Writing towards the close of the nineteenth century, Chekhov — himself a country doctor — recorded in his fiction the symptoms of a diseased society. The seven stories collected here are a bleakly savage indictment of a society paralysed by spiritual malaise, and morbidly conscious of evils which can neither be killed nor cured. This volume also contains an Introduction by Ronald Hingley.

- A unique collection of Chekhov's most lyrical stories in a new translation of great skill and originality, published to coincide with the centenary of Chekhov's death. — This translation captures Chekhov's musicality and modernism by paying special attention to his tone and prose rhythm — closer to the Russian while shaping the prose idiomatically. — The stories are arranged chronologically to show the evolution of Chekhov's art and include familiar as well as less well-known works. — Growing interest in Chekhov as a prose writer, evidenced by the attention given to recent publications of Chekhov's previously unpublished work, and the influence he had had on modern writers such as Katherine Mansfield, John Cheever, and Raymond Carver.

«This volume contains English translations of: «Ivanov», «The Seagull», «Uncle Vanya», «Three Sisters», and «The Cherry Orchard», with a new Introduction by Ronald Hingley.»

A schoolteacher in a provincial town falls in love with and marries a young local woman. He thinks he's found a bliss only described in novels. But before long, his sharp points of bliss become blurred. The loss of ideals and poverty of actual experience are the themes of these stories. Chekhov's Russians, at the close of the 19th century are trapped in a prison of frustration, which he depicts with laconic power.

Anton Chekhov’s popularity in the west is without parallel for a foreign writer. He has been absorbed into our culture, and accepted as one of our own. His plays lend themselves easily to the stage, calling for actors with intelligence and common sense rather than a dramatic voice or histrionic skills. He takes from everyday life themes of frustration which apply to us all – the difficulty of carving out a happy existence, the problems of love, the fading of hope, the universal feeling that time passes and we never quite get things right. This seems pessimistic, and yet Chekhov claimed he was writing comedy. Readers, actors and directors must decide for themselves which way to play these pieces. They are full of sadness, but a sadness described as the ‘darkness of the last hour before the dawn’. Whether tragic or comic, however, they are works of the first importance. The Cherry Orchard has been described as ‘the best play since Shakespeare’, Three Sisters as ‘the best play in the world’.

Anton Chekhov is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of short stories. He constructs stories where action and drama are implied rather than described openly, and which leave much to the reader's imagination. This collection contains some of the most important of his earliest and shortest comic sketches, as well as examples of his great, mature works. Throughout, the doctor-turned-writer displays compassion for human suffering and misfortune, but is always able to see the comical, even farcical aspects of the human condition.

«Primarily known as a dramatist, Chekhov also wrote short stories. This selection of his work includes «The Swedish Match», «Easter Eve», «Mire», «On the Road», «Verotchka», «Volodya», «The Kiss», «Sleepy» and «The Steppe».»