τους αφήσει εκεί στην κάμαρα να αναλογίζονται το μέλλον τους.
Και εμείς μαζί τους -παρατηρητές, συνένοχοι- κλείνοντας το βιβλίο, να κοιτάζουμε αφηρημένα το χέρι μας για σημάδια, «δαγκωματιές» που δεν έχουν ακόμη κλείσει.
https://fotiskblog.home.blog/2022/06/...
July 3, 2018
I would have to agree with Nabokov in that this is one of the greatest short stories ever written. The Lady With the Dog breaks all the rules of short story form, but breaks them wonderfully. There is no plot in this story, is there? No resolution at the end. A simple narrative of two characters falling in love despite the best of their efforts. In many ways, The Lady with the Dog feels like a novel. The principal characters are as beautifully complex as the most successfully portrayed protagonists of best classical novels. Well, at least in my view, they are.
At the start of the story, Dmitri Gurov is a rather poor excuse for a human being, isn't he? A womanizer who despises woman, can there be a worse men? Casanova was a pathological womanizer, but at least he was capable of sincere friendship with women and didn't speak of them badly. Dmitri is married with children, and hates his wife whom he had only married out of convenience. Dmitri thinks of women as infinitely inferior to man, a lower race, yet he cannot live without them. Dmitri is a cynic and even worse a hypocrite. You know, I think that cynics are often sensitive people, the kind of people who have the capacity to love, but give it all up because of our human weakness- the fear of getting hurt. If I'm indifferent, I can't get hurt, we think in our human silliness. How wrong we are. To be indifferent is to be in a coma, in a state of spiritual paralysis. There is no happiness without sorrow. Without a combination of lightness and darkness, there is only the void. But back to the subject. Dmitri, despite all his flaws, or many because of them, manages to catch and retain the reader's interest from start to finish.
Anna, on the other hand, is principally seen through Dmitri's eyes. This doesn't mean that we don't warm up to her. Quite on the contrary. While we watch and observe the psychological transformation of a horrible cynic Dmitri in a person capable of love, we see Anna's growth in maturity as well. Anna is the force that made that transformation possible. Anna is a married woman, who allows herself to fall in love, who despite her young years, has the courage to admit that her life is devoid of meaning and that her marriage is unhappy. As the title indicates, The Lady with the Little Dog is the true heroine of this story. Anna is not stupid, nor does she enter the affair out of a caprice or boredom. She is aware of the danger, yet she quite bravely chooses to love. Anna sees Dmitri both as what he is and what he can be, and chooses to forgive him his past. Dmitri does the same. Both of them are transformed by love. If the characterization was any less subtle, the story would be banal. If the dialogues were any less natural, the story would lack strength. Fortunately, the writing is quite brilliant.
Neither of our protagonists is perfect, but together they are pretty close to perfection. Perfect in the sense they are willing to face their human weakness and surpass it. The psychological portray of these two was masterfully done. I found it very comforting to see that people can find love even in worst of times. Here we basically have a highly believable story about two individuals transformed by love. If that is not writing magic, I don't know what is. This is definitely one of the best love stories I have ever read, perhaps even the best one.
Despite its short form, The Lady with the Dog is a deeply touching story. I'm not even sure how many times I have read it. I think the last time I reread it was in February. I own a few vintage Chekhov short story collections, and I often reread this one. Sometimes I listen to audio versions of this story in different languages. It always sounds amazing, in every language. If I had to choose my favourite story by Chekhov, it would be a tie between this one and Ward No.6. It might seem an odd choice as Ward No.6 is a rather depressive story, but if you look closely so is The Lady With the Little Dog. We get a feeling that love is such a rare thing, it is almost non existent. We get a feeling that most people leave bleak and hopeless lives. Is that a romantic view of life? Certainly no. But then again, one can't accuse Russian writers of shying away from dark sides of human nature. They typically just dig in, don't they? Moreover, is there a happy ending for these two? Not exactly. We don't know what happens next with them. All we can see is something frozen on page- an example of real love. Will it last? That my dear readers, is completely uncertain. Perhaps the true tragedy of the principal character (the doctor) of Ward no. 6 is that he has never found love. Perhaps love does redeem us, even while it torments us. With love, there is always hope. Even if it is always uncertain. Even if it might go away tomorrow. That doesn't make it any less real.
At the start of the story, Dmitri Gurov is a rather poor excuse for a human being, isn't he? A womanizer who despises woman, can there be a worse men? Casanova was a pathological womanizer, but at least he was capable of sincere friendship with women and didn't speak of them badly. Dmitri is married with children, and hates his wife whom he had only married out of convenience. Dmitri thinks of women as infinitely inferior to man, a lower race, yet he cannot live without them. Dmitri is a cynic and even worse a hypocrite. You know, I think that cynics are often sensitive people, the kind of people who have the capacity to love, but give it all up because of our human weakness- the fear of getting hurt. If I'm indifferent, I can't get hurt, we think in our human silliness. How wrong we are. To be indifferent is to be in a coma, in a state of spiritual paralysis. There is no happiness without sorrow. Without a combination of lightness and darkness, there is only the void. But back to the subject. Dmitri, despite all his flaws, or many because of them, manages to catch and retain the reader's interest from start to finish.
Anna, on the other hand, is principally seen through Dmitri's eyes. This doesn't mean that we don't warm up to her. Quite on the contrary. While we watch and observe the psychological transformation of a horrible cynic Dmitri in a person capable of love, we see Anna's growth in maturity as well. Anna is the force that made that transformation possible. Anna is a married woman, who allows herself to fall in love, who despite her young years, has the courage to admit that her life is devoid of meaning and that her marriage is unhappy. As the title indicates, The Lady with the Little Dog is the true heroine of this story. Anna is not stupid, nor does she enter the affair out of a caprice or boredom. She is aware of the danger, yet she quite bravely chooses to love. Anna sees Dmitri both as what he is and what he can be, and chooses to forgive him his past. Dmitri does the same. Both of them are transformed by love. If the characterization was any less subtle, the story would be banal. If the dialogues were any less natural, the story would lack strength. Fortunately, the writing is quite brilliant.
Neither of our protagonists is perfect, but together they are pretty close to perfection. Perfect in the sense they are willing to face their human weakness and surpass it. The psychological portray of these two was masterfully done. I found it very comforting to see that people can find love even in worst of times. Here we basically have a highly believable story about two individuals transformed by love. If that is not writing magic, I don't know what is. This is definitely one of the best love stories I have ever read, perhaps even the best one.
Despite its short form, The Lady with the Dog is a deeply touching story. I'm not even sure how many times I have read it. I think the last time I reread it was in February. I own a few vintage Chekhov short story collections, and I often reread this one. Sometimes I listen to audio versions of this story in different languages. It always sounds amazing, in every language. If I had to choose my favourite story by Chekhov, it would be a tie between this one and Ward No.6. It might seem an odd choice as Ward No.6 is a rather depressive story, but if you look closely so is The Lady With the Little Dog. We get a feeling that love is such a rare thing, it is almost non existent. We get a feeling that most people leave bleak and hopeless lives. Is that a romantic view of life? Certainly no. But then again, one can't accuse Russian writers of shying away from dark sides of human nature. They typically just dig in, don't they? Moreover, is there a happy ending for these two? Not exactly. We don't know what happens next with them. All we can see is something frozen on page- an example of real love. Will it last? That my dear readers, is completely uncertain. Perhaps the true tragedy of the principal character (the doctor) of Ward no. 6 is that he has never found love. Perhaps love does redeem us, even while it torments us. With love, there is always hope. Even if it is always uncertain. Even if it might go away tomorrow. That doesn't make it any less real.
July 31, 2022
I read this long ago and didn’t appreciate it. Age makes me look at so much of my reading differently.
A married man on holiday meets a married woman with a little dog. They begin a liaison. He’s a long-time philanderer, but this may be a case of “fooled around and fell in love.” For me, the essence of the story is the seasons of life and what changes as we age, along with consideration of personal versus public life. We think the public life is everything when we are young, and as we grow older, the personal life, what we hide from the world, becomes our foremost concern.
“Gurov … thought how everything is really beautiful in this world when one reflects: everything except what we think or do ourselves when we forget the higher aims of life and our own human dignity.”
A married man on holiday meets a married woman with a little dog. They begin a liaison. He’s a long-time philanderer, but this may be a case of “fooled around and fell in love.” For me, the essence of the story is the seasons of life and what changes as we age, along with consideration of personal versus public life. We think the public life is everything when we are young, and as we grow older, the personal life, what we hide from the world, becomes our foremost concern.
“Gurov … thought how everything is really beautiful in this world when one reflects: everything except what we think or do ourselves when we forget the higher aims of life and our own human dignity.”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,017 reviews