Description
Book SynopsisIt will soon be a hundred years since the death of Anton Chekhov. He was apt to remark that immortality is rubbish, but what has happened to his creative legacy in the last century matches all of man’s metaphors that express the idea of immortality. And the process continues, overcoming boundaries of time and space, and taking different form in different countries. In this luminous book of criticism, Chekhov’s foremost Russian interpreter offers to Western readers a remarkably clear and commanding appraisal of the master’s work. Vladimir Kataev concerns himself chiefly with Chekhov’s unique treatment of a wide range of diverse themes, motifs, and situations. With ringing authority and critical common sense, he examines Chekhov’s major tales, stories, and plays, pointing out patterns of development in Chekhov’s approach to characters and themes, and tracing the roots of Chekhov’s ideas as expressed through his plots. The hallmark of Mr. Kataev’s interpretations is their clarity. No one who has endured tortuous explanations of Chekhov will fail to welcome his lucid criticism. With his careful arguments, he quietly undermines many conventional (and persistent) approaches to Chekhov, Western as well as Russian, and establishes a radically new position of his own.
Trade ReviewFresh and provocative...a significant contribution...cogently demonstrates Chekhov's eminent contemporary relevance. * CHOICE *
Kataev gives Chekhov the same life and sense of authenticity that Chekhov granted his beloved characters. * Booklist *
Both a valuable scholarly resource and a challenging new approach to a familiar subject. -- Mel Gussow * The New York Times *
Unquestionably one of the two major studies of Chekhov by Russian critics during the twentieth century. -- Karl D. Kramer
Kataev's book should open a new and most welcome chapter in Chekhov criticism. It offers the reader fresh insights into Chekhov and enhances our understanding of him. -- Simon Karlinsky
Kataev's analysis of Chekhov's prose is absolutely seminal. -- Cathy Popkin
A fine scholar and an extraordinary personality and critic...an extraordinary study...a real treat. -- Irwin Weil, Northwestern University
Kataev is by far the most urbane scholar of Chekhov in Russia...especially readable in the seamless English version. -- Donald Rayfield
Kataev's work...has been of fundamental importance in understanding Chekhov's fiction and drama...should mark the beginning of a new level of understanding. -- Andrew R. Durkin, Indiana University
An excellent job: recommended for literature and Russian studies collections. * Library Journal *
Offers the reader fresh insights into Chekhov and enhances our understanding of him.... Kataev's book, with its sympathetic scholarship and unhackneyed perceptions, should open a new and most welcome chapter in Chekhov criticism. * The Russian Review Of Books *
Kataev presents a solid and compelling analysis of Chekhov’s works. * Slavic and East European Studies *
