Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
This one includes "The Bet." ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. Translation of Diadia Vania ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

My book review
This was a completely great book.I loved it so much.It was a wonderful tale of a man who thinks his wife is a witch.She actually is.It's comical.But then the comedy turns bad when you see how miserable they rae. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Eleven Stories from the Master of the Short Story
...

"The Party & Other Stories," volume 4 of The Ecco Press edition, contains eleven stories written during the period from the mid-1880s to the mid-1890s. These are stories from Chekhov's so-called "middle period," the years after Chekhov had finished his medical studies and began writing and publishing the longer, more serious psychological studies whose characteristics became a universal ascription for short stories of that sort: "Chekhovian." As Harold Bloom has written, "the formal delicacy and somber reflectiveness [of Chekhov's stories] make him the indispensable artist of the unlived life, and the major influence upon all story-writers after him."

Every one of the stories in this volume is a remarkable example of Chekhov's ability to write in simple, straightforward fashion, while, all the time, illuminating with almost microscopic precision the internalized, psychological lives of his characters. As one commentary on Chehov's writing during this period has noted, apropos of the stories in this volume (and in contrast to Chekhov's early humorous stories): "Characters are no longer perceived satirically, as social archetypes, but seen from within. And the inner life revealed is often an unhappy one, the characters' 'real life' being in sharp contrast with their 'world of desire,' reached only through memory or fantasy."

The stories range from long to short, each a near-perfect model of the short story, worthy of enjoyment and careful study. The longest of the stories, "A Woman's Kingdom," tells of Anna Akimovna, the daughter of a factory owner who, as a young girl, mingled with the working classes, only to find herself the lonely, single, middle-aged heiress and proprietor of those same factories later in life. It is a remarkable exploration of Anna's loneliness and of her yearning to return to the life of her childhood, as well as of the separation between owner and worker in an industrialized Russia. As Anna says, longingly: "Yes, I'll go and get married. I will marry in the simplest, most ordinary way and be radiant with happiness. And, would you believe it, I will marry some plain working man, some mechanic or draughtsman."

In the title story, "The Party," Chekhov brilliantly probes the mind, the thoughts, the silent unhappiness and dissatisfaction of Olga Mihalovna, a pregnant, married woman who clearly does not like her philandering, brash husband or her social obligations. In a passage that strikingly illustrates both the luster of Chekhov's art and the deep-seated discontent of the character of his story, Olga stands watching her guests, the partygoers of the story's title, glide by in boats:

"Olga Mihalovna looked at the other boats, and there, too, she saw only uninteresting, queer creatures, affected or stupid people. She thought of all the people she knew in the district, and could not remember one person of whom one could say or think anything good. They all seemed to her mediocre, insipid, unintelligent, narrow, false, heartless; they all said what they did not think, and did what they did not want to. Dreariness and despair were stifling her; she longed to leave off smiling, to leap up and cry out, 'I am sick of you,' and then jump out and swim to the bank."

These are just two of the stories. The volume also contains "The Kiss," a story that no less a literary arbiter than Bloom considers the best of Chekhov's early stories (written in 1887, when Chekhov was 27 years old). And the rest are equally good, demonstrating why Chekhov is considered among the greatest practitioners of the story-writer's art.

If you can, find this volume and the others in The Ecco Press's wonderful edition of Chekhov and read them all. If you can't, then find another edition. Just read Chekhov. You will not be disappointed.

Eleven Near-Perfect Stories from The Master of the Art
In 1984, The Ecco Press published a handsome thirteen-volume edition of The Tales of Chekhov containing the highly respected, if somewhat dated, English translations of Constance Garnett.The original thirteen volumes were subsequently supplemented by two additional volumes, "The Unknown Chekhov: Stories and Other Writings," translated by Avrahm Yarmolinsky (a volume which is still in print under the auspices of another publisher) and "Notebook of Anton Chekhov," translated by S. S. Koteliansky and Leonard Woolf.While I was fortunate to have purchased the entire paperback set at a pittance during a remainder sale (and it remains one of the favorites of my book collection), it is, alas, sadly out-of-print.

"The Party & Other Stories," volume 4 of The Ecco Press edition, contains eleven stories written during the period from the mid-1880s to the mid-1890s.These are stories from Chekhov's so-called "middle period," the years after Chekhov had finished his medical studies and began writing and publishing the longer, more serious psychological studies whose characteristics became a universal ascription for short stories of that sort: "Chekhovian."As Harold Bloom has written, "the formal delicacy and somber reflectiveness [of Chekhov's stories] make him the indispensable artist of the unlived life, and the major influence upon all story-writers after him."

Every one of the stories in this volume is a remarkable example of Chekhov's ability to write in simple, straightforward fashion, while, all the time, illuminating with almost microscopic precision the internalized, psychological lives of his characters.As one commentary on Chehov's writing during this period has noted, apropos of the stories in this volume (and in contrast to Chekhov's early humorous stories): "Characters are no longer perceived satirically, as social archetypes, but seen from within.And the inner life revealed is often an unhappy one, the characters' `real life' being in sharp contrast with their `world of desire,' reached only through memory or fantasy."

The stories range from long to short, each a near-perfect model of the short story, worthy of enjoyment and careful study.The longest of the stories, "A Woman's Kingdom," tells of Anna Akimovna, the daughter of a factory owner who, as a young girl, mingled with the working classes, only to find herself the lonely, single, middle-aged heiress and proprietor of those same factories later in life.It is a remarkable exploration of Anna's loneliness and of her yearning to return to the life of her childhood, as well as of the separation between owner and worker in an industrialized Russia.As Anna says, longingly: "Yes, I'll go and get married.I will marry in the simplest, most ordinary way and be radiant with happiness.And, would you believe it, I will marry some plain working man, some mechanic or draughtsman."

In the title story, "The Party," Chekhov brilliantly probes the mind, the thoughts, the silent unhappiness and dissatisfaction of Olga Mihalovna, a pregnant, married woman who clearly does not like her philandering, brash husband or her social obligations.In a passage that strikingly illustrates both the luster of Chekhov's art and the deep-seated discontent of the character of his story, Olga stands watching her guests, the partygoers of the story's title, glide by in boats:

"Olga Mihalovna looked at the other boats, and there, too, she saw only uninteresting, queer creatures, affected or stupid people.She thought of all the people she knew in the district, and could not remember one person of whom one could say or think anything good.They all seemed to her mediocre, insipid, unintelligent, narrow, false, heartless; they all said what they did not think, and did what they did not want to.Dreariness and despair were stifling her; she longed to leave off smiling, to leap up and cry out, `I am sick of you,' and then jump out and swim to the bank."

These are just two of the stories.The volume also contains "The Kiss," a story that no less a literary arbiter than Bloom considers the best of Chekhov's early stories (written in 1887, when Chekhov was 27 years old).And the rest are equally good, demonstrating why Chekhov is considered among the greatest practitioners of the story-writer's art.

If you can, find this volume and the others in The Ecco Press's wonderful edition of Chekhov and read them all.If you can't, then find another edition.Just read Chekhov.You will not be disappointed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A lot of Chekhov is here - but a lot ain't!
Basically I picked this book up hoping that it would have the hard-to-find play, "Wild Honey," the closest Chekhov ever came to being Noel Coward.Not here! Ivanov - not here! The Bear - Not Here! Whilethe essays are here and several insightful writings - to call this book"THE PLAYS" is an utter falsehood, not when there is so muchmissing. ... Read more

Book Description
The Horse-Stealers, Ward No. 6, The Petchenyeg, A Dead Body, A Happy Ending, The Looking-Glass, Old Age, Darkness, The Beggar, A Story Without a Title, In Trouble, Frost, A Slander, Minds in Ferment, Gone Astray, An Avenger, The Jeune Premier, A Defenceless Creature, An Enigmatic Nature, A Happy Man, A Troublesome Visitor, An Actor's End.Download Description
The Horse-Stealers, Ward No. 6, The Petchenyeg, A Dead Body, A Happy Ending, The Looking-Glass, Old Age, Darkness, The Beggar, A Story Without a Title, In Trouble, Frost, A Slander, Minds in Ferment, Gone Astray, An Avenger, The Jeune Premier, A Defenceless Creature, An Enigmatic Nature, A Happy Man, A Troublesome Visitor, An Actor's End. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Chekhov's Doctors
The greatest works of fiction afford a glimpse into human nature, into its dark secrets, pettiness, and callowness, as well as into moments of true magnanimity.Conflict and misunderstanding between individuals is another core ingredient in the best of fiction.The best writers have an innate grasp of what makes up the human creature, and have a fluency in psychological analysis that comes only from keen natural intuition.Yet even the most subtle grasp of human nature alone is insufficient material for the creation of great fiction; for the successful author must also be able to draw from a rich backdrop of life experience.

Medicine, like few other professions, provides such a backdrop and as such it is likely not coincidental that there exists a glorious intersection between the fields of writing and medicine.A physician, in the course of his daily work regularly comes across the themes that most people encounter only infrequently-fear, illness, suffering, and death, as well as hope, courage, and perseverance.These titanic forces flush out the essence of human nature, and the physician who is so inclined is provided with boundless material for the exploration of humanity through fiction.

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), the great Russian author and playwright, was a physician by trade.Chekhov draws abundantly on his experience in medicine in his fiction and drama, and this is brought out in a recently published compilation of Chekhov's medically-related short stories.

In this volume of stories, Chekhov imposes a frank-almost brutal-examination of human nature, and a critical look at the practice of medicine and at those who practice it.The themes in his stories are apparently timeless; any practicing physician will recognize the cynicism, politics, burnout, and overwork that is described by Chekhov.In one story of a beleaguered, overworked rural doctor in the employ of the state, Chekhov even provides a glimpse into what must have been a nineteenth century Russian version of the frustrations of working in a managed care environment.In the story, the physician is forced to care for a large, impoverished population in a clinic over which he exercises no executive authority.Not only is he powerless under the system to fire his incompetent, corrupt, and drunken support staff, but in his prescriptions is at the mercy of a central power that determines the source of pharmaceuticals.

Another story traces the devolution of an earnest, ideological young physician into a money grubbing, lazy, and cynical doctor who treats his patients like objects.This same doctor, who possesses abundant theoretical knowledge of pathology and the practice of medicine, is utterly unable to apply his wisdom to heal patients because of his stifling arrogance and lack of empathy for his patients.

Some of Chekhov's physicians struggle to strike a balance between adequate time for their own lives and families and availability to their patients.This conflict is starkly illustrated by a story in which a physician is forced to choose between attending the deathbed of his only child and responding to an emergency call.

Chekhov also examines the proper role of professional objectivity and distance in medicine.At what point does the curtain that every physician draws between himself and his patient in order to facilitate detached, objective thinking become a mighty bulkhead constructed primarily for self defense?Several stories explore this question, and Chekhov seems to conclude that the answer lies in a happy medium.

All is not dark, however, in the world of Chekhov's doctors.Even amidst the burnout, substance abuse, and money-worship of some of his characters, there are the redeeming qualities of absolute dedication, devotion to the pursuit of medical knowledge, and perseverance even under very unfavorable circumstances.The doctors in his stories are complex, and some of these redeeming qualities even coexist with the uglier traits in some of Chekhov's characters.

Chekhov's Doctors is a well-edited volume that arranges stories in an inviting and readable sequence, (saving lengthier, heavier stories for later in the volume).Dr. Coulehan, the editor, also places Chekhov's stories in historical context, providing the reader with, for example, an ample yet not overwhelming background of Chekhov's relationship with Tolstoy (whose titan influence was difficult for any contemporary Russian author to escape).Of particular interest is a series of commentary in the back of the volume that provides a brief analysis of each story from the author's perspective as a medical doctor. ... Read more

Book Description
A collection of new, production tested translations of thefour great plays by Anton Chekhov: The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, The ThreeSisters, and The Cherry Orchard. These translations are both faithful tothe rich, pure poetry and music of the original Russian language and at thesame time fluid for the modern actor and accessible for the contemporaryAmerican audience. Included is a glossary and pronunciation guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Retains the play's passion and pain
I compared Carol Rocamora's translations to a few other translations, and found hers much more full of life; more active, more violent, and more realistic. Other translations are dry and formal compared to hers. They lack the intensity of the character's emotions and they feel less contemporary.

Rocamora provides us with the best American Chekhov yet.
Carol Rocamora's translations of Chekhov's four most important plays are, simply, brilliant.These are not adaptations of the plays, but true translations: Rocamora is Chekhovian down to the punctuation.She has made the language contemporary not by translating as if Chekhov were writing now, but by providing the language with a poetic grace that is timeless.Chekhov remains very much a writer of his time and place, and this is as it should be -- we value him because he made the specificities of his time and place universal.Rocamora's translations also fill a gap by giving us Chekhov in American English.Michael Frayn's translations are wonderful, but it is impossible to speak them without an English accent slipping onto your tongue.This edition of translations provides a fascinating introduction by Rocamora, a pronunciation guide, and glossary ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Brilliant!!
This is a fascinating book, for fans of both great literature and great biography. There have been many collections of Chekhov's letters, but this one points out the errors in those previous ones (such as the one edited by Lillian Hellman) and corrects them. It focuses primarily on the letters in which Chekhov talked about his literature and the productions of his plays, and on his relationships with other artists, such as Tolstoy, Gorky, Stanislavsky and many others less well known outside of Russia. It also corrects many misperceptions about Chekhov created the various memoirs (such as Stanislavsky's) and biographies based on the erroneous information in those memoirs.

The Chekhov that the reader gets to know through this book is avividly real human being.

Karlinsky si!Chekhov si!
A fabulous book!!No one could ask for a better read, late at night, with the blankets tucked around one, and a hot buttered rum at one's side!!

Chekhov was a man!!

The Best Source of Information on Chekhov's Life and Art
There are many biographies of Chekhov, including the new one by Rayfield, but this edition of the letters is the best source of the writer's life and thought.Long out of print, it was wise of Northwestern University Press to re-issue this book.The other editions of the letters, by Hellman and another by Yarmolinsky, cannot compare.
This volume is valuable for its superb, lengthy introduction, which is a capsule biography.In addition, each of the fifteen sections are introduced by an engaging biographical headnote.
The letters themselves are the record of an extraordinary person, a man who instructed other writers to succeed in their work by feeling "compassion down to their fingertips."
This book shows the emotions and thoughts of the writer who lived that simple but wise piece of advice.
Among the more amusing letters is the one to his wastrel brother, in March 1886, in which he wittily enumerates the qualities of well-bred people.Among them: "They don't guzzle vodka on any old occasion, nor do they go around sniffing cupboards....They shun all ostentation: empty barrels make the most noise."
This volume is full of such humorous but sage advice, and reveals the man behind the extraordinary short stories and plays better than any biography.
You will remember some of the letters in this book throughout your lifetime. ... Read more