A Chekhov Circus

A guide to the short stories of Anton Chekhov

Category: Published in Volume 12 of the Garnett translations

  • No. 20 – Art

    Like “The Fish,” “Too Early,” and several other Chekhov stories, “Art” is a tale featuring comically oafish workingmen, but in this case, the main character, a peasant named Seryozkha, has a special talent. Seryozkha is a ragged, mangy mutt of a man, with tufts of wool hanging from his shaggy sheepskin. Not only that, he…

  • No. 52 – Vanka

    This is a frightful tale of suffering. Vanka, a child of nine, has been left alone on Christmas Eve by the shoemaker to whom he is apprenticed. For once left alone, Vanka gets some paper and ink and composes a letter to his only living relative, his grandfather, begging him to rescue him. Vanka describes…

  • No. 42 – The Cook’s Wedding

    If you don’t happen to be a Chekhov completist and you aren’t reading every single volume of Constance Garnett’s 13-volume translation of Chekhov’s stories, let me explain that the story “The Cook’s Wedding” is the first story of volume 12, in which every story is about children or animals. If reading roughly two dozen stories…

  • No. 53 – Sleepy

    In 1883, Chekhov published 35 stories. In 1884, the number slipped to 19, a decline presumably related to the fact that he graduated from medical school this year and began practicing as a doctor. In 1885 the pace picked up, with 37 stories published. And in 1886 the floodgates opened, with 63 stories hitting the…

  • No. 60 – The Runaway

    This is, essentially, a bit of reportage about the workings of a rural hospital. It was published in 1887, when Chekhov had been out in the world working as a doctor for several years. The tale is told through the eyes of a boy, Pashka, seven years old, unable to read or write, presumably a…

  • No. 89 – The Bird Market

    A sketch of the goings-on at a street market in Moscow.

  • No. 98 – In Passion Week

    A slice of life written from the perspective of a young boy as he wonders about life and God.

  • No. 153 – A Classical Student

    A young man must bear the wrath of his angry mother when his studies go poorly.

  • No. 45 – The Dependents

    This is one of the more painful Chekhov stories, I must say, and that’s surprising given that the beings that suffer most greatly in it are animals. I can hardly bring myself to offer a thumbnail sketch of the plot, but here goes: Zotov, a grouchy old man, alone and lonely, can no longer afford…

  • No. 134 – A Chameleon

    A policeman acts tough after a puppy nips someone on the street.