The Greatest Short Stories of Anton Chekhov: A Collection Of Fifty Stories
"Life is a vexatious trap," Chekhov once wrote, and few authors have captured that claustrophobic truth quite so precisely. One of Russia's most celebrated literary figures, Chekhov produced short fiction and plays of such quiet, piercing accuracy that his work has never stopped being translated, read, and argued over. This collection gathers both his early pieces and the more polished stories of his later years into a single, generous volume. It's a wide arc to cover, and the range here is striking. Included among the fifty stories are 'The Death of a Government Clerk,' 'The Huntsman,' 'Oh! The Public,' 'Anyuta,' 'Misery,' 'The Lottery Ticket,' 'A Dreary Story,' 'Peasant Wives,' 'The Lady with the Dog,' and 'Betrothed,' the final story he completed before his death. Each piece is prefaced by an editorial note, which gives useful context without getting in the way. What makes Chekhov so persistently compelling is his refusal to moralize. His characters breathe, blunder, and occasionally break your heart, all without the author nudging you towards a verdict. For readers new to his work, this is a fine place to start. For those returning, there's always something you missed the first time.
- Author: Anton Chekhov
- Publisher: Fingerprint! Publishing
- Genre: Short Stories
- ISBN: 978-9389717105
- Pages: 544 pages