The Essential Tales of Chekhov

by Anton Chekhov

Book Overview

Of the two hundred stories that Anton Chekhov wrote, the twenty stories that appear in this extraordinary collection were personally chosen by Richard Ford--an accomplished storyteller in his own right. Included are the familiar masterpieces--The Kiss, The Darling, and The Lady with the Dog--as well as several brilliant lesser-known tales such as A Blunder, Hush , and Champagne. These stories, ordered from 1886 to 1899, are drawn from Chekhov's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060956569
• ISBN13: 9780060956561
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: Ecco Press
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Twenty of hundreds of stories

A quibble with the title of the volume. Why ' the essential Chekhov'? as if the great bulk of the Chekhov stories not contained in this volume were somehow 'less essential?' One cannot help but agreeing with the overwhelming majority of readers and reviewers of Chekhov who find him one of the great masters and delights of Literature. His stories are celebrations of insight into the human soul and character, in all its great quirkiness. Here stories too are guides to understanding life's ironies and disappointments. Chekhov's work is filled with dreamers, and filled with obsessed characters whose ideas take them on lonely paths of their own . What makes Chekhov so special in my mind aside from this constant play and contradiction between reality and dream, is the love which he seems to have for his characters. The soul of the human being Chekhov is felt in these stories, almost as if he were a caring country physician seeking to understand and find a remedy for the strange illnesses of his beloved patients.Chekhov knows what romantic love is and of course one of his signature stories ( included here) "The Lady and the Dog" gives us a truly moving instance of it. Life and the heart lead us to where we do not necessarily want to go. The aging lecher despite himself finds himselfr impossibly in love with the Bovary-like heroine and upon their reunion in impossible love and life the story ends. In Chekhov stories too as in life things end in the middle without resolution and with only the promise of disappointment and heartbreak to come.

Life goes better...

with Chekhov. Whatever volume (happily, there are lots in print), whatever translation you start with, you'll want to keep reading and keep discovering. But, Chekhov may require some getting used to. His stories are melancholy, funny, laconic, ironic. Not many of his characters could be called heroic. His plots do not end neatly. He asks many questions but doesn't answer them. My personal favorites in this volume: An Anonymous Story, Ward 6, The Grasshopper, The Lady with the Dog.For a great critical essay on Chekhov, read Nabakov's in his Lectures on Russian Literature.

The Father Of The Modern Short Story

Anton Chekhov was a student of Leo Tolstoy, and thank God he wasn't as long winded, otherwise we would not have all these wonderful short stories. Short stories before Chekhov were plot oriented and sensationalized. Enter Chekhov, the ultimate master. Now the short story is liberated, it has become more of an art of the moment, an art which reflects deep insights into the social environment of his day - our day too! Present day short story writers with their overly descriptive styles, their lack of real characterizations, and their general ignorance to the importance of brevity and directness would do much to ponder the intricacies of Chekhov's short masterpieces.

Russian short stories

In his writing, he was able to capture the feel and atmosphere of the Russian village, country, and the Russian soul. Snip: (...)

Moving Stories

I have just finished reading these stories and what I can say is that they are really exceptional. One fells in love with the characters, even with the most disgusting ones, since the author finds a light deep inside each human being he creates through the words, whether a miserable "mushik" or a refined "barin".Feelings somewhat opossed like desperation, compassion, anguish and beatitude arise every now and then along the pages, leading the reader through a vast gallery of situations and characters.