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Small Fry
*Illustrated
*Includes Table of Contents
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) may have suffered an untimely death, but he squeezed the most out of his 44 years of life. Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be one of the greatest writers in history, particularly in the genre of short stories.
Chekhov’s major innovation near the end of the 19th century was in what became known as “stream-of-consciousness” writing, in which he eschewed common traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Renowned writers like James Joyce and William Faulkner would eventually run with this theme, producing classics in the same vein. Chekhov was one of Russia’s most famous and popular writers in his time, producing well-received works like The Lady with the Dog and The Bishop.
This edition of Chekhov’s short story, Small Fry, is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and is illustrated with over a dozen pictures of Chekhov.
*Includes Table of Contents
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) may have suffered an untimely death, but he squeezed the most out of his 44 years of life. Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be one of the greatest writers in history, particularly in the genre of short stories.
Chekhov’s major innovation near the end of the 19th century was in what became known as “stream-of-consciousness” writing, in which he eschewed common traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Renowned writers like James Joyce and William Faulkner would eventually run with this theme, producing classics in the same vein. Chekhov was one of Russia’s most famous and popular writers in his time, producing well-received works like The Lady with the Dog and The Bishop.
This edition of Chekhov’s short story, Small Fry, is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and is illustrated with over a dozen pictures of Chekhov.
20 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 5, 2011
32 people want to read
About the author
Anton Chekhov
6,002 books9,834 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 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 23, 2021
Just thoughts . Do not expect to get anything else. Just natural thoughts. And anything natural is good.
January 9, 2017
A line that made me chuckle:
"Even if stealing is an easy matter, hiding is what's difficult. Men run away to America, they say, with what they have stolen, but the devil knows where that blessed America is. One must have education even to steal, it seems."
"Even if stealing is an easy matter, hiding is what's difficult. Men run away to America, they say, with what they have stolen, but the devil knows where that blessed America is. One must have education even to steal, it seems."
July 10, 2020
Summary: This is the story of a man who is struggling through his professional life. His monetary needs have forced him to work on the Easter Eve, writing a Best Wishes letter in a dull and gloomy office with a cockroach moving on his table and a smoking kerosene lamp about to go off. The man loathes his job. He considers the work of writing letters of congratulations and hiring insignificant. But he is not much educated to move up the ladder in civil services. Nor does he has any social relations to uplift him in the ranks.
Finding that any easy way up the ladder was closed for him, he starts to ponder about stealing and denouncing people but soon realises that too requires necessary education.
He moves out of his office to the porter's room.
As the midnight bells start ringing and the clatter of carriage and shadows of people roam the streets, his heart yearns to go out to the church and enjoy the festival, just like he used to do in his childhood. But as much he wants to go out he fears his employer. His own house is more dull than his office.
Feeling dejected he returns to his office and sits at the table with the cockroach. Displacing his frustration at the cockroach he spitefully bashes his palm on the cockroach killing him and throw it out of the window.
Analysis: The ending of the story shows the truth of society. The man who is at the bottom of social class ladder kills the cockroach who is at the bottom of food chain ladder. The man was successful in controlling the life of cockroach, feeling a gist of power. The people at the top are powerful and behave oppressively with the lower strata because they can.
It also shows how education is necessary for every work, even for stealing.
Finding that any easy way up the ladder was closed for him, he starts to ponder about stealing and denouncing people but soon realises that too requires necessary education.
He moves out of his office to the porter's room.
As the midnight bells start ringing and the clatter of carriage and shadows of people roam the streets, his heart yearns to go out to the church and enjoy the festival, just like he used to do in his childhood. But as much he wants to go out he fears his employer. His own house is more dull than his office.
Feeling dejected he returns to his office and sits at the table with the cockroach. Displacing his frustration at the cockroach he spitefully bashes his palm on the cockroach killing him and throw it out of the window.
Analysis: The ending of the story shows the truth of society. The man who is at the bottom of social class ladder kills the cockroach who is at the bottom of food chain ladder. The man was successful in controlling the life of cockroach, feeling a gist of power. The people at the top are powerful and behave oppressively with the lower strata because they can.
It also shows how education is necessary for every work, even for stealing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2023
"And the duty-room looked like such a wasteland to him that he felt pity not only for himself but even for the cockroach …
“I’ll finish my duty and leave, but he’ll spend his whole cockroach life on duty here,”..
...
...
With the palm of his hand he spitefully swatted the cockroach, which had had the misfortune of catching his eye. “What vileness!”
The cockroach fell on its back and desperately waved its legs … Nevyrazimov took it by one leg and threw it into the lamp. The lamp flared and crackled …
And Nevyrazimov felt better."
“I’ll finish my duty and leave, but he’ll spend his whole cockroach life on duty here,”..
...
...
With the palm of his hand he spitefully swatted the cockroach, which had had the misfortune of catching his eye. “What vileness!”
The cockroach fell on its back and desperately waved its legs … Nevyrazimov took it by one leg and threw it into the lamp. The lamp flared and crackled …
And Nevyrazimov felt better."
September 4, 2022
I read the Alma Publication with a translation bt Stephen Pimenoff. These vignettes were written early in Chekhov's literary career and he later disowned them. He is being unfair to himself. These are brief and light portraits of Russian life which are often funny and occasionally tragic. They demonstrate Chekhov's skill at compacting so much into so few words. These are not intellectually demanding but are rewarding. Recommended.
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November 27, 2022A vignette of a miserable and envious "petty clerk" named Nevyrazimov, Chekhov illustrates how envy and laziness often overlap. The protagonist's indolence leads him to envy others and to resent others. But he refuses to work his way up and out of his lot. And in the final scene, he torturea roach and feels better. Bottom line up front: Hurt people hurt people (and even cockroaches).
August 11, 2021
Chekhov describes the confining night of a poor man who must work during a time of celebration. His life is dreary and the descriptive diction used made me in turn feel trapped in this poor man’s life.
July 19, 2021
A martyr dies a gruesome death.
October 19, 2021
A stark story about poverty.
December 22, 2024
Just a monologue of a guy who's stuck in a meaningless, less salaried job taking it out on a cockroach. Sounds boring but it was actually good.
January 29, 2022
This is the tale of a man working his job while he observes every detail of life around him. He notes all of the ways that his life is unsatisfactory, and treats a passing cockroach cruelly.
October 16, 2020
Part of #Best Stories by Anton Chekhov#
The theme of self-esteem, class, paralysis, struggle, control, hope, confidence and happiness.
The theme of self-esteem, class, paralysis, struggle, control, hope, confidence and happiness.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews