En 2018 :

J'ai l'impression que je passe mon temps à répéter de façon un peu niaiseuse que j'aime dont ben Chekhov, mais mon doux seigneur que c'est bon. Every personal existence was upheld by a secret. Quelque chose de fougueux & de tendre & de pessimiste, comme s'il fallait surtout apprendre, en le lisant, une compassion sans complaisance.

En 2011 :

Qu'est-ce que je peux dire sur Chekhov qui a pas déjà été dit? (Ces dans des moments comme ceux-là que je trouve mes recensions ici un peu insignifiantes.)

J'ai lu toutes les nouvelles de Chekhov en un été, il y a trois ou quatre ans, & c'est un de mes plus beaux souvenirs de lecture. J'empruntais les livres à la bibliothèque de l'université, de vielles éditions de la Oxford University Press reliées de cuir rougeâtre, & je lisais les histoires partout -- dans l'autobus, dans l'arrière-boutique du dépanneur où je travaillais, étendue sur le ventre dans l'herbe des Plaines d'Abraham. C'était parfait.

& relire quelques-unes de ces histoires cet été, doucement, le plus lentement possible -- ça aussi, c'était parfait.

Great selection.

🇷🇺

🕐🕑🕒🕓 … 🔫 ??


I've had this book for quite a while, now, and it's finally complete.
emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A masterclass in human empathy conveyed in a kind of form that has come to be called the classic short story but was really something much more organic than that for Chekhov, who paved the way for our modern notions of the short story (so codified years later in the New Yorker). It's never a bad idea to go back to the Russian masters and dipping into Chekhov this time around was nothing short of inspiring. Each time I came away from the book I found myself looking out at the world with a little more compassion and a little more curiosity. A salve we could all use these days.

"Hundreds of miles of deserted, monotonous, scorched steppe cannot produce such gloom as one man when he sits and talks and nobody knows when he will leave."

I enjoyed the story, Three Years. The shorter stories at the beginning were funny, but one could tell they were written at the beginning of Chekhov’s career.

I enjoyed the story, Three Years. The shorter stories at the beginning were funny, but one could tell they were written at the beginning of Chekhov’s career.

Best stories in this collection (imo) were "The Cook's Wedding", "Champagne", "A Play", and of course "The Lady with the Dog".
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes

Of this collection of 30 Chekhov short stories, I thought 11 of the stories stood out as being significantly better than the others. So if you are looking to read a 'best of' selection, I'd recommend the following (in chronological order):

* The Malefactor
* Easter Night
* Sleepy
* A Boring Story
* Peasant Women
* The Fidget
* In Exile
* Ward No. 6
* The Black Monk
* Rothschild's Fiddle
* Anna on the Neck