Short Stories by Anton Chekhov, Volume 1
A Tragic Actor and Other Stories
Part 1 of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
A collection of Short Stories by Anton Chekhov featuring A Tragic Actor, In A Strange Land, Oh The Public, The Looking Glass, Her Husband and Overdoing It. These stories are small masterpieces. The scene is set quickly and within a few sentences the story line is underway. But all seem to contain an element of the unexpected.
Anton Chekhov Short Story Collection Vol.1
In A Strange Land and Other Stories
Part 1 of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
A timeless observation of the human condition from one of the best story writers in history of world literature. Chekhov's stream of consciousness technique that revolutionised modern literature and his characteristic mix of humour and poignancy unite 11 stories featured in this collection. A Tragic Actor; In A Strange Land; Oh The Public; The Looking Glass; Her Husband; Overdoing It; Talent; Anyuta; The Helpmate; Ivan Matveyich; Polinka;
Short Stories by Anton Chekhov, Volume 2
Talent and Other Stories
Part 2 of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
A collection of Chekhov's short stories featuring: Talent, Anyuta, The Helpmate, Ivan Matveyitch, Polinka. These stories are rich in characterisation and represent brilliantly observed slices of life. They don't come to an end, they just peter out inconclusively leaving you to draw your own conclusions.
Short Stories by Anton Chekhov Volume 3
About Truth, Freedom and Love
Part 3 of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Chekhov's trilogy of interlinked stories about Truth, Freedom and Love. First published in 1898 in Russian and released as separate stories. This title, based on translations by Constance Garnett with revision and adaptation by Max Bollinger follows Chekhov's original vision by bringing the three stories together once again.
Excellent People and Other Stories
Part 4 of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Family dynamic, psychological insight into relationships and romance are the central themes in this collection of Chekhov stories. These stories full of insight into lives of seemingly ordinary people offer a rare opportunity to experience defining moments of lives. Unhappy in his marriage, a Moscow banker, Dmitri Gurov is vacationing in Yalta, Crimea, where he sees a young lady walking along the seafront with her small dog. They are soon engaged in an affair. In another story we meet successful literary critic and his sister trying to keep their crumbling relationship going. And a country family hoping to re-establish contact with their long lost daughter. This volume includes: Excellent People, At Christmas Time, The Lady with The Dog.
A Trivial Incident and Other Stories
Part 5 of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Subtle humour is one of the key elements in Chekhov's imaginative stories. But as an artist, Chekhov is more complicated. He paints life with all its nuances and shades of grey. His stories are full of characters who give us invaluable insight into universal wisdom of everyday life – civilised professionals, enlightened misfits, philanthropic gentry, rich landowners and impoverished royalty holding a candle for reason, justice and passion. This volume includes: A Trivial Incident, Bad Weather, The Chorus Girl, Zinotchka, A Gentlema Read in English, unabridged.
Short Stories by Anton Chekhov Volume 6
Ladies and Other Stories
Part 6 of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Chekhov has always been huge inspiration for many great writers who came in contact with Chekhov's art. Thomas Man wrote that Chekhov's short stories attain to full epic stature and can even surpass in intensity the great towering novels. 'If I understood that better in later life than in my youth, this was largely owing to my growing intimacy with Chekhov's art; for his short stories rank with all that is greatest and best in European literature.' he concluded . But what is it that makes Chekhov's stories so poignant, so striking and so inspiring? This volume offers some Chekhov's best stories, including: An Inadvertence, A Tripping Tongue, Boots, In An Hotel, Ladies.
Short Stories by Anton Chekhov Volume 7
The Bet and Other Stories
Part 7 of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
This volume of Chekhov stories offers a unique selection each touching upon fundamentally important subjects such as the purpose and value of life, what it takes to be human, eternal life and higher objectives of human life, happiness, guilt and romance. Through the eyes of Chekhov's characters we see Chekhov's own views on life. These profound wisdoms shine so bright that we can consider them a guiding star of life itself. In The Bet we meet a young man who trades fifteen years of his life for two million. He leaves his notes and shares with us his thoughts and conclusions of this bet. In the Death of a Government Clerk we discover how words and misunderstanding can kill, literally. And in the Black Monk we go on a journey of self discovery, we meet a bight man of learning who offers an insight into the world of ideas, intellectual advancement, and what this can mean for everyday life.
The Chorus Girl and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
One day when she was younger and better-looking, and when her voice was stronger, Nikolay Petrovitch Kolpakov, her adorer, was sitting in the outer room in her summer villa. It was intolerably hot and stifling. Kolpakov, who had just dined and drunk a whole bottle of inferior port, felt ill-humoured and out of sorts. Both were bored and waiting for the heat of the day to be over in order to go for a walk.
The Schoolmistress and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Marya Vassilyevna had been schoolmistress for thirteen years, but she felt as though she had been living in that part of the country for ages and ages, for a hundred years, and it seemed to her that she knew every stone, every tree on the road from the town to her school. Her past was here, her present was here, and she could imagine no other future than the school, the road to the town and back again, and again the school and again the road....
The Grasshopper and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
In the Grasshopper we find a love triangle. Olga, her rather boring husband preoccupied with his work, and a young artist. Olga craves the excitement of the artistic life and finds a new lease on romance with the colourful landscape designer, who takes her on a cruise. But not all is going to plan in this quintessentially Chekhovian love tale. Other stories in this volume include: A woman's Kingdom, Difficult People, A Dreary Story, The Privy Councillor.
The Duel
English and Russian language edition
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
This edition features Anton Chekhov's The Duel in both English and Russian languages for those interested in advancing language skills, learning or simply digging into finer detail of the original Chekhov masterpiece. Laevsky is a dissipated romantic given to gambling and flirtation. He has run off to the sea with another man's wife and quickly grown tired of her, but two obstacles block his route to escape: he is broke, and he faces the absolute enmity of Von Koren, an arrogant zoologist and former friend who can no longer tolerate Laevsky's irresponsibility. Soon Laevsky confronts Von Koren, accusing him of meddling in his affairs, but Von Koren maneuvers a criticism Laevsky makes of their mutual friend, Dr. Samoylenko, into a challenge to a duel.
The Black Monk and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
A psychologically thrilling tale, The Black Monk delves into the murky region between fantasy and reality and asks what separates self-confidence from self-delusion. Our protagonist Andrei Kovrin, a brilliant scholar who takes a leave of absence from academia due to stress, and recuperates at the house of his former guardian Pesotsky. He grows close to Pesotsky's daughter Tatiana as they tend the orchard together. Kovrin enjoys taking long walks in the garden, and one night he sees a dark, spectral figure and realizes that it is the black monk, whose legend he had just told Tatiana. Upon seeing the monk, Kovrin feels radiant and inspired, and asks for Tania's hand in marriage. As his romance progresses, Kovrin continues to meet and talk with the monk in the garden. The monk tells him that he is one of God's chosen, but soon after Kovrin's health begins to deteriorate.
Ariadne and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
In Ariadne, we meet Ivan Shamokhin on a steamer bound for Sebastopol. Ivan tells the story of his helpless love for Ariadne, a beautiful but cold young woman. Ariadne is selfish, her whole life is style and surface. Ivan becomes her lover, and with his money almost gone and his life destroyed he is still attached to Ariande. Other Stories in this volume include: The Kiss, A Problem, Terror, Anna on the neck, Not Wanted, Typhus, Misfortune, A Trifle from Life.
The Party and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
After the festive dinner with its eight courses and its endless conversation, Olga Mihalovna, whose husband's name-day was being celebrated, went out into the garden. The duty of smiling and talking incessantly, the clatter of the crockery, the stupidity of the servants, the long intervals between the courses, and the stays she had put on to conceal her condition from the visitors, wearied her to exhaustion. She longed to get away from the house, to sit in the shade and rest her heart with thoughts of the baby which was to be born to her in another two months.
The Darling and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Olenka, the daughter of the retired collegiate assessor, Plemyanniakov, was sitting in her back porch, lost in thought. It was hot, the flies were persistent and teasing, and it was pleasant to reflect that it would soon be evening. Dark rainclouds were gathering from the east, and bringing from time to time a breath of moisture in the air. Kukin, who was the manager of an open-air theatre called the Tivoli, and who lived in the lodge, was standing in the middle of the garden looking at the sky.
Zinotchka
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
The party of sportsmen spent the night in a peasant's hut on some newly mown hay. The moon peeped in at the window; from the street came the mournful wheezing of a concertina; from the hay came a sickly sweet, faintly troubling scent. The sportsmen talked about dogs, about women, about first love, and about snipe.
Love and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
My whole being from head to heels is bursting with a strange, incomprehensible feeling. I can't analyse it just now-I haven't the time, I'm too lazy, and there-hang analysis! Why, is a man likely to interpret his sensations when he is flying head foremost from a belfry, or has just learned that he has won two hundred thousand? Is he in a state to do it? This was more or less how I began my love-letter to Sasha, a girl of nineteen with whom I had fallen in love.
The Lady with the Dog and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Praised by Vladimir Nabokov as one of the greatest stories ever written, The Lady with the Dog follows an adulterous affair between a Russian banker and a young lady he meets while vacationing in Yalta. This volume of Chekhov stories also includes: A Doctor's Visit, An Upheaval, Ionitch, The Head of the Family, Volodya, An Anonymous Story, The Husband.
The Cook's Wedding and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Grisha, a fat, solemn little person of seven, was standing by the kitchen door listening and peeping through the keyhole. In the kitchen something extraordinary, and in his opinion never seen before, was taking place. A big, thick-set, red-haired peasant, with a beard, and a drop of perspiration on his nose, wearing a cabman's full coat, was sitting at the kitchen table on which they chopped the meat and sliced the onions. He was balancing a saucer on the five fingers of his right hand and drinking tea out of it, and crunching sugar so loudly that it sent a shiver down Grisha's back.
A Gentleman Friend
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
The charming Vanda, or, as she was described in her passport, the "Honourable Citizen Nastasya Kanavkin," found herself, on leaving the hospital, in a position she had never been in before: without a home to go to or a farthing in her pocket. What was she to do?
The Chorus Girl
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
One day when she was younger and better-looking, and when her voice was stronger, Nikolay Petrovitch Kolpakov, her adorer, was sitting in the outer room in her summer villa. It was intolerably hot and stifling. Kolpakov, who had just dined and drunk a whole bottle of inferior port, felt ill-humoured and out of sorts. Both were bored and waiting for the heat of the day to be over in order to go for a walk.
Excellent People
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
One must never judge by appearances! Look at this book: it has long ago been read. It is warped, tattered, and lies in the dust uncared for; but open it, and it will make you weep and turn pale. My sister is like that book. Lift the cover and peep into her soul, and you will be horror-stricken.
The Schoolmaster and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
The master of the factory school maintained at the expense of the firm of Kulikin, was getting ready for the annual dinner. Every year after the school examination the board of managers gave a dinner at which the inspector of elementary schools, all who had conducted the examinations, and all the managers and foremen of the factory were present. In spite of their official character, these dinners were always good and lively, and the guests sat a long time over them; forgetting distinctions of rank and recalling only their meritorious labours, they ate till they were full, drank amicably, chattered till they were all hoarse and parted late in the evening, deafening the whole factory settlement with their singing and the sound of their kisses.
The House with the Mezzanine and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
The House with the Mezzanine features a romantic story of a young artist and Eugenia, one of the two sisters living in the house. Eugenia longs to discover the domain of the Eternal and the Beautiful though her discovery of the arts and her developing romantic relationship. Lidia, the other sister, does not care for endearments, she talks only of serious matters; she lives her life apart, and to her mother and sister is as sacred and enigmatic a person as the admiral, always sitting in his cabin, is to the sailors. Other stories in this volume include: The Darling, POlinka, Anyuta, The Two Vologyas, The Trousseau, The Helpmate, Talent, Three Years.
The Witch and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
It was approaching nightfall. The sexton, Savely Gykin, was lying in his huge bed in the hut adjoining the church. He was not asleep, though it was his habit to go to sleep at the same time as the hens. His coarse red hair peeped from under one end of the greasy patchwork quilt, made up of coloured rags, while his big unwashed feet stuck out from the other. He was listening. His hut adjoined the wall that encircled the church and the solitary window in it looked out upon the open country. And out there a regular battle was going on. It was hard to say who was being wiped off the face of the earth, and for the sake of whose destruction nature was being churned up into such a ferment; but, judging from the unceasing malignant roar, someone was getting it very hot.
The Bishop and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Bishop Pyotr was tired. His breathing was laboured and rapid, his throat was parched, his shoulders ached with weariness, his legs were trembling. And it disturbed him unpleasantly when a religious maniac uttered occasional shrieks in the gallery. And then all of a sudden, as though in a dream or delirium, it seemed to the bishop as though his own mother Marya Timofyevna, whom he had not seen for nine years, or some old woman just like his mother, came up to him out of the crowd, and, after taking a palm branch from him, walked away looking at him all the while good-humouredly with a kind, joyful smile until she was lost in the crowd.
The Horse-Stealers and Other Stories
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
A hospital assistant, called Yergunov, an empty-headed fellow, known throughout the district as a great braggart and drunkard, was returning one evening in Christmas week from the hamlet of Ryepino, where he had been to make some purchases for the hospital. That he might get home in good time and not be late, the doctor had lent him his very best horse.
The Duel
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Gambling, alcohol and flirtations consummated in a beautiful countryside hold obvious attractions for Laevsky. Laevsky and his lover Nadyezhda are lovers. They came to flee Nadyezhda's husband and to live together in their own home. Instead, they remain in rented rooms. Laevsky drinks, gambles, and blankly performs the few tasks necessary in his government job. He spends much of his time figuring out how to get away from Nadyezhda, whom he has grown to hate. Nadyezhda herself is bored and has affairs. Von Koren, another character in the story, is an arrogant man of science. He believes that creatures like Laevsky who do no good should be killed, because natural selection ought to guide ethical decisions. He tries to act out his plan when the two duel.
Anton Chekhov's The Duel
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Laevsky is a dissipated romantic given to gambling and flirtation. He has run off to the sea with another man's wife and quickly grown tired of her, but two obstacles block his route to escape: he is broke, and he faces the absolute enmity of Von Koren, an arrogant zoologist and former friend who can no longer tolerate Laevsky's irresponsibility. Soon Laevsky confronts Von Koren, accusing him of meddling in his affairs, but Von Koren maneuvers a criticism Laevsky makes of their mutual friend, Dr. Samoylenko, into a challenge to a duel.
Bad Weather
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Big raindrops were pattering on the dark windows. It was one of those disgusting summer holiday rains which, when they have begun, last a long time-for weeks, till the frozen holiday maker grows used to it, and sinks into complete apathy. It was cold; there was a feeling of raw, unpleasant dampness. The mother-in-law of a lawyer, called Kvashin, and his wife, Nadyezhda Filippovna, dressed in waterproofs and shawls, were sitting over the dinner table in the dining-room.
A Trivial Incident
Part of the Short Stories by Anton Chekhov series
Checkhov says truth and falsehood both play an important role in personal happiness of men. Could this also be the cause of both passionate romance and failed relationship between an impoverished Russian prince and a rich landowner? This story examines the very essence of human psychology providing valuable insight into complexities of such concepts as happiness, deception, romance and depression.