Selected Stories of Anton Chekov

Chekhov is one of my favorite writers. This selection of his stories is the book I keep at my bed side shelf, pick it up anytime and start reading from any page that opens. I am never tired of chekhov,he is never stale.I like the title cover also but for the label like patch in one corner. Wish it was not there. Nevertheless it's the contents that matter not the patch.

A very satisfying translation. Must have for readers who have a good taste in literature.

Great selection.

Good read. A must read for book lovers!

Excellent

Content is excellent but print/font/paper is very bad- not an enjoyable reading

One of the best things about Chekov is his subtle sense of humor. In my experience, Russian writers of his time, although of course great as well, can be kind of depressing, overall. Which can be an accurate view of the world they are depicting. But Chekov adds touches of uplifting humanity and sense of humor about things, which to me puts him a notch above.

A few of the stories here represent the best of the best in short story writing. Chekhov is a master analyzing the human condition. Stories like "The Lady with the Little Dog", "The Fiancee", "A Boring Story" or "Rothschild's Fiddle" capture the essence of life superbly. A master!!!!

I have known Chekhov's plays for many years, he reimagined dramatic theatre for the 20th century and is one of the greatest playwrights of all time. Playwright Bernard Shaw once said the experience of reading Chekhov's plays made him want to rip up his own plays because they were so good. Chekhov's plays are so popular with theatre goers your lucky if you can get a theatre ticket to see one because they have usually sold out within minutes. So what's the alternative if you can't get a theatre ticket to see a Chekhov play? You could read his plays of course or you could watch a film or television adaptation of his plays on Dvd. I became aware this year from purchasing this book that Chekhov is also regarded as the greatest short story writer of all time. Reading this book has confirmed my suspicions that Anton Chekhov was a genius. His sentences are careful, elegant, beautiful and artistic with deep perceptions about the human condition. No one was writing literature like this in the 19th century. His short stories and his plays changed and influenced the course of literature in the 20th century and he did it in a way that seemed almost effortless. Chekhov I think dabbled in drugs and alcohol, there's an air of Wilkie Collins in his writing style. Take for example the character of Masha in Chekhovs second play The Seagull, who in her boring life takes drugs and alcohol to pass the time and Chekhov was also a doctor, so he would have had access to morphine and other such drugs. The short story I found most interesting in this collection was The Black Monk were a character called Kovrin, who is also a genius, has a vision were a whirlwind appears and materialises into a black monk and starts up a conversation with Kovrin. It's interesting to me that Chekhov uses the word whirlwind before this apparition appears, I on occasion, half asleep, half awake, have had the irritating sensation of a whirlwind round my head which never formed into a apparition thank goodness. I think these are probably the greatest short stories ever written, the only other writer I think that could rival with him in the short story department would be Franz Kafka. The translaters have done a exemplary job with this book, you don't get a sense that you are reading the work of the translater but the writer himself Chekhov. A perfect book to read with a cup of coffee and some chocolate cup cakes, I would recommend it to anyone.

FANTASTIC Anton Chekov

Transport yourself to 19th C Russia, it’s social concerns, aesthetics and inner life