A Chekhov Circus

A guide to the short stories of Anton Chekhov

Category: First appeared in print in 1883

No. 48 – A Slander

This is a classic, and well done. It’s the story of a man who, during his daughter’s wedding, ducks into the kitchen to check on the preparation of the meal, and smacks his lips over the fish. A guest comes in, hears him smacking his lips, and jokes that he must have been kissing the…

October 17, 2022
No. 89 – The Bird Market

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

October 17, 2022
No. 153 – A Classical Student

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

October 17, 2022
No. 154 – An Inquiry

A dispiriting visit to a government office, where nothing happens without a bribe.

October 13, 2022
No. 137 – Fat and Thin

A pair of old school friends bump into each other and discover that their careers have followed quite different paths.

October 8, 2022
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…

October 8, 2022
No. 78 – The Trousseau

In a spooky house, a mother and daughter work feverishly to create a trousseau for a wedding that will never occur.

October 8, 2022
No. 105 – The Death of a Government Clerk

A sycophantic clerk accidentally sneezes on his superior, and cannot apologise enough for the insult.

October 8, 2022
No. 107 – A Tragic Actor

A father is distraught when his daughter runs off with an actor.

October 8, 2022
No. 191 – Joy

A ninny is excited to be featured in a newspaper story. Unfortunately, it’s a story about him being injured while drunk out of his mind.

October 8, 2022