Anton Chekhov was a Russian short story writer and a playwright. His playwriting career produced four classics, while his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics alike. As his writing evolved, Chekhov made formal innovations that have influenced the evolution of the modern short story. This collection of short stories consists of "The Duel," "Excellent People," "Mire," "Expensive Lessons," "The Princess," and "The Chemist's Wife."
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"It's a collection of short stories. What to say? Some are better than others. I wanted mainly to read "The Duel" but enjoyed the writing so much I ended up reading them all. Some feel that they need to be longer, but overall I njoyed the book."
— Calvin (4 out of 5 stars)
" Clever comedic flourishes on top of a well-spun yarn about prototypical people being prototypical people. "
— Paul, 1/18/2014" I was disappointed at the end of every story because I wanted them to keep going! "
— Annie, 1/7/2014" More of a 3.5 star read--the first story, The Duel, was great (maybe b/c it was more of a novella), but the remaining stories weren't entirely satisfying. Many came off as unfinished. "
— Hekilledkennedy, 1/6/2014" Chekhov has an economy of style, and an insight into the human condition. "
— Ed, 11/3/2013" Another dip into the classic literature pool. Chekhov's short works are where he shines, if you are to believe the foreword, and I love short stories. Sadly, pretty much nothing in this collection appealed to me on any level. "
— Lord, 4/26/2013" Probably not the best intro to Chekhov for me, but alright. "
— Matt, 1/10/2013" J'aime bien Tchekhov "
— Yann, 10/22/2012" fekr mikardam akhare in ketab chejori tamom mishe,vali aslan onjori ke man tasavore hayejan angizi azash tavagho dashtam nabod. "
— behnaz, 4/16/2012" Nice and Russian, except that not everybody dies. Lots of names and talk of how sparkling and wonderful Petersburg is. Lots of adultery and talk of death. A little heavy on human philosophy, with too much telling and too little showing, but overall enjoyable and rich for the mind. "
— Kiddo, 12/2/2011" just read the duel. not the other stories. my copy didn't have 'em. "
— Lukeb, 12/1/2011" No one has written better short-stories than Chekov, its a must read! "
— Fahad, 4/17/2011" A little bit too mild for my liking. "
— Sae-chan, 4/11/2011" A little bit too mild for my liking. "
— Dodokins, 3/10/2011" I was disappointed at the end of every story because I wanted them to keep going! "
— Annie, 3/3/2011" More of a 3.5 star read--the first story, The Duel, was great (maybe b/c it was more of a novella), but the remaining stories weren't entirely satisfying. Many came off as unfinished. "
— Hekilledkennedy, 1/24/2011" Chekhov has an economy of style, and an insight into the human condition. "
— Ed, 10/17/2010" Another dip into the classic literature pool. Chekhov's short works are where he shines, if you are to believe the foreword, and I love short stories. Sadly, pretty much nothing in this collection appealed to me on any level. "
— Lord, 6/25/2010" I dunno what I can say about Chekhov, he's a Major Literary Figure. My review of his letters probably says anything I want to say about him and his writing. "
— Tom, 9/21/2008Anton Chekhov (1860–1904), the author of hundreds of short stories and several plays, is regarded by many as both the greatest Russian storyteller and the father of modern drama. He described the Russian life of his time using a deceptively simple technique devoid of obtrusive literary devices, thereby becoming the prominent representative of the late nineteenth-century Russian realist school. His early stream-of-consciousness style strongly influenced the literary world, including writers such as James Joyce.
William Dufris attended the University of Southern Maine in Portland-Gorham before pursuing a career in voice work in London and then the United States. He has won more than twenty AudioFile Earphones Awards, was voted one of the Best Voices at the End of the Century by AudioFile magazine, and won the prestigious Audie Award in 2012 for best nonfiction narration. He lives with his family in Maine.