Books by Anton Chekhov

Book SynopsisI did have hallucinations, but did they harm anyone? Who did they harm, that''s what I''d like to know!''From the supreme artist of the short story, three disturbing tales of supernatural hallucinations, hysterical obsession and moral decay.One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics'' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

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Book SynopsisWith an Introduction and Notes by Joe Andrew, Professor of Russian Literature, Keele University. Anton Chekhov is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of short stories. He constructs stories where action and drama are implied rather than described openly, and which leave much to the reader's imagination. This collection contains some of the most important of his earliest and shortest comic sketches, as well as examples of his great, mature works. Throughout, the doctor-turned-writer displays compassion for human suffering and misfortune, but is always able to see the comical, even farcical aspects of the human condition. Chekhov sees and depicts life with unwavering honesty and truthfulness, although a clear moral sense can be detected beneath his apparent objectivity.

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Book Synopsis''the greatest short story writer who has ever lived''Raymond Carver''s unequivocal verdict on Chekhov''s genius has been echoed many times by writers as diverse as Katherine Mansfield, Somerset Maugham, John Cheever and Tobias Wolf. While his popularity as a playwright has sometimes overshadowed his achievements in prose, the importance of Chekhov''s stories is now recognized by readers as well as by fellow authors. Their themes - alienation, the absurdity and tragedy of human existence - have as much relevance today as when they were written, and these superb new translations capture their modernist spirit. Elusive and subtle, spare and unadorned, the stories in this selection are among Chekhov''s most poignant and lyrical. They include well-known pieces such as ''The Lady with the Little Dog'', as well as less familiar work like ''Gusev'', inspired by Chekhov''s travels in the Far East, and ''Rothschild''s Violin'', a haunting and darkly humorous tale about death and loss. ABOUT THETrade Review...outstanding translations of a selection of Chekhov's stories... * Robert Chandler, Literary Review *Bartlett's Chekhov is a masterpiece of texture and rhythm. Not a false word anywhere. * Caryl Emerson, Princeton University *Seventeen peerless examples of how much life you can put into a few pages of fiction if you have Chekhovs economical mind, his eyes and ears, his feel for comedy and his sense of humanity. Chekhov is better known for his plays. But these are small masterpieces of their own, in a revelatory new translation. * Economist *Table of ContentsTHE HUNTSMAN; ON THE ROAD; THE LETTER; FORTUNE; GUSEV; FISH LOVE; THE BLACK MONK; ROTHSCHILD'S VIOLIN; THE STUDENT; THE HOUSE WITH THE MEZZANINE; IN THE CART; THE MAN IN A CASE; GOOSEBERRIES; ABOUT LOVE; THE LADY WITH THE LITTLE DOG; AT CHRISTMAS TIME; THE BISHOP

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Book SynopsisLife is a vexatious trap; when a thinking man reaches maturity and attains to full consciousness, he cannot help feeling that he is in a trap from which there is no escape.One of the greatest Russian short story writers and an exemplary playwright, Anton Chekhov penned down some of the finest short stories and plays in literature. His works continue to be translated into various languages across the world. This hardbound deluxe edition brings together his early short stories along with the outstanding short fiction written in his later years. It includes 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 his last completed story, Betrothed.'This classic collectable is a must-read for all!

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Book SynopsisOh, good God, he kept saying with great relish. Good God...''Gooseberries'' is accompanied here by ''The Kiss'' and ''The Two Volodyas'' - three exquisite depictions of love and loss in nineteenth-century Russia by Chekhov, the great master of the short story form.Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin''s 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.Anton Chekhov (1860-1904). Chekhov''s works available in Penguin Classics are The Steppe and

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis beautifully produced edition from the veteran translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky collects, in chronological order, fifty-two of Anton Chekhov's short stories written between 1883 and 1898. It is a 'full deck', intended to reflect the diversity and inventiveness of the author's lesser-known fiction ... Their Chekhov is accurate, compelling and even graceful * The Times Literary Supplement *The indefatigable translating team of Pevear and Volokhonsky deliver a first-rate collection of Chekhov's stories ... Encounters between young and old, rich and poor, country and city people mark these stories ... A welcome gathering of work, some not often anthologized, by an unrivaled master of the short story form * Kirkus *

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Book SynopsisAnton Chekhov (1860-1904) was one of Russia's greatest short story writers, a playwright and a novelist. He worked as a doctor, too, and initially began writing for the financial rewards it presented.Constance Garnett (1861-1946) was an English translator of nineteenth-century Russian literature. She was the first to translate Dostoyevsky and Chekhov into English and these translations remain highly acclaimed.

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Book SynopsisA civil servant stands accused of not understanding the rules of punctuation. He begins to go through the correct use of commas and semicolons before arriving at the exclamation mark, which, he realizes, in 40 years of writing, he has never used. From here he develops a bizarre and paranoid fantasy in which everyday objects transform into malevolent exclamation marks. Written when Chekhov was on the verge of becoming a literary celebrity, this is an enlightening new selection that reveals the author? s often neglected comic talents.

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Book SynopsisThe Steppe and Other Stories 1887-91 is a collection that reveals Anton Chekhov''s evolution from a novice writer to a master of short narrative form. This Penguin Classics edition is translated by Ronald Wilks with an introduction by Donald Rayfield.This collection of Chekhov''s finest early writing is headlined by ''The Steppe'', which established his reputation, telling the unforgettable tale of a boy''s journey to a new school in Kiev, travelling through majestic landscapes towards an unknown destiny. ''Gusev'' depicts an ocean voyage, where the sea takes on a terrifying, primeval power; ''The Kiss'' portrays a shy soldier''s failed romantic encounter; and in ''The Duel'' two men''s enmity ends in farce. Haunting and highly atmospheric, all the stories in this volume show a writer emerging from the shadow of his masters - great Russian writers such as Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev and Nikolai Gogol - and discovering his own voice. They also illustrate Chekhov''s geni

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Book SynopsisThe Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories 1896-1904 is an enchanting collection of tales which showcase Anton Chekhov at the height of his power as a writer. This Penguin Classics edition is translated by Ronald Wilks with an introduction by Paul Debreczeny.In the final years of his life, Chekhov produced some of the stories that rank among his masterpieces, and some of the most highly-regarded works in Russian literature. The poignant ''The Lady with the Little Dog'' and ''About Love'' examine the nature of love outside of marriage - its romantic idealism and the fear of disillusionment. And in stories such as ''Peasants'', ''The House with the Mezzanine'' and ''My Life'' Chekhov paints a vivid picture of the conditions of the poor and of their powerlessness in the face of exploitation and hardship. With the works collected here, Chekhov moved away from the realism of his earlier tales - developing a broader range of characters and subject matter, while forging Table of ContentsThe Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories, 1896-1904IntroductionFurther ReadingChronologyNote on TextPatronymicsThe House with the MezzaninePeasantsMan in a CaseGooseberriesAbout LoveA Visit to FriendsIonychMy LifeThe Lady with the Little DogIn the RavineDisturbing the BalanceThe BishopThe BridePublishing History and Notes

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIvanov ; The Seagull ; Uncle Vanya ; Three Sisters ; The Cherry Orchard

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Book SynopsisFive masterful dramatic works from one of the world's best-loved playwrights, including The Seagull—now a major motion picture starring Saoirse Ronan, Elizabeth Moss, and Annette BeningAt a time when the Russian theatre was dominated by formulaic melodramas and farces, Chekhov created a new sort of drama that laid bare the everyday lives, loves and yearnings of ordinary people. Ivanov depicts a man stifled by inactivity and lost idealism, and The Seagull contrasts a young man's selfish romanticism with the stoicism of a woman cruelly abandoned by her lover. With 'the scenes from country life' of Uncle Vanya, his first fully mature play, Chekhov developed his own unique dramatic world, neither tragedy nor comedy. In Three Sisters the Prozorov sisters endlessly dream of going to Moscow to escape the monotony of provincial life, while his comedy The Cherry Orchard portrays characters futilely clinging to the past as Table of ContentsPlaysIntroductionFurther ReadingChronologyTranslator's NoteGlossaryIvanovThe SeagullUncle VanyaThree SistersThe Cherry OrchardNotes

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Book SynopsisWinner of Best Revival at the Olivier Awards 2024Winner of Best Play Revival at the WhatsOnStage Awards 2024Can you imagine if it was possible to completely change the way you live your life? To look at your life and ask yourself what you would do if it died. If your old life died. It ended. And then take what's left of your real life and live it properly. How can I do that, Michael? Where do I start?Chekhov's classic tale of love, art, sex, and attempted murder in a fresh adaptation by Simon Stephens, written to be performed by a solo actor.Comedic and tragic, Chekhov's examination of our shared humanity our hopes, dreams, regrets is thrust into sharp focus in Vanya. This fresh adaptation explores the kaleidoscope of human emotions, harnessing the power of the intimate bond between actor and audience to delve deeper into the human psyche.This edition was published to coincide with the West End premiere starring Andrew Scott in September 2023.

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Book SynopsisA man and woman fall in love in a seaside town. The only trouble is, they're both married to other people. A schoolmaster is scandalized by his sweetheart riding a bicycle.A woman falls in love with a series of men, each of whom leave her in different ways. Chekhov's stories capture Russian provincial life in the late nineteenth century while Garnett's translations make these classic works feel as vivid as if they were written yesterday. This exclusive selection by New Yorker writer Janet Malcolm is unmissable for the enthusiast and a brilliant introduction for anyone interested in one of the nineteenth century's greatest writers.

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsHis Wife ; A Lady with a Dog ; The Duel ; A Hard Case ; Gooseberries ; Concerning Love ; Peasants ; Angel ; The Russian Master ; Terror ; The Order of St. Anne

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Book SynopsisAnton Chekhov''s only full-length novel, this Penguin Classics edition of The Shooting Party is translated and edited by Ronald Wilks, with an introduction by John Sutherland.The Shooting Party centres on Olga, the pretty young daughter of a drunken forester on a country estate, and her fateful relationships with the men in her life. Adored by Urbenin, the estate manager, whom she marries to escape the poverty of her home, she is also desired by the dissolute Count Karneyev and by Zinovyev, a magistrate, who knows the secret misery of her marriage. When an attempt is made on Olga''s life in the woods, it seems impossible to discover the perpetrator in an impenetrable web of lust, deceit, loathing and double-dealing. One of Chekhov''s earliest experiments in fiction combines the classic elements of a gripping mysterywith a short story of corruption, concealed love and fatal jealousy.Ronald Wilks''s brilliant new translation of this work is the first in o

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Book SynopsisThe first of Chekhov''s works to be published in a serious literary journal, `The Steppe'', with its masterly account of a spectacular thunderstorm, signifies his maturation as a writer of short stories. While the majority of his tales focus on the privileged classes, this selection shows that Chekhov never forgot his origins as the son of a failed provincial grocer, and characters as varied as the brutal soldier in `Gusev'', the downtrodden old constable in `On Official Business'', and the bemused peasants in `New Villa'' testify to the power and flexibility of his art. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Table of ContentsThe Steppe ; An Awkward Business ; The Beauties ; The Cobbler and the Devil ; The Bet ; Thieves ; Gusev ; Peasant Woman ; In Exile ; Rothschild's Fiddle ; The Student ; The Head Gardener's Story ; Patch ; The Savage ; In the Cart ; New Villa ; On Official Business ; At Christmas ; Fragment ; The Story of a Commercial Venture ; From a Retired Teacher's Notebook ; A Fishy Affair

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Book SynopsisThe essential edition of the greatest stories by the Russian master of the form Chekhov was without doubt one of the greatest observers of human nature in all its untidy complexity. His short stories, written throughout his life and newly translated for this essential collection, are exquisite masterpieces in miniature. Here are tales offering a glimpse of beauty, the memory of a mistaken kiss, daydreams of adultery, a lifetime of marital neglect, the frailty of life, the inevitability of death, and the hilarious pomposity of ordinary men and women. They range from the lighthearted comic tales of his early years to some of the most achingly profound stories ever composed.Trade Review“This beautifully produced selection of the stories from Pushkin Press (in a new translation by Nicolas Pasternak Slater) is an ideal way to discover Chekhov.” —The Times (UK) “Mysterious and mesmerizing, these stories stay enshrined in the memory.” —The Daily Mail “Near-perfect fiction, newly translated.” —Evening Standard “The uncontestable father of the modern short story . . . his stories are some of the best that have ever been written.” —The Guardian “The language is subtle and lovely, full of a regretful tenderness.” —Sunday Express “Chekhov's genius lies in the way he manages to convey with such apparent effortlessness a profound sense of the mystery of beauty, and of the sadness of those who observe and think . . . a masterpiece of minimalism” —Phillip Pullman “The greatest short story writer who has ever lived” —Raymond Carver“In Chekhov literature seems to break its wand like Prospero, renouncing the magic of artifice, ceremony and idealization, and facing us, for the first time, with a reflection of ourselves in our unadorned ordinariness as well as our unfathomable strangeness.” —James Ladsun

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Book SynopsisWhile at a party organized by the local landowner for the officers of his brigade, the shy and awkward Ryabovich is suddenly kissed by an unknown woman in a dark room. This unexpected, electrifying encounter, which he relives in his mind day after day, marks a turning point for Ryabovich, showing him that everything in life – joy, sorrow, hope – is equally pointless and subject to chance. One of Chekhov’s most admired stories, ‘The Kiss’ is joined in this volume by six other celebrated tales in a new translation by Hugh Aplin: ‘The Lady with the Little Dog’, ‘Ward Six’, ‘The Black Monk’, ‘The House with a Mezzanine’, ‘The Bishop’ and ‘Peasants’ – making this an indispensable collection for those wanting to discover Chekhov at his creative best.Trade ReviewWhat writers influenced me as a young man? Chekhov! As a dramatist? Chekhov! As a story writer? Chekhov! -- Tennessee Williams The virtue of this story is its completeness, its summoning of human feelings perfectly matched to the events that produce them. * The Independent *Table of ContentsTHIS VOLUME INCLUDES: The Lady with the Little Dog The Kiss Ward Number Six The Black Monk The House with the Mezzanine The Peasants

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Book SynopsisOn a visit to a provincial town to see his sister Nina who is suffering from cancer, Alexei Laptev, who works for his father’s Moscow haberdashery business, falls in love with Yulia, the daughter of her doctor, and proposes to her. Although she does not reciprocate his feelings, she agrees to marry him and live with him in the capital, where the couple’s relationship is marred by tensions: Yulia is filled with regrets about her choice and boredom with her new existence, while Alexei is nagged by the suspicion that she married him for his money alone. However, as time passes and misfortune strikes, they both learn to reassess all of their assumptions. Chekhov’s second longest prose work after The Steppe, Three Years is, in the author’s own words, “a novel of Moscow life” and an examination of its merchant classes. A powerful story of redemption and the nuances of human relationships, the novella helped cement Chekhov’s reputation as a major figure in Russian literature.Trade ReviewWhat writers influenced me as a young man? Chekhov! As a dramatist? Chekhov! As a story writer? Chekhov! -- Tennessee Williams

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Book SynopsisIn the Twilight, the third collection of short stories compiled by Anton Chekhov himself, was his first major success and won him the prestigious Pushkin Prize when it was published in 1888. This volume represents a clear milestone in the writer’s passage from the youthful Antosha Chekhonte, author of slight comic sketches, to the mature master of the short-story genre. This edition presents the sixteen tales of the original collection – ranging from well-known and acknowledged gems such as ‘Agafya’ and ‘On the Road’ to others which will be fresh even to many seasoned readers of Chekhov – in a brand-new translation by Hugh Aplin, providing an invaluable glimpse into a pivotal moment in the writer’s literary career.Trade ReviewWhat writers influenced me as a young man? Chekhov! As a dramatist? Chekhov! As a story writer? Chekhov! -- Tennessee WilliamsTable of ContentsContains: In the Twilight, Dreams, A Trivial Occurrence, A Bad Business, At Home, The Witch, Verochka, In Court, A Restless Guest, The Requiem, On the Road, Misfortune, An Event, Agafya, Enemies, A Nightmare, On Easter Eve

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Book SynopsisA masterpiece of Russian drama, now in a student editionTrade ReviewIt is the element of might-have-been in Chekhov's characters that makes their sense of waste so tragic ... I know of no more moving climax in world drama. * Guardian *Michael Frayn has left his signature upon our contemporary enjoyment of Chekhov...this Uncle Vanya possesses all the scrupulous, subtly idiomatic life we have come to expect from his hand, allied with - and this is the true mark of Frayn - a fine sense of Chekhovian complexity. * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisTales of madness, alienation, and insight from a master of the short storyWard No. 6 and Other Stories 1892-1895 collects stories which show Anton Chekhov beginning to confront complex, ambiguous and often extreme emotions in his short fiction. These stories from the middle period of Chekhov''s career include - influenced by his own experiences as a doctor - ''Ward No. 6'', a savage indictment of the medical profession set in a mental hospital; ''The Black Monk'', portraying an academic who has strange hallucinations, explores ideas of genius and insanity; ''Murder'', in which religious fervour leads to violence; while in ''The Student'', Chekhov''s favourite story, a young man recounts a tale from the gospels and undergoes a spiritual epiphany. In all the stories collected here, Chekhov''s characters face madness, alienation and frustration before they experience brief, ephemeral moments of insight, often earned at great cost, where they confront the reality of tTable of ContentsWard No. 6 and Other Stories, 1892-1895IntroductionFurther ReadingChronologyNote on TextPatronymicsThe GrasshopperWard No. 6AriadnaThe Black MonkMurderA Woman's KingdomThe Two VolodyasThree YearsThe StudentPublishing History and Notes

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Book SynopsisWriting towards the close of the nineteenth century, Chekhov - himself a country doctor - recorded in his fiction the symptoms of a diseased society. The seven stories collected here are a bleakly savage indictment of a society paralysed by spiritual malaise, and morbidly conscious of evils which can neither be killed nor cured. This volume also contains an Introduction by Ronald Hingley. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Table of ContentsThe Butterfly ; Ward Number Six ; Ariadne ; A Dreary Story ; Neighbours ; An Anonymous Story ; Doctor Startsev

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Book SynopsisThe play tells the story of three sisters and their brother who live in a provincial Russian town. Michael Frayn has successfully recreated the naturalness of the original text in this translation and included are notes, commentary and questions for students.

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Book SynopsisLiubov Ranevskya, a widowed landowner returns home more or less insolvent after five years abroad. Everything appears just as she remembers, but hers is a diminishing world. Her vast and beautiful cherry orchard is soon to be sold off against her mounting debts. The insistent warnings of Lopakhin, a peasant''s son turned wealthy businessman, go unheeded, and more than the family estate is sacrificed as Trofimov, the ''eternal student'' who hopes to inherit the future, tells her, The whole of Russia is our orchard.Tom Stoppard''s adaptation of Chekhov''s last play is a poignant snapshot of the great, slow-rolling change that came to a head with the Russian revolution in 1917. Tom Stoppard''s English version of Chekhov''s The Cherry Orchard had its first New York performance at the Harvey Theater, Brooklyn in January 2009, and its first London performance at the Old Vic Theatre in May 2009.

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Book Synopsis- Idea for a story. A beautiful young girl lives by a lake all her life. She loves this lake. She''s happy and free, like that bird was once. Then a man comes along and for no reason at all... what do you think he does?- He destroys her.A story about how we make stories, a story about unrequited love, The Seagull is one of the great plays of the modern era. Chekhov explores emotion and creativity with the clarity of a doctor and the heart of a poet. John Donnelly''s version of Anton Chekhov''s The Seagull premiered in a Headlong and The Nuffield, Southampton co-production, in association with Derby Playhouse. The play opened in April 2013, followed by a UK tour.

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Book SynopsisTea''s cold, lunch is late and the great Professor has turned out to be a fraud - for Uncle Vanya, life has gone wonky, it''s gone to hell.Only one thing can save him - a glamorous woman''s love. But she''s not interested either. And what''s worse, she''s married to the Professor.Samuel Adamson''s new version of Anton Chekhov''s Uncle Vanya - a dark and funny exploration of cross-purposed love, bitter jealousy and a dysfunctional family - opened at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, in February 2015.

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Book SynopsisThe Lady with the Dog and Other Stories (1917) is a collection of nine stories by Russian writer Anton Chekhov. Recognized today as foundational for the development of the modern short story, Anton Chekhov has transcended Russian literature to become one of the most popular and acclaimed authors in history, in any language. This collection includes “The Lady with the Dog,” a meditative tale of forbidden desire and the frailty of hope described by Vladimir Nabokov as “one of the greatest stories ever written” despite breaking “[a]ll the traditional rules” of storytelling. The title story of the collection follows Dmitri Gurov, a married middle-aged man who falls in love with a young newlywed while on vacation in Yalta. The woman he desires, Anna Sergeyevna, is also unhappy with her marriage, and soon the two spend their days together before Anna decides to go home to her husband. Back in Moscow, Gurov—a man who has had many affairs—finds himself unable to shake the memory of Anna, and longs for the chance to see her once more. In “A Doctor’s Visit,” a young doctor named Korlyov journeys to the home of a recently deceased industrialist, where he has been called to care for the frail heiress Liza. There, he finds himself beset with dark thoughts and even darker visions, and soon discovers that the cure for Liza’s illness may be far beyond his skill. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Anton Chekhov’s The Lady with the Dog and Other Stories is a classic of Russian literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisA secret terrorist group infiltrates the household of a government official's son, with a view to spying on the father and, ultimately, assassinating him. But the young man entrusted with the task - an ailing, world-weary "nobody" - seized with the purposelessness of life and a sense of his own impending death, gradually becomes disillusioned with his mission, and decides to embark on a new path which will lead him to tragedy. Combining psychological detail with a strong sense of place and time, The Story of a Nobody bears all the hallmarks of Chekhov's genius, and perfectly captures the political and social tensions of its day.Trade ReviewUnique edition 'revived in this sure-footed translation by Hugh Aplin' -- The Independent * The Independent *

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Book SynopsisIt is New Year’s Eve, and Nellie, the pretty daughter of a landowning general, is sitting in her room looking in the mirror. Although she is tired and her eyes are half closed, she is spellbound as the reflection in the looking glass dissolves into a sea of grey mist, in which she starts to discern the beloved features of her fiancé. As in a diorama, the scene keeps changing, and to the early snapshots of joyful marital life succeed other, more sinister images of care, sickness and bereavement, casting a long shadow onto the girl’s future. With ‘The Looking Glass’ Chekhov captured the very essence of the Russian soul. This short story, along with the others included in this collection, demonstrates why he is considered the absolute master of the genre.

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Book SynopsisHear what I have to say about the cherry orchard, because it is mine. I say bring it down, tear it down. Smash it down and tear it down. Watch, watch. Just you watch. I will build holiday villas, as far as the eye can see. I will build a place for everyone to come and enjoy. For the future. And this will be the future. A new life. A new way of life. Here! Come now and play. Play. Play! Get the band to play.Ranyevskaya returns more or less bankrupt after ten years abroad. Luxuriating in her fading moneyed world and regardless of the increasingly hostile forces outside, she and her brother snub the lucrative scheme of Lopakhin, a peasant turned entrepreneur, to save the family estate. In so doing, they put up their lives to auction and seal the fate of the beloved orchard. Set at the very start of the twentieth century, The Cherry Orchard captures a poignant moment in Russia''s history as the country rolls inexorably towards 1917. The Cherry Orchard

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Book SynopsisUniversally acclaimed as the master of the short-story form, Anton Chekhov begun his literary career as the author of brief tales and vignettes of Russian life when he was still a young medical student. Later rejected by the writer in the same self-effacing way in which he repudiated some of his most celebrated works, the stories in this collection are not only a testament to the early promise of his genius, but deserve to be appreciated for their lapidary vividness and their intrinsic stylistic quality. Mostly dealing with the lives of downtrodden "little" men and low-ranking civil servants as they steer their actions through the corruption and malpractice of Russian public officials, this volume - here presented in Stephen Pimenoff's lively new translation - bristles with wit and humour, and is tinged by that understated note of melancholy and lyricism that is a trademark of Chekhov's writing.

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Book Synopsis“Chekhov, speaking simply and never otherwise than as an artist and a humane man, shows us in fullness and plenitude the mystery of our lives.”—Eudora Welty “What writers influenced me as a young man? Chekhov! As a dramatist? Chekhov! As a story writer? Chekhov!”-Tennessee Williams The Seagull is Anton Chekhov’s brilliant four-act play that is considered a monumental work of drama, and one of the most sublime literary examinations of the complexities of love and friendship. First performed over a century ago, this play remains one of the most widely staged productions throughout the world. The four protagonists in The Seagull are all artists; Trigorin is a well-established writer, Arkadina is a renowned yet aging actress, her son Treplev is a struggling writer, and Nina is a young aspiring actress who is in love with Treplev. Success in love and in their art is a shared intent, yet within the play each character experiences an existential crisis in the darkness of unrequited love. With its play-within-a-play, its nods to Shakespeare, and intimate and profound character portrayals, this is an essential read for all serious students of drama and Russian literature. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Seagull is both modern and readable.

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Book Synopsis"The most complete collection of the Russian playwright's repertoire."—VogueTrade Review"The most complete collection of the Russian playwright's repertoire." Vogue"

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Book SynopsisTwo years after its disastrous opening in 1896, "The Seagull" was successfully revived at the Moscow Art Theatre. Checkhov's self-mocking description of the play was: "A comedy - 3F, 6M, four acts, rural scenery (a view over a lake); much talk of literature, little action, five bushels of love".

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Book SynopsisAnton Chekhov''s play Uncle Vanya in a new version by Christopher Hampton. This version will be first staged at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, on 25 October 2012 and run until 16 February 2013.''It''s often said that the best of the Chekhov plays is the one you''ve seen most recently. Uncle Vanya doesn''t have a suicide, like The Seagull, or an adulterous couple and a duel more or less indistinguishable from murder, like Three Sisters; nor does it seem to announce the end of an era, like The Cherry Orchard: all it has is a series of ludicrously bungled attempts at murder and suicide and adultery. Perhaps these failures are what makes it feel the saddest and most truthful of these great tragi-comedies, in which, possibly unique to all drama, not a single word seems redundant or out of place.'' - From the author''s introduction.

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Book SynopsisChekhov's iconic characters are relocated to Nigeria in this bold new adaptation.Owerri, 1967, on the brink of the Biafran Civil War.Lolo, Nne Chukwu and Udo are grieving the loss of their father. Months before, two ruthless military coups plunged the country into chaos. Fuelled by foreign intervention, the conflict encroaches on their provincial village, and the sisters long to return to their former home in Lagos.Following his smash-hit Barber Shop Chronicles, Inua Ellams returns to the National Theatre with this heartbreaking retelling of Chekhov''s classic play.

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Book SynopsisUncle Vanya (1898) is a four-act play by Russian short story writer and playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first performed at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1899, directed by acclaimed actor Konstantin Stanislavski—who also played the role of Astrov. Reviews were lukewarm at first, but as the play continued to run, Uncle Vanya gained both popularity and critical prowess, and has since become one of the most influential dramas ever produced. When retired Professor Aleksandr Serebryakov and his young second wife Yelena arrive at their country estate, they disrupt the mundanity and relative boredom of provincial life for its inhabitants. While the elderly Serebryakov enjoys life in the city, Sonya, his daughter, and Vanya, his first wife’s brother, remain at the estate to manage its daily upkeep. Vanya, whose only companion is Mikhail Astrov, a doctor dissatisfied with his life and role in the rural community, regrets his failure to become a man of letters, and blames Serebryakov for saddling him with responsibility for the estate. He also loves the beautiful Yelena and wishes he had realized it before she married his brother-in-law. Meanwhile, Sonya secretly loves Astrov, but fears he thinks of her as only a friend. As Serebryakov’s decision to sell the estate in order to increase his income is revealed, Vanya—incensed by years of disappointment and disrespect, as well as his by own mother’s idolization of the Professor—reaches his breaking point, bringing the play to its startling, powerful conclusion. Uncle Vanya is a masterful drama that illuminates the intersecting obligations of family while dissecting the bitterness and ambition which so often define the relationships of men. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya is a classic of Russian literature reimagined for modern readers.

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