A Tragic Man Despite Himself: The Complete Short Plays

by Anton Chekhov, George Malko (Translator)

This exciting anthology of one-act plays includes classics such as Anton Chekhov's "The Boor" and John Millington Synge's "Riders to the Sea" as well as lesser-known gems such as Alice Gerstenberg's "Fourteen" and Percival Wilde's "The Sequel." Other plays in the collection include August Strindberg's "The Stronger," Moliere's "The Pretentious Young Ladies," Neith Boyce's "Enemies," Horace Holley's "The Genius," Susan Glaspell's "Trifles," and Ferenc Molnar's "A Matter of Husbands." Best of all, every play in this anthology is in the public domain and may, therefore, be performed without paying royalties, making this a great resource for theatres or schools with limited budgets.

Genres: Plays, Russia, Fiction, Classics, Russian Literature, Drama

600 pages, paper

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

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

Reviews

[Micah Cummins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of Chekhov's short stories, but still an enjoyable read.

[Sandra de Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edited by J. Crabb 2007 155 pp. Plays including Trifles by Susan Glaspell one of the first plays by a woman I read before founding a women's theatre company in 1976. Plays by Chekhov, Strindberg, Boyce, Moliere, and more.

[Naz · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another absurd little play about the frustrations brought about by life's little mundanities

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to some comedy from Chekhov's plays, and another short one act sketch with only two characters. Very fun.

[William Cherico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny satire about a guy who can't be pleased by any of the good stuff in his life. Goes on for maybe a little too long, but the monologue definitely starts to feel farcical and funny again by the end of it.

[Menna Raafat · Rating 4 out of 5]

الفساد السياسي يؤدي إلى الفساد الإجتماعي سواء داخليا كان او خارجيا مع الضغط المستمر واﻹصرار يظلم الشريف الذي يتعلق ببصيص من الحياة الكريمة فيشعر بأن الحياة أصبحت عدوته فحتى شكوته ستؤدي إلى نهاية أمره بالجنون ﻷن حقيقة اﻷمر وأسفي مع كل ما يحدث للجميع، لا يشعر بك أحدا.

[William West]

Some of Chekhov's best works.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this one; we all know a Murashkin in real life.