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No. 7 – The Schoolmaster
This is an amazing story, certainly among Chekhov’s best. The plot: An aged principal attends his school’s annual dinner despite his ill health and general weakness. The schoolmaster, Sysoev, is not, it seems, a terribly nice man: Tetchy and volatile, he rejects any suggestion that he may not be strong enough to attend the festivities.…
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No. 23 – A Lady’s Story
This is an unusual entry in the Chekhov library, written in the first person and narrated by a woman. It’s a good story, maybe even great. In any case, it’s very tight, just seven pages long, with a breathless, thrilling opening: Natalya and Pyotr are riding through the fields as a storm approaches. The rains…
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No. 25 – The Lady with the Dog
Here it is, Chekhov’s best-known story. If you, an American reader, have ever read any selection of Chekhov tales, this one was almost certainly included in your volume. I, too, had read “The Lady With the Dog” (probably more than once) and my hazy, warm memories of it were the main reason that I thought…
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No. 26 – Champagne
This is (for Chekhov) an unusual, foxy little story narrated by a bad man. The narrator works at a godforsaken railway station, where “for fifteen miles around there was not one human habitation, not one woman, not one decent tavern.” The station constitutes a tiny world unto itself: “My wife and I; a deaf and…
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No. 28 – The Student
This is a lovely, unironic portrait of religious belief. A clerical student, walking home through the woods, comes upon a mother and daughter having dinner. As he warms himself at their fire, he is reminded of the way the apostle Peter similarly warmed himself on the evening of the last supper. The student recalls the…
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No. 29 – Ariadne
This is a brilliant story about a romantic, shallow young man, Shamohin, who is lovesick for his beautiful neighbor, the cold and manipulative (and equally shallow) Ariadne. Shamohin trails pathetically after Ariadne and her lover to Italy, and even lends them money that neither he nor his father can afford to give away. Having longed…
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No. 33 – At the Barber’s
The setting is a filthy barbershop rural village. It is tended by a filthy barber, Makar Kuzmitch. Into the shop comes Erast Ivanitch. As it happens, Erast is Makar’s godfather. He is also the father of a daughter. Makar is in love with the daughter, and she with him. For all these reasons, Makar is…
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No. 69 – In a Strange Land
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No. 30 – Peasants
From a modern perspective, “Peasants” is problematic, and it’s worth digging into why that is before looking at the novella itself. First of all, the title. Using a title like “Peasants” is like calling a story set in the Hasidic community “Jews,” or one set in Kentucky “Rednecks.” Obviously you can’t apply modern sensibilities to…
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No. 32 – Choristers
Choirmaster Alexey Alexeitch works for weeks to prepare his singers for a visiting dignitary, only to have his hopes dashed at the last moment. This story is another example of Chekhov’s general admiration for people doing their jobs. Alexey Alexeitch is not necessarily a very good musician, and he certainly doesn’t have a gentle touch…
A Chekhov Circus
A guide to the short stories of Anton Chekhov
A Chekhov Circus 