Books by Anton Chekhov

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 SynopsisDon''t be miserable, you wonderful woman; be a mermaid. There''s the ocean; throw yourself in. Fall in love with some poor mortal and drag him down with you. Astonish us! On an isolated country estate, Sonia and her Uncle Vanya are committed to a life of ceaseless toil. But when the ageing invalid Serebriakov and his bewilderingly beautiful young wife take up residence, a yearning envelops the household and disturbs the accustomed tedium. Friend and confidant Astrov grows lovelorn, Sonia''s heart breaks and even Vanya falls under the spell. And so they fight, bond, belittle, lament, make peace and contemplate the odd murder.Featuring sex, comedy and unbearable sadness in nineteenth-century Russia, this version of Anton Chekhov''s Uncle Vanya was written and directed by Terry Johnson and opened at Hampstead Theatre, London, in November 2018. And having weathered the storm, what''s left? My feelings for you; a few droplets on a window pane, cat

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Book SynopsisRussia, late summer at the close of the nineteenth century. Vanya and his niece Sonya have worked for years to manage the country estate. Into this ordered and regular household come two new visitors, Sonya''s father, an irritable professor, and his young wife Elena who, in the space of a few months, cause chaos, one by their selfishness, and the other by their sexual allure. Between them, they manage to have most of the inhabitants questioning their purpose in life, their happiness and, at times, their sanity.David Hare''s version of Anton Chekhov''s Uncle Vanya opens at Theatre Royal Bath in July 2019.

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Book SynopsisA fresh, lively, accurate, and, for the first time, complete translation in English of Chekhov's five most famous plays.Trade Review"Brodskaya's translation reads easily and naturally... If you haven't read [Chekhov], read him. If you have, it's always a good time to read him again."—Bob Blaisdell, San Francisco Chronicle"Tender, lucent translation that makes Chekhov's characters leap off the page."—Larry Moss, Acting Teacher and Director"Chekhov's desperate, comedic greatness comes through in these versions as never before—and precisely those two qualities are required, for Chekhov is neither infernal tragedy nor trivial farce but a special sort of purgatorial comedy. I sensed this aura for the first time in Brodskaya's translations, and shivered while laughing. This is a contemporary American-English variant of world-famous plays cast at perfect pitch, by a person who sees (as well as hears) words."—Caryl Emerson, Princeton University"[A]nyone who has taught Chekhov's plays or produced them theatrically, certainly anyone with a knowledge of the original texts, must have been frustrated by the marked defects of previous translations. Brodskaya's translation allows us to discover Chekhovian precision and the impact of his strategic word-choices, together with the light these shine on the fabric of modern drama and communication. It is deeply attuned to the spirit of Chekhov's language and his compassionate observation of humans caught in the net of their own habits and blind spots, striving to stop, cause, or foresee the huge change that has already engulfed them."—Monika Greenleaf, from her Notes on the Translation"With Chekhov, there are infinite possibilities in every thought, every interaction. All an actor asks for in a translation is that these possibilities be left open as they are so beautifully here."—Peter Sarsgaard, actor"In these superlative translations, Marina Brodskaya succeeds in letting Chekhov speak for himself. Her sensitivity to Chekhov's concise and delicate language allows the beauty of his writing to shine through in a way which is wonderfully redolent of the original Russian."—Rosamund Bartlett, author of Chekhov: Scenes From a Life, translator of About Love and Other Stories, and Founding Director of the Anton Chekhov Foundation

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Book SynopsisThis volume offers lively and accurate translations of Chekhov''s major plays and one-acts (complete contents listed below) along with a superb Introduction focused on the plays'' remarkably enduring power to elicit the most widely divergent of responses, the life of the playwright in its historical and aesthetic contexts, suggestions for reading the plays under a microscope, and notes designed to bring Chekhov''s world into immediate focus--everything needed to examine his drama with fresh eyes and on its own artistic terms.Trade ReviewCarnicke treats Chekhov as a riddle that is solvable only if we understand his career as a humorist. Her decision to juxtapose Chekhov's great dramas with his earlier light farces is purposeful, as the thrust behind her translations and excellent introduction is not only to introduce the reader to Chekhov's early humorous works, but to bring out crucial comic elements in his later ones. Her introduction functions as an essential primer for any student on the works of Chekhov. Its thorough exploration of Chekhov's idiosyncratic use of language is a godsend for directors and performers of English-language productions of these plays. A theatre director and performer herself, Carnicke pays close attention to the details of Chekhov's language, and her translations are geared toward live performance with speech ready-made for the stage. She retains the sense of the originals but adapts them in a colloquial English that is utterly performable. Carnicke's collection is the quintessential starting point for any serious performer of Chekhov, not only because of the playable translations, most of which have already been tested on stage, but for its engaging and enlightening introduction. The volume represents a momentous step toward ridding the American stage of stodgy and dour productions of Chekhov's masterpieces. --Brian Johnson, Swarthmore College, condensed from Translation Review 82These new translations read smoothly and display ?delity to the original. Carnicke has aimed to ?nd a middle path between versions that are too colloquial and versions that sound stilted or too formal to the American ear and has succeeded. --Julian W. Connolly, Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of VirginiaCarnicke's translation of Three Sisters shows her background in the Slavic ?eld to good advantage. Chekhov doesn't emerge as 'the voice of Twilight Russia,' or anything mawkish at all, as he sometimes does, but as a sharp-eyed watcher of some very silly people. Carnicke understands Chekhov and understands Russia. --Robert L. Belknap, Professor Emeritus of Slavic Languages, Columbia University

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Book SynopsisThis volume offers lively and accurate translations of Chekhov''s major plays and one-acts (complete contents listed below) along with a superb Introduction focused on the plays'' remarkably enduring power to elicit the most widely divergent of responses, the life of the playwright in its historical and aesthetic contexts, suggestions for reading the plays under a microscope, and notes designed to bring Chekhov''s world into immediate focus--everything needed to examine his drama with fresh eyes and on its own artistic terms.Trade ReviewCarnicke treats Chekhov as a riddle that is solvable only if we understand his career as a humorist. Her decision to juxtapose Chekhov's great dramas with his earlier light farces is purposeful, as the thrust behind her translations and excellent introduction is not only to introduce the reader to Chekhov's early humorous works, but to bring out crucial comic elements in his later ones. Her introduction functions as an essential primer for any student on the works of Chekhov. Its thorough exploration of Chekhov's idiosyncratic use of language is a godsend for directors and performers of English-language productions of these plays. A theatre director and performer herself, Carnicke pays close attention to the details of Chekhov's language, and her translations are geared toward live performance with speech ready-made for the stage. She retains the sense of the originals but adapts them in a colloquial English that is utterly performable. Carnicke's collection is the quintessential starting point for any serious performer of Chekhov, not only because of the playable translations, most of which have already been tested on stage, but for its engaging and enlightening introduction. The volume represents a momentous step toward ridding the American stage of stodgy and dour productions of Chekhov's masterpieces. --Brian Johnson, Swarthmore College, condensed from Translation Review 82These new translations read smoothly and display ?delity to the original. Carnicke has aimed to ?nd a middle path between versions that are too colloquial and versions that sound stilted or too formal to the American ear and has succeeded. --Julian W. Connolly, Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of VirginiaCarnicke's translation of Three Sisters shows her background in the Slavic ?eld to good advantage. Chekhov doesn't emerge as 'the voice of Twilight Russia,' or anything mawkish at all, as he sometimes does, but as a sharp-eyed watcher of some very silly people. Carnicke understands Chekhov and understands Russia. --Robert L. Belknap, Professor Emeritus of Slavic Languages, Columbia University

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Book SynopsisChekhov's treatment of theatre and love against the background of a magical lake attempts to define the role of the artist in the modern world. Plays for Performance Series.Trade ReviewAttractively printed with brightly colored covers..... Whatever is currently on your library's shelves, these adaptations would be an exciting addition. * Kliatt *

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Book SynopsisAnton Chekhov (1860-1904), Russian physician, dramatist and author, is considered to be one of the greatest writers of short stories and modern drama. Born in Taganrog, a port town near the Black Sea, he attended medical school at Moscow University. He began writing to supplement his income, writing short humorous sketches of contemporary Russian life. A successful literary careered followed, before his premature death of TB at the age of 44. He is best-remembered for his four dramatic masterpieces: The Seagull (1896), Uncle Vanya (1899), Three Sisters (1901) and The Cherry Orchard (1904).Rory Mullarkey graduated in 2009 from Cambridge, after which he studied at the State Theatrical Arts Academy of St. Petersburg. A translator of Russian Drama, Mullarkey's translations have been produced by the ADC Theatre, The Royal Court and the Free Theatre of Belarus. Plays include Single Sex (Royal Exchange); Remembrance Day (Royal Court), Trade ReviewRory Mullarkey's poetical, darkly funny but never murky adaptation proves stimulating and surprising . . . makes you laugh one moment and shudder the next * Times on The Oresteia *The verse rhythms are fluid and flexible, allowing for passages of lyric song, and the language is pithy and vivid . . . shows how "justice" - the word that resounds through Mullarkey's text like a drumbeat - easily transmutes into blood-soaked revenge. * The Guardian on The Oresteia *There are ticklish jokes and moments of enjoyable mischief... * Evening Standard on Saint George and the Dragon *

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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 SynopsisWe need the theatre, couldn't, couldn't do without it. Could we?A successful actress visits her brother's isolated estate far from the city, throwing the frustrated residents unfulfilled ambitions into sharp relief. As her son attempts to impress with a self-penned play, putting much more than his pride at stake, others dream of fame, love and the ability to change their past.Chekhov's darkly comic masterpiece is reignited for the 21st century by one of the most exciting new voices in British Theatre, Anya Reiss, Winner of the Most Promising Playwright at both the Evening Standard and Critics' Circle awards.This updated and revised edition was published following the West End production directed by Jamie Lloyd in 2022.

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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 SynopsisAnton Chekhov, widely hailed as the supreme master of the short story, also wrote five works long enough to be called short novels–here brought together in one volume for the first time, in a masterly new translation by the award-winning translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.The Steppe—the most lyrical of the five—is an account of a nine-year-old boy’s frightening journey by wagon train across the steppe of southern Russia. The Duel sets two decadent figures—a fanatical rationalist and a man of literary sensibility—on a collision course that ends in a series of surprising reversals. In The Story of an Unknown Man, a political radical spying on an important official by serving as valet to his son gradually discovers that his own terminal illness has changed his long-held priorities in startling ways. Three Years recounts a complex series of ironies in the personal life of a rich but passive Moscow me

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Book SynopsisAnton Chekhov, widely hailed as the supreme master of the short story, also wrote five works long enough to be called short novels–here brought together in one volume for the first time, in a masterly new translation by the award-winning translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.The Steppe—the most lyrical of the five—is an account of a nine-year-old boy’s frightening journey by wagon train across the steppe of southern Russia. The Duel sets two decadent figures—a fanatical rationalist and a man of literary sensibility—on a collision course that ends in a series of surprising reversals. In The Story of an Unknown Man, a political radical spying on an important official by serving as valet to his son gradually discovers that his own terminal illness has changed his long-held priorities in startling ways. Three Years recounts a complex series of ironies in the personal life of a rich but passive Moscow merchant. In My Life, a man renounces wealth and social position for a life of manual labor.The resulting conflict between the moral simplicity of his ideals and the complex realities of human nature culminates in a brief apocalyptic vision that is unique in Chekhov’s work.Trade ReviewPraise for previous translations by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, winners of the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Prize:The Brothers Karamazov“One finally gets the musical whole of Dostoevsky’s original.” –New York Times Book Review“It may well be that Dostoevsky’s [world], with all its resourceful energies of life and language, is only now–and through the medium of [this] new translation–beginning to come home to the English-speaking reader.” –New York Review of BooksCrime and Punishment“The best [translation] currently available…An especially faithful re-creation…with a coiled-spring kinetic energy…Don’t miss it.” –Washington Post Book World“This fresh, new translation…provides a more exact, idiomatic, and contemporary rendition of the novel that brings Fyodor Dostoevsky’s tale achingly alive…It succeeds beautifully.” –San Francisco Chronicle“Reaches as close to Dostoevsky’s Russian as is possible in English…The original’s force and frightening immediacy is captured…The Pevear and Volokhonsky translation will become the standard version.” –Chicago TribuneDemons“The merit in this edition of Demons resides in the technical virtuosity of the translators…They capture the feverishly intense, personal explosions of activity and emotion that manifest themselves in Russian life.” –New York Times Book Review“[Pevear and Volokhonsky] have managed to capture and differentiate the characters’ many voices…They come into their own when faced with Dostoevsky’s wonderfully quirky use of varied speech patterns…A capital job of restoration.” –Los Angeles Times

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Book SynopsisAnton Chekhov (1860-1904), Russian physician, dramatist and author, is considered to be one of the greatest writers of short stories and modern drama. Born in Taganrog, a port town near the Black Sea, he attended medical school at Moscow University. He began writing to supplement his income, writing short humorous sketches of contemporary Russian life. A successful literary careered followed, before his premature death of TB at the age of 44. He is best-remembered for his four dramatic masterpieces: The Seagull (1896), Uncle Vanya (1899), Three Sisters (1901) and The Cherry Orchard (1904).Table of ContentsThe Seagull; Uncle Vanya; Three Sisters; The Cherry Orchard

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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 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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Book SynopsisTwelve early comedic short stories by the Russian master of the form.An NYRB Classics OriginalThe Prank is Chekhov’s own selection of the best of his early work, the first book he put together and the first book he hoped to publish. Assembled in 1882, with illustrations by Nikolay Chekhov, the book was then presented to the censor for approval—which was denied. Now, more than a hundred and thirty years later, The Prank appears here for the first time in any language.At the start of his twenties, when he was still in medical school, Anton Chekhov was also busily setting himself up as a prolific and popular writer. Appearing in a wide range of periodicals, his shrewd, stinging, funny stories and sketches turned a mocking eye on the mating rituals and money-grubbing habits of the middle classes, the pretensions of aspiring artists and writers, bureaucratic corruption, drunken clowning, provincial ignorance, petty cruelty—on Russian life, in short. Chekhov was already developing his distinctive ear for spoken language, its opacities and evasions, the clichés we shelter behind and the clichés that betray us. The lively stories in The Prank feature both the themes and the characteristic tone that make Chekhov among the most influential and beloved of modern writers.

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Book SynopsisDrawn from Sharon Marie Carnicke's volume of Chekhov, Four Plays and Three Jokes (Hackett), this edition of The Cherry Orchard features Carnicke's groundbreaking translation of a play that has been called Chekhov's ultimate theatrical coup d'etat.** Donald Rayfield, The Cherry Orchard: Catastrophe and ComedyTrade Reviewp>Carnicke's Cherry Orchard is direct, easily accessible to young American students, and mercifully free of all that blather that mucks up so much of the other versions that I know. --James Parker, Late Professor of Theatre, Virginia Commonwealth University

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