This selection from Chekhov's best stories is presented in a small but elegant Folio Society hardcover volume. They include some of the more famous of his stories and provide the reader with excellent evidence of his psychological prowess as an author. ( )

Good selection of short stories from this author. ( )

This beautiful Folio Book Club edition of a selection of Chekhov's short stories made them a pleasure to read in more than one way.The book has been sitting on my bookshelf for years and I am very pleased to have finally got around to reading it.
I have seen several of Chekhov's famous dramas, but had never tackled the stories. This volume contains some of the most celebrated tales including "The Lady with the Dog." Many of the translations are by the famous Russian translator, Constance Garnett, although the editor has updated them.
The reader enters into the lives of a varied collection of people who, in the main, are not happy; sometimes they take consolation in Music or Nature. The peasants in the story of that name enjoy sitting around the samovar and it's confiscation because of unpaid taxes is deeply felt.
Chekhov presents his character's and their dilemma's, but he does not impose himself on the reader. Any judgements are ours. His use of Irony is a major element in the art of the stories. Many characters are full of illusion or suffer from delusions and reveal themselves in thought and action. The shallow wife in "The Grasshopper" betrays her devoted husband, unable to see his worth until he dies. Disbelieving, bending over his dead body she is still delusive -
"She wanted to explain to him that it had been a mistake, that all was not lost, that life might still be beautiful and happy..."
There is a particularly ironic conclusion to the long story "Ward No 6" A doctor has lived comfortably with himself despite neglecting his patients. An articulate, mentally ill patient attracts his attention and he is awakened to life with quite unforeseen consequences.

I found myself wondering why I got pleasure from these stories so steeped in human misery. People are poor, depressed, frustrated and bored. I believe that the answer lies in the energy and vitality of the writing, the beautiful construction of the stories and a vivid sense of place. We are transported to poor villages, rich mansions, provincial towns, and get a glimpse of the huge variety of peoples and their environment making up this vast country. We have the pleasure of entering fully realized worlds, encountering living beings who stay with us long after we put the book down so that we long to know more.
In "The Lady with the Dog" Gurov and Anna Sergeyevna seem to face insuperable obstacles, and the story ends uncertainly.
"....it was clear to both of them that the end was still far, far away, and that the most complicated and difficult part was only just beginning."
Chekhov is alert to the messiness and inconclusiveness of life and we are drawn by the authenticity of his creations. ( )

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) is one of the most celebrated Russian playwrights and short story writers whose works were made popular in English through the excellent translations of Constance Garnett, responsible for introducing to readers of English some of the best Russian classics: Tolstoy, Turgenev, Dostoevsky and Gogol.

Characterized by a harmonious blending of naturalism and symbolism, Chekhov's stories look at human life in its joys and sorrows, its comedy, tragedy and pathos. Sensitive and subtle, the stories influenced the genre of the English short story enormously, sharing with Maupassant the distinction of giving it distinct directions. While Maupassant is strong on the story element, Chekhov's originality lies in the portraiture of mood and feeling.

In this collection are included such classics as "A Day in the Country", "The Kiss", and "Rothschild's Fiddle".