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Anton Chekhov's Plays
Critical discussions on Chekhov's dramatic purpose and structure as well as biographical material accompany a new translation of the plays.
448 pages, Paperback
Published November 17, 1977
About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,945 books10.2k followers
Antón Chéjov
(Spanish)
Dramas, such as The Seagull (1896, revised 1898), and including "A Dreary Story" (1889) of Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, also Chekov, concern the inability of humans to communicate.
Born ( Антон Павлович Чехов ) in the small southern seaport of Taganrog, the son of a grocer. His grandfather, a serf, bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught to read. A cloth merchant fathered Yevgenia Morozova, his mother.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." Tyranny of his father, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, open from five in the morning till midnight, shadowed his early years. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog from 1867 to 1868 and then Taganrog grammar school. Bankruptcy of his father compelled the family to move to Moscow. At the age of 16 years in 1876, independent Chekhov for some time alone in his native town supported through private tutoring.
In 1879, Chekhov left grammar school and entered the university medical school at Moscow. In the school, he began to publish hundreds of short comics to support his mother, sisters and brothers. Nicholas Leikin published him at this period and owned Oskolki (splinters), the journal of Saint Petersburg. His subjected silly social situations, marital problems, and farcical encounters among husbands, wives, mistresses, and lust; even after his marriage, Chekhov, the shy author, knew not much of whims of young women.
Nenunzhaya pobeda , first novel of Chekhov, set in 1882 in Hungary, parodied the novels of the popular Mór Jókai. People also mocked ideological optimism of Jókai as a politician.
Chekhov graduated in 1884 and practiced medicine. He worked from 1885 in Peterburskaia gazeta.
In 1886, Chekhov met H.S. Suvorin, who invited him, a regular contributor, to work for Novoe vremya, the daily paper of Saint Petersburg. He gained a wide fame before 1886. He authored The Shooting Party , his second full-length novel, later translated into English. Agatha Christie used its characters and atmosphere in later her mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . First book of Chekhov in 1886 succeeded, and he gradually committed full time. The refusal of the author to join the ranks of social critics arose the wrath of liberal and radical intelligentsia, who criticized him for dealing with serious social and moral questions but avoiding giving answers. Such leaders as Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Leskov, however, defended him. "I'm not a liberal, or a conservative, or a gradualist, or a monk, or an indifferentist. I should like to be a free artist and that's all..." Chekhov said in 1888.
The failure of The Wood Demon , play in 1889, and problems with novel made Chekhov to withdraw from literature for a period. In 1890, he traveled across Siberia to Sakhalin, remote prison island. He conducted a detailed census of ten thousand convicts and settlers, condemned to live on that harsh island. Chekhov expected to use the results of his research for his doctoral dissertation. Hard conditions on the island probably also weakened his own physical condition. From this journey came his famous travel book.
Chekhov practiced medicine until 1892. During these years, Chechov developed his concept of the dispassionate, non-judgmental author. He outlined his program in a letter to his brother Aleksandr: "1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion." Because he objected that the paper conducted against [a:Alfred Dreyfu
Dramas, such as The Seagull (1896, revised 1898), and including "A Dreary Story" (1889) of Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, also Chekov, concern the inability of humans to communicate.
Born ( Антон Павлович Чехов ) in the small southern seaport of Taganrog, the son of a grocer. His grandfather, a serf, bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught to read. A cloth merchant fathered Yevgenia Morozova, his mother.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." Tyranny of his father, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, open from five in the morning till midnight, shadowed his early years. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog from 1867 to 1868 and then Taganrog grammar school. Bankruptcy of his father compelled the family to move to Moscow. At the age of 16 years in 1876, independent Chekhov for some time alone in his native town supported through private tutoring.
In 1879, Chekhov left grammar school and entered the university medical school at Moscow. In the school, he began to publish hundreds of short comics to support his mother, sisters and brothers. Nicholas Leikin published him at this period and owned Oskolki (splinters), the journal of Saint Petersburg. His subjected silly social situations, marital problems, and farcical encounters among husbands, wives, mistresses, and lust; even after his marriage, Chekhov, the shy author, knew not much of whims of young women.
Nenunzhaya pobeda , first novel of Chekhov, set in 1882 in Hungary, parodied the novels of the popular Mór Jókai. People also mocked ideological optimism of Jókai as a politician.
Chekhov graduated in 1884 and practiced medicine. He worked from 1885 in Peterburskaia gazeta.
In 1886, Chekhov met H.S. Suvorin, who invited him, a regular contributor, to work for Novoe vremya, the daily paper of Saint Petersburg. He gained a wide fame before 1886. He authored The Shooting Party , his second full-length novel, later translated into English. Agatha Christie used its characters and atmosphere in later her mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . First book of Chekhov in 1886 succeeded, and he gradually committed full time. The refusal of the author to join the ranks of social critics arose the wrath of liberal and radical intelligentsia, who criticized him for dealing with serious social and moral questions but avoiding giving answers. Such leaders as Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Leskov, however, defended him. "I'm not a liberal, or a conservative, or a gradualist, or a monk, or an indifferentist. I should like to be a free artist and that's all..." Chekhov said in 1888.
The failure of The Wood Demon , play in 1889, and problems with novel made Chekhov to withdraw from literature for a period. In 1890, he traveled across Siberia to Sakhalin, remote prison island. He conducted a detailed census of ten thousand convicts and settlers, condemned to live on that harsh island. Chekhov expected to use the results of his research for his doctoral dissertation. Hard conditions on the island probably also weakened his own physical condition. From this journey came his famous travel book.
Chekhov practiced medicine until 1892. During these years, Chechov developed his concept of the dispassionate, non-judgmental author. He outlined his program in a letter to his brother Aleksandr: "1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion." Because he objected that the paper conducted against [a:Alfred Dreyfu
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 23, 2022
I enjoyed the plays...probably should read them more than once to get familiar enough with the story and the characters so I can more fully appreciate the works...but I enjoyed the essays and background pieces even more. Reading about "Chekhov's Russia" and the Nabokov essay on a term that is critical to understand if you want to more fully appreciate the works was thoroughly enjoyable as well as informative. (Let's face it, you could Nabokov on peeling wallpaper and get something out of it!).
Had no intention to start these plays but glad I did.
Had no intention to start these plays but glad I did.
July 11, 2019
This is another wonderful collection of Chekhov in a Norton Critical Edition, this being a collection of his four major plays accompanied by background and critical essays. Those who have read my other reviews of Chekhov know I admire his writings greatly. His short stories and short novels are masterpieces of fiction. I find his plays more complex, his characters in them more memorable, and the sense of place. mood, and movement more fully developed. Best not to call them tragedies in the Greek sense nor comedies a la Moliere, rather like the best plays of Shakespeare, they are tragicomic. There is much than is dark here, but also a ray of hope for the characters who choose not to reconcile themselves to what seems to them to be their fate.
As a writer Chekhov matures and improves with time. I find both this late fiction and late plays appreciably better than his earlier work. Of course even his latter work was written when he was still relatively young - he died at age 44. "The Three Sisters" and "The Cherry Orchard" are his finest plays. They are not to read mindlessly. Among other things they require attention to keep track of the characters who, like those in other Russian literature, are referred to by multiple names. The plays are about characters and their interactions, and about situations. There are no dramatic story lines or plots. It has been said of Chekhov's plays that nothing happens in them. Compared to Broadway shows, this is certainly so. Compared to everyday life, this criticism is most certainly wrong.
The volume contains an essay by John Gassner titled "The Duality of Chekhov" which I highly recommend. It contains a telling comment, which I quote below, on Chekhov the artist.
As a writer Chekhov matures and improves with time. I find both this late fiction and late plays appreciably better than his earlier work. Of course even his latter work was written when he was still relatively young - he died at age 44. "The Three Sisters" and "The Cherry Orchard" are his finest plays. They are not to read mindlessly. Among other things they require attention to keep track of the characters who, like those in other Russian literature, are referred to by multiple names. The plays are about characters and their interactions, and about situations. There are no dramatic story lines or plots. It has been said of Chekhov's plays that nothing happens in them. Compared to Broadway shows, this is certainly so. Compared to everyday life, this criticism is most certainly wrong.
The volume contains an essay by John Gassner titled "The Duality of Chekhov" which I highly recommend. It contains a telling comment, which I quote below, on Chekhov the artist.
"... Chekhov is a great humorist yet also a profoundly moving writer. What this amounts to in terms of artistry is that his writing simply possesses a rich texture, that it exists on several levels of sensibility at the same time, and that his often limpid simplicity masks considerable complexity."
November 24, 2019
This collection was wonderful. The multitude of academic essays gave me a deep appreciation for the plays that I wouldn't have had without them. This was a fantastic introduction to Chekov and Russian literature in general. I do recommend, however, reading this book very out of order.
Of course there's the essay by the translator at the very beginning of the book, explaining his approach to translation, which is a great place to start. Then, I suggest reading Robert Hingley's "Chekov's Russia" before actually starting the plays because it gives some vital context. After that, I read each of his plays followed immediately by the individual essay relating to that play at the end of the book. For example, there's "Chekov's Sea Gull and Shakespeare's Hamlet," "Craftsmanship in Uncle Vanya," etc. Finally, after all of the plays are done with their connected essays, I would finish reading the rest of the book.
I know it sounds complicated (and I had multiple post-its in my book at any given time to keep all my different places) but this way will definitely help you get the most out of the plays. I kept track of my progress with Goodreads by just counting page numbers read and adding them up.
Of course there's the essay by the translator at the very beginning of the book, explaining his approach to translation, which is a great place to start. Then, I suggest reading Robert Hingley's "Chekov's Russia" before actually starting the plays because it gives some vital context. After that, I read each of his plays followed immediately by the individual essay relating to that play at the end of the book. For example, there's "Chekov's Sea Gull and Shakespeare's Hamlet," "Craftsmanship in Uncle Vanya," etc. Finally, after all of the plays are done with their connected essays, I would finish reading the rest of the book.
I know it sounds complicated (and I had multiple post-its in my book at any given time to keep all my different places) but this way will definitely help you get the most out of the plays. I kept track of my progress with Goodreads by just counting page numbers read and adding them up.
July 21, 2026
This is a collection of Chekov's four famous plays--The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard. At one time or another I have worked on and read all of these plays. What makes this scholarly work so outstanding, despite the rather opaque writing, is the wealth of notations on the plays. There are things in the plays that were cultural references that would have been immediately understood by a late 19th century Russian audience that we moderns miss entirely. This means that the plays were current and topical then, even jokey!
January 1, 2022
A bit difficult to slog through, but masterful works depicting relatable (mostly) characters. Worth the effort.
I didn't read off the criticisms, but selected one helped me understand the plays better and put them in context.
I didn't read off the criticisms, but selected one helped me understand the plays better and put them in context.
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January 25, 2020Jan. 2020:
Read The Cherry Orchard for the first time—still have not read the other three plays as of this review, but logging The Cherry Orchard in this edition.
Read The Cherry Orchard for the first time—still have not read the other three plays as of this review, but logging The Cherry Orchard in this edition.
December 17, 2020
Anton Chekhov's Plays was a great introduction to Chekhov for me. I loved getting some of his works paired with historical and literary context for his plays and other pieces.
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January 29, 2024poshlost
July 28, 2012
Everything in this volume--the translations, background, and critical essays--is different from a later edition in the Norton Critical series. Some of the essays here, by the likes of David Magarshack, Vladimir Nabokov, Eric Bentley, and Robert Brustein, appealed to me more. The translations are readable though a little out-of-date in feel. It's the essays, and the translator's two introductory texts (on transliteration and pronunciation, and on translating Chekhov), that I value.
August 14, 2012
Compilation of plays
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews