Τα Χριστούγεννα και άλλες χριστουγεννιάτικες ιστορίες

by Anton Chekhov, Σταυρούλα Αργυροπούλου (Translator)

Πέντε Χριστουγεννιάτικες ιστορίες χαρακτηριστικές του ρωσικού πνεύματος των Χριστουγέννων και γραμμένες από τον μεγάλο Αντόν Τσέχωφ γεμίζουν τις σελίδες του βιβλίου αυτού.
Ο Βάνκα Ζούκωφ, ένα εννιάχρο αγόρι, ο Βαλόντια, η Ναταλία, ο ιδιόρυθμος Τσετσεβίτσιν, η Βασιλίσα, ο Γιεγκόρ, ο μπεκρής Ιβάν Ιβάνιτς και ο δημόσιος υπάλληλος Γκεράσιμ Κουζμίτς Σινκλετέγιεφ είναι οι πρωταγωνιστές των ιστοριών αυτών, μέσα από τις λέξεις των οποίων, με ένα εξαιρετικά λεπτό χιούμορ ξεπηδάει μια γλυκιά Χριστουγεννιάτικη μελαγχολία.

Genres: Short Stories, Christmas, Classics, Fiction, Russia, Russian Literature, Audiobook

98 pages, Hardcover

First published February 22, 2001

About the author

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 Alfred Dreyfus, his friendship with Suvorin ended

Reviews

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The search for older Christmas stories has led me in some interesting directions, and Anton Chekhov's 1900 short story "At Christmas Time" is one of the more unexpected findings, a heartwrenching tale of isolation and miscommunication. (Do NOT read for happy holiday feels!)

This story is told in two parts: In Part I, An older couple, Vasilisa and Pyotr, who live in the Russian countryside haven't seen and have hardly heard from their daughter Yefimya for four years, since she married a former soldier and moved to Petersburg. The couple is illiterate, so Vasilisa pays the local innkeeper's brother-in-law, Yegor, fifteen kopecks to write a letter for them to Yefimya. Her heart is so full, but after the first couple of lines, Vasilisa doesn't know how to continue the letter. Yegor decides to take it on himself to write whatever he feels like. In Part II, we see what happens when the letter reaches Yefimya.

The normally cheerful setting of Christmastime and the love that the couple obviously feel for their long-absent daughter and she for them stunningly contrasts with the uncaring, selfish people around them. The family's communications and connections are hindered by physical distance and the parents' illiteracy, but even more by these corrupt and even evil people.

The last line refers to "charcot douche," which was a high-pressure shower that massaged the entire body, purportedly for health reasons. I have my suspicions as to why it would be of interest to the general.

The story appears to be Chekhov's indictment of the disintegration of Russian society. Even the general who appears at the end is a symbol of the brokenness and corruption of their country at the turn of the 20th century. It's a tragic but thought-provoking tale.

Read "At Christmas Time" free online here at Wikisource.

[TheBookWarren · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️ (rnd 🆙) — Now THIS is a prescient, soft-pedal example of what Christmas should be all about! Leave it to Chekhov to permeate my psyche in the most sagacious & dare I say perspicacious manner imaginable.

Anton Chekhov’s At Christmas Time is a tender, understated piece that captures the quiet heartbreak of familial separation and the poignant hope of reunion. The story centers around an elderly peasant woman, Vasilisa, yearning to reconnect with her estranged daughter through a letter dictated to a scribe. In true Chekhovian style, the narrative is spare, true & subtle yet loaded with emotional depth, offering a vivid glimpse into the lives of ordinary people whom like many throughout time are burdened by love, loss, & most certainly, circumstance.

The beauty of this story lies in its simplicity via subtlety. Chekhov resists melodrama, instead allowing the reader to feel the unspoken tension between Vasilisa’s longing, accentuated via the harsh reality of her circumstances. His prose as ever, is gentle yet evocative, with an eye for the small details that make life so achingly real.

That said, the story’s brevity works both for and against it. While the emotional resonance lingers, some readers may find themselves wishing for a fuller exploration of the characters’ inner lives. It’s a testament to Chekhov’s skill that such a short piece can feel so complete, though it Le length means it cannot quite reach the heights of his more celebrated works, this is another exemplary work of storytelling without any excess whatsoever. Sure, it’s not exactly a hoot, but it’s the type of story that helps remind us that this time of year isn’t always joyful, for many it’s laden with pain, longing & loneliness.

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Russians I tell you, no matter what they do--they do it their way and in their very "unique" style. I read this story years ago as a part of The Portable Chekhov and it has remained with me ever since. This is a very stark, but beautiful story of one family...at Christmas time. Like in Gogol's The Night Before Christmas, the events do not necessarily have to take place around the holidays, but unlike in that comedy this story uses it to beautiful dramatic effect. It is quiet, but not as quiet as Tolstoy. There is a warmth in Chekhov's writing that I think distinguishes him from other Russian writers. In any sense, this is a story that I can recommend be checked out if you want a Christmas story with warmth, but not any cheesiness or too much corny sentimentality.

[Menia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I HATED THIS STORY. It's well-written, of course; it's Chekhov. But the story itself is awful. But that doesn't make it bad, so, I liked it. You know what I mean... I hope, because I don't know how to explain it properly.

This short story is about an old couple struggling with life and an unstable economy, and they have this daughter that they haven't seen in a long time. First, I disliked the daughter, because I thought she didn't care about her parents and instead, she dedicated her entire life to her new family, forgetting where she came from. But as I kept reading... I understood what was going on. There's plenty to analyze and talk about in here.

This is another unsettling Christmas tale about hopelessness, fear, abandonment, loneliness. Not a cheery stuff to read now, sure, but still I think it's important to read it since it reminds us what we have (and really matters) and maybe, that makes us feel more grateful and less whiny about moronic little details.

Dec 28, 13
* Also on my blog.

[Αγγελική · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πράες ιστορίες, τοποθετημένες σε ρωσικά εδάφη, την περίοδο των Χριστουγέννων.
Γαλήνια γραφή που γλυκά γλυκά αιχμαλωτίζει τον αναγνώστη.
Όμορφο βιβλιαράκι, προσεγμένη έκδοση. Στο τέλος υπάρχει βιογραφία του Τσέχωφ με φωτογραφικό υλικό.

[Flybyreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew from the beginning that it was a mistake to read a Christmas story by Russian authors but I cannot stop the little classics-obsessed devil inside me. Chekhov might be my least favourite Russian author and I have no idea how he managed to insert this much misery, poverty and abuse into a very short “Christmas” story but he did it. Do not get me wrong, the story itself is quite powerful I give him that, it squeezed my heart and I just wanted it to end before it left any permanent damage. Read at your own expense, just do not expect a typically cozy, christmassy heart-warming tale from him.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a feel-good story, but Chekhov is amazing. His stories remind me of a snow globe: after you shake it up and watch the swirling, slowly a simple image is revealed, and you stare at it in wonder.

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have arranged my thoughts on this short story into a haiku:

"Simple written words
Are more than their dull meaning
When they're delivered."

[Grace RS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leave it to the Russians to write tragic Christmas tales. Chekhov presents the downfall of the Russia with the presence of St Petersburg (a symbol of Westernization and modernization). Since the youth have left for this city, the parents and grandparents are left behind in the country, thus showing the disintegration of family values. Because of its location, St Petersburg offers many therapeutic water centers, but because they're located in St Petersburg (an unnatural city, one opposed to the Russian spirit; its construction led to over 30,000 deaths), how can healing take place? The longed-for daughter is utterly unhappy; the general, who is there for treatments, clearly has dementia; and this soldier has no concern whatsoever for the family in the country.

Found within the "A Very Russian Christmas" collection.

[books_by_georgina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Μέσα από τα διηγήματα του Τσέχοφ μπορεί να δεις κανείς την διαφορετικότητα που υπάρχει στην γραφή του σε σχέση με σύγχρονους συγγραφείς. Αυτές οι μικρές χριστουγεννιάτικες ιστορίες δεν ήταν ιδιαίτερα ευχάριστες, αλλά το αντίθετο. Ήταν αρκετά μελαγχολικές και δεν μπορώ να πω ότι με ενθουσιάσαν. 2,5/5 ⭐️λοιπόν.

[Fay · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first I've ever read of Chekhov and I have to say, I think it was a great introduction. At Christmas Time is incredibly well-written, though I think it would have been quite better if I could understand Russian and could have read it in its original language (things tend to get lost in translation). This is a very easy read, but not really a read you'd want to give to children as a bedtime story the night before Christmas. It's a very "adult" Christmas story, dealing with deeper issues such as financial instability, illness and death, and domestic violence. It's an honest story about what holidays are for many people--a longing to be with family that you can't reach and turmoil over those you have lost. It's not a very happy story, but it is a very good one and if you have the time, please read it.

Quotes:
She could say nothing more. And yet before, when she lay awake thinking at night, it had seemed to her that she could not get all she had to say into a dozen letters. Since the time when her daughter had gone away with her husband much water had flowed into the sea, the old people had lived feeling bereaved, and sighed heavily at night as though they had buried their daughter.

She was very much frightened of him -- oh, how frightened of him! She trembled and was reduced to terror by the sound of his steps, by the look in his eyes, and dared not utter a word in his presence.

He was vulgarity itself: coarse, conceited, invincible, proud of having been born and bred in a pot-house; and Vasilisa quite understood the vulgarity, but could not express it in words, and could only look angrily and suspiciously at Yegor.

[Stephen Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sad little Christmas story in two parts. In the first, a peasant couple is dictating a letter to their daughter, who moved to St. Petersburg and whom they haven't heard from in years. In the second part, we see the daughter reading the letter surrounded by her three children; we also get a glimpse of her unhappy marriage to her husband, who is a porter in a hydropathic clinic. As is typical of Chekhov, the narration is simple and coolly objective, but various things both stated and implied combine to evoke an emotional response. Bunin considered this to be one of Chekhov's best stories.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

True, it's well written, but even this could not save the content of the story. I read this as a part of the Tales of Christmas short story collection and, of the stories, this was the most forgettable. The dominating theme is a loss of communication, but the degradation of the family due to this was avoidable and tragic. I suppose this was the purpose of the story, but I hated the daughter's husband so much that all my care for the writing flew out the window.

[Amalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the final selected short prose to read during the month of December in the Discovering Russian Literature group.

Despite the depressing theme, I thought it was a great tale. A short tale addressing number of issues like Domestic Violence, Family Relationships, Freedom, Loneliness, Marital Discord, Power Relations etc. etc. At a time of hope, all the characters are without it. A very short tale among the last stories completed by Chekhov.

[AdN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nunca había leído algo de Anton Chekhov. Hoy al leer esta corta historia de navidad pienso que Chekhov se me revela como un maestro de la síntesis en esta pequeña historia que nos recuerda la importancia de estar juntos como familia y que nos muestra pequeños fragmentos de la influencia de la política sobre la condición inhumana.
Casi un Haiku representativo del sentimiento que define a la familia.

[Dalal Hamdan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chekhov's impression at the ending line " Charcot douche, your Excellency!" is very symbolic at its peak. You have to be aware that Chekhov was a very intelligent doctor, and he always employed his strong ethics in the stories. the "douche" refers to the corruption life that impacted Andrey's family life. Sad story, indeed, but I love reading stories about the time of letters exchange and how people were act on it. This one was my best in such a new concept by Anton.

[gigi_booksworld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μικρές ιστορίες με φόντο τα Χριστούγεννα στη Ρωσία, ωραία γραφή που σου μεταφέρει το κλίμα της και τις συνήθειες της εποχής. Αν και λίγο στενάχωρο σε κάποια σημεία.

[Adela · Rating 5 out of 5]

(some spoilers)

I absolutely adored the author's style, which is concise, yet at the same time very rich in imagery. It's very interesting how Chekhov doesn't really address Christmas as a topic directly, yet manages to pack the six pages with an unmistakable Holiday "feeling."

The narration is also very original: it all starts with a dialogue, a (sort of) flashback providing context, then comes back to the parent's present, and finally lets the reader "travel" with the letter to the daughter's present. In my opinion, there are many important themes, but the central one is the terrible consequences that arise from indifference. Yegor's and Yefimya's husband's indifference towards their situation (them not wanting to help) are what make it impossible for the family to reconnect with each other and the cause for so much sorrow during Christmas time.

It also made me reflect on the importance of education. Knowing how to read and write gives Yegor a certain power over Yefimya's illiterate parents. Even though it's the parents who have things to say (substance), it's Yegor the one who gets to communicate and immortalize in a letter his ridiculous ideas. The latter only writes what will make him sound important. Education provides you with tools, but educated people are not necessarily more refinated or less vulgar than uneducated ones.

This idea of impossible communication also reminded me a little to Kafka's short story "An Imperial Message" in the best way possible :)

[Ankita · Rating 3 out of 5]

During Covid-19 many of us have faced a situation where we were apart from our loved ones due to lockdown, and varied other safety reasons. 


Christmas time similarly is based on a couple who are awaiting news of their daughter. Post marriage when she left the village, they haven't heard from her since then. A short story of human emotions, helplessness and indifference. At Christmas Time” remains an uneasy mixture of misery and humor, one Chekhov often employed. His writings are mostly temperamental - the way he saw the world. 

For me the six page story from Constance Garnett translation said more with emotions rather than words. A mother's worry about her daughter, a daughter's helpless in not being able to see her parents, a hopeful father who thinks that her daughter might have be fine living with kids and the husband, an apathetic husband who is busy with work and never showed the respect that the wife deserved. A double edged ending which keeps one pondering what would happen next.

[Gary Sites · Rating 5 out of 5]

"At Christmas Time" moves the way cold seeps through a thin coat—quiet, yet straight into the bones. Chekhov offers no melodrama and no hand reaching for our pity. Vasilisa’s longing drifts through the story like wood smoke over a frozen village, shaped by poverty, fear, and the blunt indifference of circumstance. The prose is spare and tender, alert to the small truths that make ordinary lives ache with reality.
Its brevity is both mercy and wound. Chekhov doesn’t linger, but what he leaves behind clings to you, the way certain memories do when the light fades. This isn’t the broad canvas of "The Steppe" or the quiet moral thunder of "The Lady with the Dog", yet it belongs to the same family—work that trusts restraint over display.
This is an adult Christmas story, stripped of tinsel and consolation. The season becomes a reckoning, not a refuge, and hope is in short supply for everyone involved. Still, there is something humane in its honesty. Like Chekhov at his best, it asks us to look harder at what we have, to hold it more carefully, and that we are all in need of grace.

[Galowa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautifully written (Chekhovian, after all,) extremely heart-wrenching story of longing and loss at Christmastime, between an elderly woman and her far-distant and seemingly uncommunicative adult daughter with a husband and children of her own. It's revealed that both wish to be in contact, yet both are kept isolated and out of touch by forces beyond their control: the elderly mother dependent on the assistance of others due to her illiteracy, and the distant daughter so controlled by her abusive husband that she has no access to send or receive communications by post. It's a bitterly cruel and heartbreaking story of "man's inhumanity to woman"; perfect Russian Christmas fare. For a similarly 'Russian' but more uplifting Christmas read, I recommend Tolstoy's "Master And Man..."

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a warm and fuzzy story that has a happy ending. But it is beautifully written in the classic Chekov style. An older couple lost contact with their married daughter and have a letter written to her. My heart ached for the mother and her anguish at not having seen her daughter for years. The second chapter is the daughter’s response to the letter and my heart just broke. I love that she instantly remembering all of the winter memories of the village and smothering her babies with kisses. Though many outside circumstances were keeping this little family apart, it was remarkable how strong the memories were.

[Eirini Proikaki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
Αν ψάχνετε για ευχάριστες feel good χριστουγεννιάτικες ιστορίες, μην προτιμήσετε τον Τσέχωφ.
"Ο Βάνκα" και "Τα Χριστούγεννα" είναι δύο διηγήματα που σου τσακίζουν την ψυχή. Μέσα σε λίγες σελίδες νιώθεις όλο τον πόνο αυτών των ανθρώπων που μάταια περιμένουν κάτι να αλλάξει.
"Τ' αγόρια" είναι η τρίτη χριστουγεννιάτικη ιστορία, λίγο μελαγχολική αλλά όχι τόσο στενάχωρη όσο οι άλλες δύο.
Και τέλος, οι δύο πρωτοχρονιάτικες ιστορίες, "Νύχτα στο νεκροταφείο" και "Οι μεγαλομάρτυρες της Πρωτοχρονιάς", που είναι και οι δύο αστείες (ευτυχώς!).

[Liberis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Όμορφες, γλυκόπικρες -μην ξεχνάμε βρισκόμαστε στη ρωσική στέπα- ιστορίες με κοινό τους θέμα τις Γιορτές. Πάντα τη χαρά τη συνοδεύει η θλίψη,πάντα υπάρχει μια μελαγχολία, αλλά ένα βράδυ με παγωνιά, ζεστό ρόφημα και ξάπλα στο κρεβάτι με τα φωτάκια να παίζουν, ο Τσέχοφ πάντα είναι μια καλή παρέα. ��υσικά όχι μόνο οι χριστουγεννιάτικες ιστορίες του Τσέχωφ, αλλά και τόσων άλλων, του Ντίκενς, του Παπαδιαμάντη κλπ.

[ΑΝΝΑ · Rating 3 out of 5]

_Μικρέ θες να το διαβάσεις?
_Ρωσικα? Μπα,είναι καταθλιπτικά τα παραμύθια τους.
Και ναι,κρύβουν μια μελαγχολία και μια κακουχία πίσω από το κλίμα θαλπωρής των Χριστουγέννων ,όχι όμως για τον απλό λαό και όχι για την εποχή εκείνη. Αν και τα διηγήματα είναι μια σταλιά,οι εικόνες περνάνε μπροστά σου σαν να βλέπεις ταινία.

[Joseph Crockett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially liked in this story how the old grandmother had such keen intelligence and instinct, but no way to articulate that latent intelligence. I think that’s what this short story captures so well, the voicelessness of those in poverty, of the illiterate ones of great intelligence, who have a depth of soul, but not a soul to share those deep places with.

[Μ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Αμερικάνικα Χριστούγεννα: Το πνεύμα των Χριστουγέννων, δώρα, φαγητά, οικογένεια, έρωτες, Άγιος Βασίλης.
Ρώσικα Χριστούγεννα: Μέθυσα όσο δεν πάει και κατέληξα σε ένα νεκροταφείο. Νόμιζα ότι με κυνηγάνε οι σκελετοί. Όταν ξεμέθυσα, έφυγα.

[Riddhika Khanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story of a mother trying to reach out to her daughter by writing her a letter on Christmas. Unfortunately, it had no impact on me.