A Chekhov Circus

A guide to the short stories of Anton Chekhov

Tag: Peasants

  • No. 155 – The Steppe

    A boy travels from his home on the steppe to a new city, accompanied by a variety of fellow travelers.

  • No. 161 – The Wife

    A retired engineer in a loveless marriage decides to raise money to help the local peasantry during a famine.

  • No. 162 – Happiness

    Two shepherds and a bailiff trade stories about supposed treasures buried in the woods.

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • No. 41 – At Home

    You could easily fill a book of Chekhov stories set on the steppe, the dreary, endless grasslands that stretch across much of Russia. “At Home” is the tale of a young woman, Vera, who after receiving an education in a distant city, returns to her family’s decaying property on the steppe. There’s nothing for her…

  • No. 121 – Rothschild’s Fiddle

    A sour coffin maker, coming to the end of his life, regrets his rough treatment of his wife.

  • No. 80 – The Pipe

    A bailiff and a shepherd worry that the natural world is being despoiled.

  • No. 120 – The Huntsman

    A hunter bumps into his wife, whom he has abandoned, and treats her cruelly.

  • No. 125 – A Day in the Country

    Two poor, homeless children survive a frightening storm with the help of a kindly old peasant.