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Tales of Chekhov #12
The Cook's Wedding & Other Stories
This large print title is set in Tieras 16pt font as recommended by the RNIB.
308 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
31 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,895 books9,766 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
April 16, 2023
Warning: it gets ugly.
January 10, 2016
Another really nice volume of short stories by Chekhov. The simplicity, but in the same time the depth of his stories never cease to amaze me.
February 23, 2023
Shorts on kids and animals. My least favorite volume of his tales.
May 29, 2011
All but one of these stories feature and are about children or animals. They don't have a "story" structure--they're more the sort of slice of life that came into style in the first third of the 20th century, many years after Chekhov put them together.
They show Chekhov's immense sympathy for the downtrodden, the off-the-gird, the under-the-radar. His kids look at the world in innocent confusion; his animals think not like humans (or like animals) but like isolated points of wonder. Psychologically, the child tales would hardly pass, but as examinations of the underlife that exists everywhere, largely unacknowledged, they are superb snippets.
They show Chekhov's immense sympathy for the downtrodden, the off-the-gird, the under-the-radar. His kids look at the world in innocent confusion; his animals think not like humans (or like animals) but like isolated points of wonder. Psychologically, the child tales would hardly pass, but as examinations of the underlife that exists everywhere, largely unacknowledged, they are superb snippets.
April 14, 2014
The stories in this collection are mainly to do with the smaller beings of this Earth - children and animals. As always when you read Chekhov you read Life.
July 27, 2013
Not only am I a fan of Chekhov but I am fond of the Garnett translations as well. They often seem to have the wonderfully deep simplicity that seems to be the hallmark of Chekhov's brilliance. Having translated all of Chekhov's stories, I imagine there was quite a task to figure how to arrange the collections, and my first inclination here was to think that this collection contains the rejects, the stories that simply don't stand up to others. I, like many other writers, find Chekhov brilliant and a model for the short story, but one must be objective about role models, and even the genius can (and probably should) have lapses. And I feel a lot of them were reposed to this collection. "Sleepy" is a wonderfully disturbed story and harks on the best of Chekhov, that wonderful objectivity that lets the situation speak in multiple dimensions, but a lot of others here come across as observations rather than stories, quick scenes that invite us into a character's life, but also seem removed from them.
But it might be that this collection also revolves around stories that give the perspectives of animals, and Chekhov couldn't write animals. When he is successful as animals, they are part of the scene and situation, but they are more reflections of characters' attitudes than characters themselves (take a story not in here--"Misery"). But in this collection, Chekhov gets into animal's heads, quoting their thoughts, even, and thus stretching credibility.
Glad at least that most of these crummy stories have been deposited here, so as o know better what to step around.
But it might be that this collection also revolves around stories that give the perspectives of animals, and Chekhov couldn't write animals. When he is successful as animals, they are part of the scene and situation, but they are more reflections of characters' attitudes than characters themselves (take a story not in here--"Misery"). But in this collection, Chekhov gets into animal's heads, quoting their thoughts, even, and thus stretching credibility.
Glad at least that most of these crummy stories have been deposited here, so as o know better what to step around.
February 24, 2014
This collection of Checkhov stories centers on children in animals. Many of the stories are told from the perspective of children (The Cook's Wedding), or from the limited perspective of a pet. This is perhaps the cutest collection, with a trained animal act and kittens. Not the usual Chekhov fare, but still solid.
June 3, 2019
As always, if you the truth of a situation, ask a child. This story is told from the point of view of a seven-year old. The youth cannot understand the huge deal being made about a wedding that the Cook (bride) does not want to happen. This is classic Chekhov.
August 14, 2010
Ah, Chekhov the feminist. I think the kid got it right.
February 5, 2020
Great short stories, mostly about animals and children....
October 1, 2020
I'm not a big short story fan, but this guy is a master.
November 26, 2023
Many of these wonderful stories are from the viewpoint of innocent children, young adults and even animals, who struggle and suffer in a world they don't yet understand.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews