Checking out Chekhov: A Guide to the Plays for Actors, Directors, and Readers

by Sharon Marie Carnicke

This book paints a vivid portrait of Anton Chekhov―a Russian writer whose elusive personality and richly detailed plays have left an indelible imprint upon the world’s theatre. Every page reveals the joys and difficulties of his short life, his comic sensibility, deep compassion, and often puzzling use of dramatic style and genre. Carnicke demystifies Chekhov’s plays―forged from his literary innovations, avid theatergoing, love of vaudeville, and loathing of melodrama. She interweaves biographical and cultural information with insightful case studies and close analysis to leave her reader with a full and fresh perspective on an artist who is as foundational to theatrical traditions as are Shakespeare and Stanislavsky.

200 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Deva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book a very interesting overview of Chekhov as a man and writer. Strangely enough, I have not yet read any of Chekhov's works themselves, aside from what Sharon Carnicke included, but I am definitely even more interested to do so now.