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PLATONOV. A Play in Four Acts and Five Scenes. Translated in full by David Magarshack.
In 1997, David Hare adapted the little-known play, Ivanov, and revealed the young Anton Chekhov as a markedly different writer from the one English-speaking audiences recognize from the more familiar plays. Now Hare has turned his attention to the other, equally surprising key work of Chekhov's youth - an abandoned seven-hour teenage manuscript in which a Russian schoolmaster faces up to the implications of being irresistibly attractive to four different women. Once again, we are introduced to a great Russian playwright who is funnier, more exuberant and more wildly romantic than anyone expects.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1930
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About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,901 books9,776 followers
Antón Chéjov
(Spanish)
Dramas, such as The Seagull (1896, revised 1898), and including "A Dreary Story" (1889) of Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, also Chekov, concern the inability of humans to communicate.
Born ( Антон Павлович Чехов ) in the small southern seaport of Taganrog, the son of a grocer. His grandfather, a serf, bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught to read. A cloth merchant fathered Yevgenia Morozova, his mother.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." Tyranny of his father, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, open from five in the morning till midnight, shadowed his early years. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog from 1867 to 1868 and then Taganrog grammar school. Bankruptcy of his father compelled the family to move to Moscow. At the age of 16 years in 1876, independent Chekhov for some time alone in his native town supported through private tutoring.
In 1879, Chekhov left grammar school and entered the university medical school at Moscow. In the school, he began to publish hundreds of short comics to support his mother, sisters and brothers. Nicholas Leikin published him at this period and owned Oskolki (splinters), the journal of Saint Petersburg. His subjected silly social situations, marital problems, and farcical encounters among husbands, wives, mistresses, and lust; even after his marriage, Chekhov, the shy author, knew not much of whims of young women.
Nenunzhaya pobeda , first novel of Chekhov, set in 1882 in Hungary, parodied the novels of the popular Mór Jókai. People also mocked ideological optimism of Jókai as a politician.
Chekhov graduated in 1884 and practiced medicine. He worked from 1885 in Peterburskaia gazeta.
In 1886, Chekhov met H.S. Suvorin, who invited him, a regular contributor, to work for Novoe vremya, the daily paper of Saint Petersburg. He gained a wide fame before 1886. He authored The Shooting Party , his second full-length novel, later translated into English. Agatha Christie used its characters and atmosphere in later her mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . First book of Chekhov in 1886 succeeded, and he gradually committed full time. The refusal of the author to join the ranks of social critics arose the wrath of liberal and radical intelligentsia, who criticized him for dealing with serious social and moral questions but avoiding giving answers. Such leaders as Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Leskov, however, defended him. "I'm not a liberal, or a conservative, or a gradualist, or a monk, or an indifferentist. I should like to be a free artist and that's all..." Chekhov said in 1888.
The failure of The Wood Demon , play in 1889, and problems with novel made Chekhov to withdraw from literature for a period. In 1890, he traveled across Siberia to Sakhalin, remote prison island. He conducted a detailed census of ten thousand convicts and settlers, condemned to live on that harsh island. Chekhov expected to use the results of his research for his doctoral dissertation. Hard conditions on the island probably also weakened his own physical condition. From this journey came his famous travel book.
Chekhov practiced medicine until 1892. During these years, Chechov developed his concept of the dispassionate, non-judgmental author. He outlined his program in a letter to his brother Aleksandr: "1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion." Because he objected that the paper conducted against [a:Alfred Dreyfu
Dramas, such as The Seagull (1896, revised 1898), and including "A Dreary Story" (1889) of Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, also Chekov, concern the inability of humans to communicate.
Born ( Антон Павлович Чехов ) in the small southern seaport of Taganrog, the son of a grocer. His grandfather, a serf, bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught to read. A cloth merchant fathered Yevgenia Morozova, his mother.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." Tyranny of his father, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, open from five in the morning till midnight, shadowed his early years. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog from 1867 to 1868 and then Taganrog grammar school. Bankruptcy of his father compelled the family to move to Moscow. At the age of 16 years in 1876, independent Chekhov for some time alone in his native town supported through private tutoring.
In 1879, Chekhov left grammar school and entered the university medical school at Moscow. In the school, he began to publish hundreds of short comics to support his mother, sisters and brothers. Nicholas Leikin published him at this period and owned Oskolki (splinters), the journal of Saint Petersburg. His subjected silly social situations, marital problems, and farcical encounters among husbands, wives, mistresses, and lust; even after his marriage, Chekhov, the shy author, knew not much of whims of young women.
Nenunzhaya pobeda , first novel of Chekhov, set in 1882 in Hungary, parodied the novels of the popular Mór Jókai. People also mocked ideological optimism of Jókai as a politician.
Chekhov graduated in 1884 and practiced medicine. He worked from 1885 in Peterburskaia gazeta.
In 1886, Chekhov met H.S. Suvorin, who invited him, a regular contributor, to work for Novoe vremya, the daily paper of Saint Petersburg. He gained a wide fame before 1886. He authored The Shooting Party , his second full-length novel, later translated into English. Agatha Christie used its characters and atmosphere in later her mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . First book of Chekhov in 1886 succeeded, and he gradually committed full time. The refusal of the author to join the ranks of social critics arose the wrath of liberal and radical intelligentsia, who criticized him for dealing with serious social and moral questions but avoiding giving answers. Such leaders as Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Leskov, however, defended him. "I'm not a liberal, or a conservative, or a gradualist, or a monk, or an indifferentist. I should like to be a free artist and that's all..." Chekhov said in 1888.
The failure of The Wood Demon , play in 1889, and problems with novel made Chekhov to withdraw from literature for a period. In 1890, he traveled across Siberia to Sakhalin, remote prison island. He conducted a detailed census of ten thousand convicts and settlers, condemned to live on that harsh island. Chekhov expected to use the results of his research for his doctoral dissertation. Hard conditions on the island probably also weakened his own physical condition. From this journey came his famous travel book.
Chekhov practiced medicine until 1892. During these years, Chechov developed his concept of the dispassionate, non-judgmental author. He outlined his program in a letter to his brother Aleksandr: "1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion." Because he objected that the paper conducted against [a:Alfred Dreyfu
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
December 3, 2022
“Too intelligent, that's a defect in a woman. But what a bosom. What a graceful neck.
There, I'm an animal again.
Like the rest.”
There, I'm an animal again.
Like the rest.”
December 8, 2021
Ich glaube, das 1. Drama Tschechows, das ich nicht wirklich zugänglich, geschweige denn gut gefunden habe. Sehr langatmig, schlimme Hauptfigur, grässliches Thema und alles so unelegant in gefühlt 1000 Szenen zergliedert.
Da begeistern seine späteren Dramen sehr viel mehr. Freue mich auf mehr Tschechow und ebenso über das Erschließen seines Gesamtwerkes. Das mir nicht alles gefallen würde, war mir natürlich bewusst. Mehr als ein "OK" ringt mir sein Jugendwerk in Dramenform allerdings nicht ab.
Da begeistern seine späteren Dramen sehr viel mehr. Freue mich auf mehr Tschechow und ebenso über das Erschließen seines Gesamtwerkes. Das mir nicht alles gefallen würde, war mir natürlich bewusst. Mehr als ein "OK" ringt mir sein Jugendwerk in Dramenform allerdings nicht ab.
October 13, 2022
It may belong among his juvenilia, but Anton Chekhov's Platonov is worth a good look. The young schoolteacher Platonov is not only married, but is intent on making love to every woman in sight:
I thought I was proof against this sort of thing, and what happens? A woman says one word and all hell breaks loose inside me. Others have problems of world significance, my problem's a woman. All life's a woman. Caesar had the Rubicon, I have -- woman. I'm always chasing a bit of skirt. It would be less pitiful if I didn't fight against it, but I do fight. I'm weak, utterly weak.This play is approximately three times longer than one of the author's usual four-act plays, and full of events including a stroke, a lynching, attempted suicide, and a murder. It stands with his other works the way that Titus Andronicus stands with Shakespeare's work.
September 21, 2009
'Platónov' es la primera obra de teatro de Antón Chéjov. La escribió cuando tenía 20 años y aún vivía en casa de sus padres en provincias. La leyenda dice que Chéjov destruyó el manuscrito ante la negativa de una famosa actriz de la época de interpretarla. Pero no debió ser así, o quizás existía una copia, porque en 1923 (19 años después de la muerte de Chéjov) se encontró un borrador y en 1933 se publicó. Dadas estas circumstancias se entiende que sea una obra tan caótica y que parezca que le falte una buena revisión. Tiene la intensidad y la fuerza de los primeros borradores. Posee la pasión que sólo un postadolescente furioso contra todo el mundo puede poseer. Es caótica y, sí, en esto está su principal defecto pero también su principal virtud. Es larga y sobran un montón de personajes, pero no podría ser más corta ni se podría quitar ningún personaje. Es una obra que la tomas o la dejas.
Los personajes de 'Platónov' son los personajes que se reúnen alrededor de Anna Petrovna, la joven, atractiva y arruinada viuda de un general. La mayoría de estos personajes son buitres que pululan a su alrededor y que esperan cobrarse el dinero que le han prestado de una forma u otra. Pero entre ellos destaca Platónov, un maestro de provincias desilusionado, considerado por todos como un hombre magnífico, especialmente por las mujeres. Todas las mujeres que salen en la obra están enamoradas de Plátonov, ya que al fin y al cabo es un tipo ingenioso y seductor que va de hombre torturado, una mezcla entre Don Juan y Hamlet. Platónov es capaz de comportarse como un canalla y luego lamentarse y odiarse por haberse comportado como un canalla. Platónov es todo fachada, en el sentido que no hay nada detrás, es un personaje apático que deja que la vida sea algo que le suceda. Si es tan atractivo para las mujeres es porque para cada una de ellas interpreta el papel que ella desea que un hombre interprete (el marido fiel, el intelectual carismático, el joven romántico, el canalla sádico).
Platónov en ningún momento escoge ninguna de las cuatro mujeres que tiene a su disposición, deja que las circunstancias escojan por él. Es difícil sentir simpatía por Platónov. Con su renúncia a actuar desencadena la desgracia. Mucho mejor me ha caído Triletzki, un joven médico que idolatra a Platónov y que se debate entre el deseo de ser un canalla à la Platónov, ser simplemente un canalla o casarse y llevar una vida honrada. Triletzki es un bufón y, en medio de tonterías, es quien canta las verdades. Triletzki es quien declama que tan malo es el ladrón de baja estofa como los buitres ambiciosos que sobrevuelan sobre Anna Petrovna esperando su ruina total. Y es que esta obra es una obra misántropa y pesimista como sólo lo podría ser una obra escrita por un postadolescente furioso con todo el mundo. La moraleja final es que todo el mundo es vil y malvado. El único personaje que es bueno es la esposa de Platónov, pero su bondad va ligada con la estupidez. Platónov también es malvado y lo sabe, pero lo único que lo distingue de los demás malvados es su conciencia. En el fondo lo que retrata 'Platónov' es la muerte de los escrúpulos morales encarnados por Platónov.
Los personajes de 'Platónov' son los personajes que se reúnen alrededor de Anna Petrovna, la joven, atractiva y arruinada viuda de un general. La mayoría de estos personajes son buitres que pululan a su alrededor y que esperan cobrarse el dinero que le han prestado de una forma u otra. Pero entre ellos destaca Platónov, un maestro de provincias desilusionado, considerado por todos como un hombre magnífico, especialmente por las mujeres. Todas las mujeres que salen en la obra están enamoradas de Plátonov, ya que al fin y al cabo es un tipo ingenioso y seductor que va de hombre torturado, una mezcla entre Don Juan y Hamlet. Platónov es capaz de comportarse como un canalla y luego lamentarse y odiarse por haberse comportado como un canalla. Platónov es todo fachada, en el sentido que no hay nada detrás, es un personaje apático que deja que la vida sea algo que le suceda. Si es tan atractivo para las mujeres es porque para cada una de ellas interpreta el papel que ella desea que un hombre interprete (el marido fiel, el intelectual carismático, el joven romántico, el canalla sádico).
Platónov en ningún momento escoge ninguna de las cuatro mujeres que tiene a su disposición, deja que las circunstancias escojan por él. Es difícil sentir simpatía por Platónov. Con su renúncia a actuar desencadena la desgracia. Mucho mejor me ha caído Triletzki, un joven médico que idolatra a Platónov y que se debate entre el deseo de ser un canalla à la Platónov, ser simplemente un canalla o casarse y llevar una vida honrada. Triletzki es un bufón y, en medio de tonterías, es quien canta las verdades. Triletzki es quien declama que tan malo es el ladrón de baja estofa como los buitres ambiciosos que sobrevuelan sobre Anna Petrovna esperando su ruina total. Y es que esta obra es una obra misántropa y pesimista como sólo lo podría ser una obra escrita por un postadolescente furioso con todo el mundo. La moraleja final es que todo el mundo es vil y malvado. El único personaje que es bueno es la esposa de Platónov, pero su bondad va ligada con la estupidez. Platónov también es malvado y lo sabe, pero lo único que lo distingue de los demás malvados es su conciencia. En el fondo lo que retrata 'Platónov' es la muerte de los escrúpulos morales encarnados por Platónov.
June 1, 2023
A tragicomedy full of disgust and self-disgust amid a decaying gentry and greedy merchants.
July 2, 2013
The best part about this play is that it proves that genius is a process.
This play is a mess. Is it a comedy? A drama? A farce? A tragedy? No idea, and I’m fairly certain Mr. Chekhov didn’t know either. Written when he was twenty years old, this play’s existence wasn’t even known until several years after his death.
On its own, Platonov is not a great work of literature. It’s pretty much a disaster. But knowing who wrote it makes it worth a read. All of the pieces that would make Chekhov one of the greatest playwrights are here. Amidst the long-winded speeches and erratic plotting are the hints of Chekhov’s brilliance. The play itself is ambitious (perhaps too ambitious for a young man still learning how to tell stories): a Don Juan who is entirely passive, creating drama merely with his presence. It doesn’t work, but I can see why it’s performed more than one would expect: it’s such a long-winded mess that it gives actors and directors an enormous canvas on which to put their own mark.
I didn’t enjoy reading Platonov, but I’m glad I read it. There’s something reassuring about this early work, because it makes Chekhov’s later triumphs that much more impressive. In art, audiences often see nothing more than the finished product of people who have devoted years to perfecting their skill. Talented artists, such as Chekhov, make that finished product look easy. Platonov is a reminder of the work that goes into creating masterpieces, that brilliance is not always achieved immediately: that, like learning any skill, it takes time and practice to become a master. Odd as it sounds, this play is a credit to Chekhov, his legacy, and the masterpieces he would go on to write. Recommended.
This play is a mess. Is it a comedy? A drama? A farce? A tragedy? No idea, and I’m fairly certain Mr. Chekhov didn’t know either. Written when he was twenty years old, this play’s existence wasn’t even known until several years after his death.
On its own, Platonov is not a great work of literature. It’s pretty much a disaster. But knowing who wrote it makes it worth a read. All of the pieces that would make Chekhov one of the greatest playwrights are here. Amidst the long-winded speeches and erratic plotting are the hints of Chekhov’s brilliance. The play itself is ambitious (perhaps too ambitious for a young man still learning how to tell stories): a Don Juan who is entirely passive, creating drama merely with his presence. It doesn’t work, but I can see why it’s performed more than one would expect: it’s such a long-winded mess that it gives actors and directors an enormous canvas on which to put their own mark.
I didn’t enjoy reading Platonov, but I’m glad I read it. There’s something reassuring about this early work, because it makes Chekhov’s later triumphs that much more impressive. In art, audiences often see nothing more than the finished product of people who have devoted years to perfecting their skill. Talented artists, such as Chekhov, make that finished product look easy. Platonov is a reminder of the work that goes into creating masterpieces, that brilliance is not always achieved immediately: that, like learning any skill, it takes time and practice to become a master. Odd as it sounds, this play is a credit to Chekhov, his legacy, and the masterpieces he would go on to write. Recommended.
April 9, 2024
MAN. CHEKHOV MANAGED TO TO PREDICT MALE GASLIGHTING 100 YEARS AGO. WHAT A PIECE OF SHIT PLATONOV IS. HE WAS PLAYING EVERY GIRL IN THIS BOOK. 4-TIMING MAN WHORE. THANK GOD HE IS DEAD. MAN REALLY SAID “I don’t want happiness, I just want you”. HE MUST HAVE BEEN HELLA SEXY IF HE MADE ALL OF THEM WOMEN SUFFER AND THEY STILL ALL WANTED HIM. HE WAS DEFINITELY ANAKIN LEVEL HOTNESS. GOD DAMN ANAKIN IS HOT. ALSO, MAN HEARD ABOUT HIS WIFE TRYING TO KILL HERSELF WENT INTO DEPRESSION FOR 5 SECONDS AND THEN STARTED FLIRTING WITH A DIFFERENT GIRL. THIS MAN INVITED GASLIGHTING, MALE MANIPULATOR, DESERVED NOTHING. EVERYONE. IN THIS STORY DESERVED BETTER EXPECT FOR HIM. THIS MAN IS TO MALE MANIPULATING WHAT MESSI IS TO FOOTBALL. CRAZY. CRAZY. MAN. HE PLAYED EVERY SINGLE ONE IF THEM AND THEY STILL LOVED HIM. GOD LEVEL MALE MANIPULATOR. HE TRIED APOLOGIZED TO HIS WIFE FOR CHEATING BUT JUST REVEALED ANOTHER AFFAIR HE HAD THAT THE WIFE DIDNT KNOW ABOUT. MAN WHORE. good book tho, definitely would read again. a book has never made me this pissed off. I am not platonov, I do not wish to be platonov.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2018
Chekhov's first play is so good it's a shame no one reads it and no one stages it, as it's a real treat. A tragicomedy that is filled with laughs up until the final act, where it all goes sour. The threads are tied up beautifully.
October 6, 2024
Platonov est une pièce assez dure à lire, elle est très longue et il y a beaucoup trop de personnages. Certains d’entre-eux eux sont très intéressants et sont très bien écrits par Tchekhov. Le personnage de Platonov est un excellent exemple, c’est un personnage très ambigu que l’on déteste autant qu’on l’apprécie pour son humanité: à la fin il se retrouve au milieu d’intrigues qu’ils ne peut plus contrôler à cause de ses erreurs. Les intrigues amoureuses de Platonov pour moi auraient été suffisantes pour avoir une pièce complexe. Cependant, l’ajout de multiples intrigues secondaires par Tchekhov noie tous les passages et les personnages intéressants. À cause du trop grand nombre de détails et de personnages, il est facile de décrocher et de se sentir découragé par la pièce. Malgré cela, Platonov reste une pièce très intéressante avec des personnages hauts en couleurs.
February 19, 2024
Le récit magnifique d'une noblesse qui s'oublie dans ses dettes et ses fêtes, perd pied sans le savoir et s'enfonce laborieusement vers le siècle qui la fera disparaître.
C'est une noblesse faible face aux distractions et aux flatteries de bas étages, celle de femmes prêtes à s'offrir à quiconque les fera sortir de leur ennui perpétuel.
C'est une noblesse faible face aux distractions et aux flatteries de bas étages, celle de femmes prêtes à s'offrir à quiconque les fera sortir de leur ennui perpétuel.
August 11, 2022
Ein unmöglicher Protagonist, verletzt, beleidigt, aber offenbar gefällt er den Frauen.
May 4, 2022
apparently this was chekhov’s first play but i think it might be one of my favorites of his. also my god does this man love his guns as plot devices
December 16, 2023
Ο Πλατόνοφ είναι το πρώτο θεατρικό έργο που έγραψε ο Άντον Τσέχοφ. Το είχα διαβάσει πριν πολλά χρόνια από τις εκδόσεις Δωδώνη. Αυτήν τη φορά διάβασα μια διασκευή του, από τις εκδόσεις του θεάτρου Τόπος Αλλού. Η μετάφραση αυτή την φορά έγινε από αγγλικό κείμενο. Την μετάφραση αλλά και την διασκευή του έργου έκανε ο Νίκος Καμτσής, που ανέλαβε και τον ρόλο του γιατρού Τριλέσκι. ( Αφού σε όλα τα έργα του Τσέχοφ υπάρχει ένας γιατρός. Ίσως είναι ένα alter ego του συγγ��αφέα, που ήταν ο ίδιος γιατρός).
Παρὀλο που είναι πρωτόλειο, ασχολείται με όλα τα θέματα που εμφανίζονται σε όλα τα έργα του Τσέχοφ: τον ξεπεσμό της αριστοκρατικής τάξης της προεπαναστατικής Ρωσίας, την ανιαρή ζωή της επαρχίας, τους ατελείωτους χειμώνες και τις τεράστιες αποστάσεις από την μία ντάτσα στην άλλη, ο έρωτας ανικανοποίητος και αρπακτικός.
Ανάμεσα στα πρόσωπα του έργου, ξεχωρίζει ο Πλατόνοφ, δάσκαλος, έξυπνος, κυνικός, κάποιες φορές γίνεται αντιπαθητικός στους υπόλοιπους με τις χοντροκομμένες αλήθειες που τους λέει. Είναι ικανός να καταστρέψει τους άλλους αλλά και να αυτοκαταστραφεί. Ο Πλατόνοφ είναι παντρεμένος με μια αγαθή και αφελή γυναίκα που δεν την αγαπά. Γοητεύεται από την Άννα Πέτροβνα, όμορφη και ξεπεσμένη αριστοκράτισσα, φλερτάρει με την κοπέλα που είχε γνωρίσει ως φοιτητής και πειτριγυρίζεται από τεμπέληδες και αργόσχολους.
Παρὀλο που είναι πρωτόλειο, ασχολείται με όλα τα θέματα που εμφανίζονται σε όλα τα έργα του Τσέχοφ: τον ξεπεσμό της αριστοκρατικής τάξης της προεπαναστατικής Ρωσίας, την ανιαρή ζωή της επαρχίας, τους ατελείωτους χειμώνες και τις τεράστιες αποστάσεις από την μία ντάτσα στην άλλη, ο έρωτας ανικανοποίητος και αρπακτικός.
Ανάμεσα στα πρόσωπα του έργου, ξεχωρίζει ο Πλατόνοφ, δάσκαλος, έξυπνος, κυνικός, κάποιες φορές γίνεται αντιπαθητικός στους υπόλοιπους με τις χοντροκομμένες αλήθειες που τους λέει. Είναι ικανός να καταστρέψει τους άλλους αλλά και να αυτοκαταστραφεί. Ο Πλατόνοφ είναι παντρεμένος με μια αγαθή και αφελή γυναίκα που δεν την αγαπά. Γοητεύεται από την Άννα Πέτροβνα, όμορφη και ξεπεσμένη αριστοκράτισσα, φλερτάρει με την κοπέλα που είχε γνωρίσει ως φοιτητής και πειτριγυρίζεται από τεμπέληδες και αργόσχολους.
August 8, 2021
J'ai eu l'occasion de voir deux fois la pièce jouée, il y a pas loin de 10 ans maintenant, et je me souviens l'avoir à chaque fois beaucoup aimée. J'en ai adoré la lecture, même si, maintenant (un mois après) je ne saurais plus exactement dire pourquoi. Je crois que je m'y suis sentie "à la maison". D'autant plus que la longueur de la pièce permet de s'attacher aux personnages pratiquement comme à ceux d'un roman. Il y a quelque chose de profondément émouvant dans cette galerie de figures toutes tantôt grotesques et tantôt nobles, universellement faillibles. C'est, d'une certaine manière, une tragédie à taille humaine, avec ce charme sépia que peut revêtir pour un lecteur contemporain la littérature du XIXe siècle et un sens (je crois ?) très russe de l'absurdité de l'existence.
J'ai également apprécié la préface, qui propose à la fois une belle défense et interprétation de la pièce, et un règlement de comptes dans les règles de l'art sur la question de sa traduction, passage d'un mordant savoureux !
J'ai également apprécié la préface, qui propose à la fois une belle défense et interprétation de la pièce, et un règlement de comptes dans les règles de l'art sur la question de sa traduction, passage d'un mordant savoureux !
November 1, 2023
Il primo vero testo teatrale di Cechov, davvero complesso per numero di personaggi e situazioni, forse quello in cui c'è più azione. È incredibile come dentro ci sia già tutto il Cechov dei grandi capolavori successivi: il desiderio di evadere dal presente, la malinconia per il passato, la contrapposizione di generazioni diverse, gli amori impossibili, l'alcool, i debiti e i giri di denaro. Anche qui la pistola spara e anche qui come nel Giardino c'è una proprietà venduta all'asta. Il protagonista è poi un mix di celebri personaggi cechoviani e non (Amleto? Don Giovanni?), in particolare un Ivanov, un parassita che si insinua come una malattia e rovina tutto e tutti, anche se stesso.
February 28, 2024
It truly was intriguing to see how integral this first play is for the rest of his work.
Noting he was just 18 by the time he wrote this draft, you can see that he already began exploring themes like the inevitable waste of potential; the impossible materialisation of desire; the inability to carry out a dialogue because everybody is so fixated with their own obsessions – themes which would later morph into his (and Russia’s) greatest dramaturgical milestones.
And even in this first, bloated 230-page colossus of a play, he’s already telling us, with a ruthless smirk, that, indeed, life is a bitter comedy that does make a fool out of yourself.
Noting he was just 18 by the time he wrote this draft, you can see that he already began exploring themes like the inevitable waste of potential; the impossible materialisation of desire; the inability to carry out a dialogue because everybody is so fixated with their own obsessions – themes which would later morph into his (and Russia’s) greatest dramaturgical milestones.
And even in this first, bloated 230-page colossus of a play, he’s already telling us, with a ruthless smirk, that, indeed, life is a bitter comedy that does make a fool out of yourself.
August 4, 2019
This play is really complex
The main character Platonov is trying to understand what makes him feel alive. First he tried to find the answer of why he wants to live trough theories and books. Then he tried to love but nothing helps him to feel alive everything is empty and he is empty but everybody around him admire him and desire him . I discovered Tchekhov this summer and it opened new reflections ,new ideas.
The main character Platonov is trying to understand what makes him feel alive. First he tried to find the answer of why he wants to live trough theories and books. Then he tried to love but nothing helps him to feel alive everything is empty and he is empty but everybody around him admire him and desire him . I discovered Tchekhov this summer and it opened new reflections ,new ideas.
December 8, 2022
What an absurd little play! It’s hilarious and awful and amazing. It’s a bit campy actually, which I wouldn’t have expected from a late-19th-century Russian dramedy. Although I’m not sure what I would expect from one, now that I think about it…
Anyway, hilarious. Nice work, Chekhov. My only real complaint is that I thought the gun would show up earlier.
Anyway, hilarious. Nice work, Chekhov. My only real complaint is that I thought the gun would show up earlier.
March 15, 2021
I confess to being bored by Chekhov's four great plays due to such frequent reading and performances. It is fun to find the things I like about Chekhov in his early work, though the plays are not as great.
September 1, 2025
Chez Anna, veuve de général, on s’ennuie. Le médecin passe, parle d’amour, n’y croit pas trop. Anna ricane, le met en garde, cite un nom : Platonov. Déjà il rode lourdement.
Platonov entre. Il est tout de suite odieux, moqueur, fatigué, grossier. Tout le monde lui en veut, tout le monde l’écoute. Dialogues interminables, échecs, dettes, jalousies, amours mortes, rancunes tenaces. Tout le monde est lucide, personne n’agit. On parle, on geint, on s’épuise.
Déjà chez le jeune Tchékhov : l’ennui, l’argent, la lâcheté, les illusions. Une humanité bavarde, figée, qui voit clair mais ne fait rien. Et cette Anna, femme d’avant-garde, alcool, tabac, révolte muette. Un monde si complexe, transcrit par un écrivain tout juste éclos.
Platonov entre. Il est tout de suite odieux, moqueur, fatigué, grossier. Tout le monde lui en veut, tout le monde l’écoute. Dialogues interminables, échecs, dettes, jalousies, amours mortes, rancunes tenaces. Tout le monde est lucide, personne n’agit. On parle, on geint, on s’épuise.
Déjà chez le jeune Tchékhov : l’ennui, l’argent, la lâcheté, les illusions. Une humanité bavarde, figée, qui voit clair mais ne fait rien. Et cette Anna, femme d’avant-garde, alcool, tabac, révolte muette. Un monde si complexe, transcrit par un écrivain tout juste éclos.
January 13, 2018
totally fab. my favourite of his early plays.
June 15, 2018
I haven't actually read David Hare's adaptation, but since it's the only version of Chekhov's brilliant play that I can find on here I decided to add it anyway
July 8, 2018
Une superbe adaptation moderne de l'oeuvre de Tchekhov !
July 2, 2023
Esto es como the room del teatro pero sin la gracia ironica
September 15, 2023
Bad Chekhov is better than a lot of other people's good, I guess. It's not a great play and it's astonishingly long, but you can see glimpses of future greatness trying to peak out.
December 11, 2023
Llegit en català
"Mel salvatge"
M'ho he passat bé llegint-ho
"Mel salvatge"
M'ho he passat bé llegint-ho
February 6, 2024
Chekov's first play. left unfinished. It is a mess but has many of his themes.
Act 2 scene 2 is the best.
Act 2 scene 2 is the best.
February 6, 2024
I haven’t read this version but I did read Platonov. The beggining is really boring but when the action begins it is really good. You need to treat it like a novel, not a play.
Read
September 1, 2024ej a to komedia czy dramat lol
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