No reviews? A blank comment on the state of reading..., 24 Sep 2008
Isn't it fascinating that the master of short stories has absolutely no reviews? Marving Gaye sang What's Going On for a reason...

To make a long point short, if you've ever read any fiction and thought you had some knowledge of the genre then you can't afford not to read Chekhov. Beautiful, precise sentences.

No reviews? A blank comment on the state of reading..., 24 Sep 2008
Isn't it fascinating that the master of short stories has absolutely no reviews? Marving Gaye sang What's Going On for a reason...

To make a long point short, if you've ever read any fiction and thought you had some knowledge of the genre then you can't afford not to read Chekhov. Beautiful, precise sentences.

Very good collection of stories, 30 Apr 2006
This collection was written late in Chekhov's life, and include works that helped to cement his reputation of Russia's greatest naturalist storywriter. He already had a reputation as something of a renegade, falling foul of the censors with his less than positive portrayal of Russian people. The stories in this book exemplify his attitude towards Russia and its people, adopting a position of paternal disappointment with his fellow countrymen.
The ten stories are all fairly short, and are largely lacking in plot. They are psychological snapshots of the main characters, portraits of Russian stereotypes much in the tradition of Nineteenth Century Russian literature. The reading isn't always easy. Chekhov's views of peasants as drunks and criminals, or the trivial obsessions of the middle classes, are almost wholly negative, and the characters in his stories are often lost in their own pettiness. However, the portraits are so well observed, so believable, that the stories are compulsive reading. Chekhov has a fantastic eye for detail when it comes to human behaviour, and this collection is full of fascinating, detailed observations. 'The Kiss' is perhaps not for everyone, but it is an excellent collection of short stories nonetheless.


A great collection of stories for all concerned., 23 Oct 2003
These are really timeless short stories, by a master of the genre. If you like Chekhov, then there are plenty of things here to interest you. If you only know the plays then all I can say is that this collection of stories is even better. The book has "The Kiss," "The Bishop," "Peasants," the trilogy "Man In A Case," "Gooseberries" and "Concerning Love," and also includes "A Case History," "The Russian Master," "In The Gully" and "Anna Round The Neck." My favorite has to be "The Bishop," which fully displays Chekhov's powers of description and his real insight into the way human beings really feel. Other stories look at the conditions in Russian society for the serfs and "The Russian Master" is a typical Chekhov story of love's shortcomings.
There's something about this book that has a fascinating character to it. Right from the cover, to the variety of stories, (even the font itself!?!) transports me to Russia whenever I open it up. I recommend this book, even if you own some of the stories already because it's just still good value. If you don't know Chekhov's stories, I'm sure will like them by reading this collection.

No reviews? A blank comment on the state of reading..., 24 Sep 2008
Isn't it fascinating that the master of short stories has absolutely no reviews? Marving Gaye sang What's Going On for a reason...

To make a long point short, if you've ever read any fiction and thought you had some knowledge of the genre then you can't afford not to read Chekhov. Beautiful, precise sentences.

Very good collection of stories, 30 Apr 2006
This collection was written late in Chekhov's life, and include works that helped to cement his reputation of Russia's greatest naturalist storywriter. He already had a reputation as something of a renegade, falling foul of the censors with his less than positive portrayal of Russian people. The stories in this book exemplify his attitude towards Russia and its people, adopting a position of paternal disappointment with his fellow countrymen.
The ten stories are all fairly short, and are largely lacking in plot. They are psychological snapshots of the main characters, portraits of Russian stereotypes much in the tradition of Nineteenth Century Russian literature. The reading isn't always easy. Chekhov's views of peasants as drunks and criminals, or the trivial obsessions of the middle classes, are almost wholly negative, and the characters in his stories are often lost in their own pettiness. However, the portraits are so well observed, so believable, that the stories are compulsive reading. Chekhov has a fantastic eye for detail when it comes to human behaviour, and this collection is full of fascinating, detailed observations. 'The Kiss' is perhaps not for everyone, but it is an excellent collection of short stories nonetheless.


A great collection of stories for all concerned., 23 Oct 2003
These are really timeless short stories, by a master of the genre. If you like Chekhov, then there are plenty of things here to interest you. If you only know the plays then all I can say is that this collection of stories is even better. The book has "The Kiss," "The Bishop," "Peasants," the trilogy "Man In A Case," "Gooseberries" and "Concerning Love," and also includes "A Case History," "The Russian Master," "In The Gully" and "Anna Round The Neck." My favorite has to be "The Bishop," which fully displays Chekhov's powers of description and his real insight into the way human beings really feel. Other stories look at the conditions in Russian society for the serfs and "The Russian Master" is a typical Chekhov story of love's shortcomings.
There's something about this book that has a fascinating character to it. Right from the cover, to the variety of stories, (even the font itself!?!) transports me to Russia whenever I open it up. I recommend this book, even if you own some of the stories already because it's just still good value. If you don't know Chekhov's stories, I'm sure will like them by reading this collection.

Finally, a fresh translation of Chekhov!, 18 Jun 1999
Having taught Chekhov for a number of years, using translations by Constance Garnett, Elizaveta Fen, David Mamet, and others, it's a pleasure to discover Schmidt's recent translation of Chekhov's major plays. His translations, at times daring linguistically, bring a fresh vitality to Chekhov's plays. I am especially fond of his translations of Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard. New generations of Chekhov readers will find Schmidt's work interesting, accessible, and energetic.

Modern American Translation Betrays Chekhov, 15 Jun 1999
Schmidt's translation sounds smooth to a modern American, and thus eases the American actor's job. It fails, however, to bring the real Chekhov to the English language. Chekhov's writing has a rhythm, a compactness, and a vocabulary that is uniquely his, one that inimitably captures a very distinctive slice of Russian life as it existed one hundred years ago. It is possible to show this slice to an English speaking audience, but Schmidt had no interest in doing this. That is why this translation is a failure.

A secondary but equally unforgiveable fault is that he adds his own stage direction to the text. For instance, he adds the word "beat" to the text in places where Chekhov had nothing at all. The American concept of a stage "beat" had not even been invented yet!

No reviews? A blank comment on the state of reading..., 24 Sep 2008
Isn't it fascinating that the master of short stories has absolutely no reviews? Marving Gaye sang What's Going On for a reason...

To make a long point short, if you've ever read any fiction and thought you had some knowledge of the genre then you can't afford not to read Chekhov. Beautiful, precise sentences.

Very good collection of stories, 30 Apr 2006
This collection was written late in Chekhov's life, and include works that helped to cement his reputation of Russia's greatest naturalist storywriter. He already had a reputation as something of a renegade, falling foul of the censors with his less than positive portrayal of Russian people. The stories in this book exemplify his attitude towards Russia and its people, adopting a position of paternal disappointment with his fellow countrymen.
The ten stories are all fairly short, and are largely lacking in plot. They are psychological snapshots of the main characters, portraits of Russian stereotypes much in the tradition of Nineteenth Century Russian literature. The reading isn't always easy. Chekhov's views of peasants as drunks and criminals, or the trivial obsessions of the middle classes, are almost wholly negative, and the characters in his stories are often lost in their own pettiness. However, the portraits are so well observed, so believable, that the stories are compulsive reading. Chekhov has a fantastic eye for detail when it comes to human behaviour, and this collection is full of fascinating, detailed observations. 'The Kiss' is perhaps not for everyone, but it is an excellent collection of short stories nonetheless.


A great collection of stories for all concerned., 23 Oct 2003
These are really timeless short stories, by a master of the genre. If you like Chekhov, then there are plenty of things here to interest you. If you only know the plays then all I can say is that this collection of stories is even better. The book has "The Kiss," "The Bishop," "Peasants," the trilogy "Man In A Case," "Gooseberries" and "Concerning Love," and also includes "A Case History," "The Russian Master," "In The Gully" and "Anna Round The Neck." My favorite has to be "The Bishop," which fully displays Chekhov's powers of description and his real insight into the way human beings really feel. Other stories look at the conditions in Russian society for the serfs and "The Russian Master" is a typical Chekhov story of love's shortcomings.
There's something about this book that has a fascinating character to it. Right from the cover, to the variety of stories, (even the font itself!?!) transports me to Russia whenever I open it up. I recommend this book, even if you own some of the stories already because it's just still good value. If you don't know Chekhov's stories, I'm sure will like them by reading this collection.

Finally, a fresh translation of Chekhov!, 18 Jun 1999
Having taught Chekhov for a number of years, using translations by Constance Garnett, Elizaveta Fen, David Mamet, and others, it's a pleasure to discover Schmidt's recent translation of Chekhov's major plays. His translations, at times daring linguistically, bring a fresh vitality to Chekhov's plays. I am especially fond of his translations of Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard. New generations of Chekhov readers will find Schmidt's work interesting, accessible, and energetic.

Modern American Translation Betrays Chekhov, 15 Jun 1999
Schmidt's translation sounds smooth to a modern American, and thus eases the American actor's job. It fails, however, to bring the real Chekhov to the English language. Chekhov's writing has a rhythm, a compactness, and a vocabulary that is uniquely his, one that inimitably captures a very distinctive slice of Russian life as it existed one hundred years ago. It is possible to show this slice to an English speaking audience, but Schmidt had no interest in doing this. That is why this translation is a failure.

A secondary but equally unforgiveable fault is that he adds his own stage direction to the text. For instance, he adds the word "beat" to the text in places where Chekhov had nothing at all. The American concept of a stage "beat" had not even been invented yet!

I enjoyed it, 04 Aug 2005
These other short stories are equally masterpieces that we can read repeatedly without becoming bored.also read Union Moujik, About Love, The lady with the Dog.