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Five Comic One-Act Plays
Humorous gems by one of the masters of modern drama, including The Anniversary, a frenetic, behind-the-scenes look at the goings-on in a bank; An Unwilling Martyr, a humorous recital of an overburdened man's chores and obligations; as well as The Wedding, The Bear, and The Proposal.
80 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1999
18 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,970 books9,784 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 9, 2022
3.8⭐ to be exact!
Came across this author in Amor Towles' A Gentleman in Moscow so I thought of trying his books.
Overall, it's good and I love the sarcasm and the comedy that have been put there despite the plays were about important, sensitive things to people.
I love The Proposal the most!
Came across this author in Amor Towles' A Gentleman in Moscow so I thought of trying his books.
Overall, it's good and I love the sarcasm and the comedy that have been put there despite the plays were about important, sensitive things to people.
I love The Proposal the most!
April 27, 2024
Fajne króciutkie lekkie do poczytania sobie. Przedstawienie kilku różnych wersji utworów na raz jest z jednej strony ciekawe z drugiej trochę wytrąca z rytmu
September 6, 2018
In the tradition of vaudeville-farce, and therefore rather dated for modern audiences/readers, but worth a look given that Chekhov wrote one-act plays throughout his career, not simply as forerunners to the full length plays. What is also surprising, he earned more overall from the performances of these shorts than from the major plays (claims Gottlieb, Chekhov scholar).
Let me add that the Chekhov enthusiast would appreciate the playwright's manipulation of the genre - the farcical elements, the confusions and mismatches are deployed to expose the ridiculous, confusing and incongruous aspects of real life, and are geared to disturb as much as amuse.
Let me add that the Chekhov enthusiast would appreciate the playwright's manipulation of the genre - the farcical elements, the confusions and mismatches are deployed to expose the ridiculous, confusing and incongruous aspects of real life, and are geared to disturb as much as amuse.
August 12, 2025
*przy wielkiej drodze: 3/5, dobre na poczatek
*o szkodliwosci tytoniu #1: 1/5, o co w ogole chodziXD
*kalchas: 1/5, pominelam polowe szkicu przez te
monologi z utworow klasycznych
*niedzwiedz: 4/5, enemies to lovers hihi, zagralabym *oświadczyny: 4/5, baaardzo przyjemna
jednoaktoweczka, ciekawe czyje w koncu sa te wołowe łączki
*tatiana r.: 1/5, wtf
*tragik mimo woli: 3/5, smieszne
*wesele: 2/5, nawet spoko
*noc przed rozprawa: 4/5, super!!
*jubileusz: 4/5, baby to jednak sa co
*OST #2: 1/5, myslalam ze to inny przeklad (do teraz nie jestem pewna) moze czechow napisal inny wariant? ciag dalszy? nie wiem szczerzeXD
*o szkodliwosci tytoniu #1: 1/5, o co w ogole chodziXD
*kalchas: 1/5, pominelam polowe szkicu przez te
monologi z utworow klasycznych
*niedzwiedz: 4/5, enemies to lovers hihi, zagralabym *oświadczyny: 4/5, baaardzo przyjemna
jednoaktoweczka, ciekawe czyje w koncu sa te wołowe łączki
*tatiana r.: 1/5, wtf
*tragik mimo woli: 3/5, smieszne
*wesele: 2/5, nawet spoko
*noc przed rozprawa: 4/5, super!!
*jubileusz: 4/5, baby to jednak sa co
*OST #2: 1/5, myslalam ze to inny przeklad (do teraz nie jestem pewna) moze czechow napisal inny wariant? ciag dalszy? nie wiem szczerzeXD
January 30, 2023
Całość trzy gwiazdki, ale totalnie 5 dla ,,O szkodliwości tytoniu” i ,,Oświadczyny”
July 14, 2022
Great quick read by Chekhov. Most of the characters in these plays are more ludicrous versions of themselves as they pretend to be more than they actually are.
It wasn’t until after Chekhov’s death that he became popular in the western world with authors such as George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and Katherine Mansfield, praising his works.
It wasn’t until after Chekhov’s death that he became popular in the western world with authors such as George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and Katherine Mansfield, praising his works.
August 12, 2008
Funny short Russian plays. Really relaxing to read.
September 27, 2018
Not as sophisticated as say Wilde but a harmless read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews