-
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.
A Chekhov Circus
A guide to the short stories of Anton Chekhov
A Chekhov Circus 