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Палата №6
В книгу вошли повести А.П. Чехова (1860 - 1904) "Степь", "Палата № 6", "Дуэль", "Скучная история" и др. Мотивы тоски существования и гнетущей действительности, часто и пронзительно звучащие в повестях Чехова, оттеняют остроту и сложность переживаний их героев. Тонкий психолог и мастер подтекста А.П. Чехов обнажает самые потаенные области сознания, создавая не спектакль персонажей-марионеток, но драматургию человеческих душ.
Содержание:
— Степь
— Скучная история
— Дуэль
— Палата № 6
— Рассказ неизвестного человека
— Три года
— Моя жизнь
— Мужики
Содержание:
— Степь
— Скучная история
— Дуэль
— Палата № 6
— Рассказ неизвестного человека
— Три года
— Моя жизнь
— Мужики
Hardcover
Published January 1, 2008
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1488 people want to read
About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,802 books9,903 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 - 30 of 126 reviews
May 27, 2016
I finally understand why Chekhov has earned the title of undisputable master of the short story. He is a genius of brevity. Never had I encountered such eloquent, detailed descriptions, both physical and psychological, of characters in so few lines.
The seven stories in this volume put their emphasis on the gentry or on the professional class, with a preeminent recurrence of doctors as protagonists, which might have a direct correlation to Chekhov’s real life experiences, for he graduated in medicine before he became a self-supporting writer.
What most struck me about Chekhov’s narrative voice is the biting realism of the sketches he so dexterously portrays. They are horrifying precisely because of their familiarity, which is so reminiscent of everyday life. Empathizing character over plot, with a terse, almost laconic style, he evokes the complexities of the human psyche with a full palette of thematic patterns: lunacy, unfaithfulness, boredom, the tediousness that ails the accommodated middle class… he brings it all with an economy of language that leaves the reader rather stunned by time the plotline reaches a generally anti-dramatic conclusion, something that differs from other Russian writers like Tolstoy or Dostoevsky. Instead, there is a deadly tension in everything that has consciously been left unsaid until it’s too late to put amends to sloth, pride, delusional idealizations or merely the unfair business that life is.
Failure at communication between the flawed characters, which get transfigured from hero to villain in the span of a few pages, is at the core of the dissatisfying existence they lead.
Religion is treated with an incredulousness that borders distrust, just like art and the creative process, which are superficial means to escape a rather grey reality.
The action takes place in anonymous towns or cities and food holds a place of honor in almost every story.
Women are presented as deluded victims with second-rate minds that end up tricked by their misconceptions on love, passion and desire.
There is no preaching or overly moralizing undertone in Chekhov’s fluctuating prose, and yet one can’t ignore the careful symmetry, the sharp irony and self-criticism that permeate his stories.
In looking back to past memories, usually through the rose-tinted glasses of childhood, or in looking forward to a better future that won’t ever materialize, the characters of Chekhov’s haunting tales reflect an erratic, imperfect world where inabilities timidly blossom, only to gradually expand among those who care about them until they die a natural death that showcase their latent insignificance.
Cynicism dulls the pain, the narrator of "An anonymous story" warns the reader. Chekhov wasn’t a cynic, but he didn’t allow himself the luxury of living a parallel life made of false illusions. He was too observant, too pragmatic and too deliciously inconsistent and in love with aesthetics to indulge himself in such luxury.
The seven stories in this volume put their emphasis on the gentry or on the professional class, with a preeminent recurrence of doctors as protagonists, which might have a direct correlation to Chekhov’s real life experiences, for he graduated in medicine before he became a self-supporting writer.
What most struck me about Chekhov’s narrative voice is the biting realism of the sketches he so dexterously portrays. They are horrifying precisely because of their familiarity, which is so reminiscent of everyday life. Empathizing character over plot, with a terse, almost laconic style, he evokes the complexities of the human psyche with a full palette of thematic patterns: lunacy, unfaithfulness, boredom, the tediousness that ails the accommodated middle class… he brings it all with an economy of language that leaves the reader rather stunned by time the plotline reaches a generally anti-dramatic conclusion, something that differs from other Russian writers like Tolstoy or Dostoevsky. Instead, there is a deadly tension in everything that has consciously been left unsaid until it’s too late to put amends to sloth, pride, delusional idealizations or merely the unfair business that life is.
Failure at communication between the flawed characters, which get transfigured from hero to villain in the span of a few pages, is at the core of the dissatisfying existence they lead.
Religion is treated with an incredulousness that borders distrust, just like art and the creative process, which are superficial means to escape a rather grey reality.
The action takes place in anonymous towns or cities and food holds a place of honor in almost every story.
Women are presented as deluded victims with second-rate minds that end up tricked by their misconceptions on love, passion and desire.
There is no preaching or overly moralizing undertone in Chekhov’s fluctuating prose, and yet one can’t ignore the careful symmetry, the sharp irony and self-criticism that permeate his stories.
In looking back to past memories, usually through the rose-tinted glasses of childhood, or in looking forward to a better future that won’t ever materialize, the characters of Chekhov’s haunting tales reflect an erratic, imperfect world where inabilities timidly blossom, only to gradually expand among those who care about them until they die a natural death that showcase their latent insignificance.
Cynicism dulls the pain, the narrator of "An anonymous story" warns the reader. Chekhov wasn’t a cynic, but he didn’t allow himself the luxury of living a parallel life made of false illusions. He was too observant, too pragmatic and too deliciously inconsistent and in love with aesthetics to indulge himself in such luxury.
January 17, 2026
#spinoff
3,5*
Que agradável era estar imóvel, deitado no sofá, com a sensação de não haver mais ninguém no quarto! Sem solidão é impossível a verdadeira felicidade. O anjo caído atraiçoou provavelmente a Deus, porque sentia desejos de uma solidão que os anjos não conhecem.
Na obra “Figuras numa Paisagem”, Paul Theroux refere o conto “Enfermaria Nº 6” como sendo um dos preferidos do neurologista Oliver Sacks. Fiquei muito intrigada com a história tal como a contavam, a de um médico que é confundido com um dos doentes da ala psiquiátrica, mas ainda que seja igualmente assustadora, é intencional e não acidental a forma como o Andrei Efimich acaba compulsivamente internado.
Andrei Efimich não tem a mínima vocação para a medicina e exercê-la é para ele um sacrifício e uma inutilidade.
Além do mais, para quê impedir que as pessoas morram, se a morte é o fim normal e lógico de cada um? Que acontecia se um ricaço ou funcionário vivia 5 ou 10 anos mais? Se se considera que o objectivo da Medicina consiste em aliviar a dor, surge a pergunta: para quê aliviá-la? Em primeiro lugar, dizem que a dor leva o homem à perfeição. (...) Pushkin, na hora da sua morte, sofreu dores horríveis, o pobre Heine esteve paralítico vários anos. Então, por que razão não havia de padecer doenças qualquer Andrei Efimich ou qualquer Mastriona Savishna, cujas vidas não possuíam qualquer conteúdo e seriam completamente vazias e parecidas com as de uma ameba se não fossem os sofrimentos?
Feroz é a crítica a todo o sistema de saúde, ou não fosse o próprio Tchekov um médico que custeou os seus estudos escrevendo contos.
É na Enfermaria Nº 6 que Andrei Efimich conhece a única pessoa que o estimula intelectualmente, um homem internado por mania da perseguição, mas isso não é bem visto pela comunidade hospitalar, que segue o provérbio “diz-me com quem andas e dir-te-ei quem és”.
Não acredite! É um engano! A minha única doença é que depois de 20 anos não encontrei em toda a cidade mais do que um homem inteligente e esse está louco. Não há qualquer doença; apenas entrei num círculo vicioso de que não há saída.
Anton Tchekov é muito habilidoso a pegar em personagens fracas, desenxabidas e insatisfeitas e a dar-lhes alguma iniciativa ou uma breve hipótese de alterarem o destino aparentemente traçado. Não é em vão que é considerado um dos melhores contistas de sempre, mas creio que era mais refinado nas histórias protagonizadas por mulheres. Se “Dô-Doce” é uma mulher que só sabe viver apaixonada...
E comparava-se às galinhas, que também não dormem de noite e se sentem inquietas quando não há um galo na capoeira.
...a “Boticária” é uma esposa entediada num momento de coquetismo com um desconhecido...
- Que infeliz eu sou!- diz a boticária, olhando enraivecida o marido, que despe rapidamente o roupão para voltar para a cama. – Que desgraçada! – repete e, de repente, desata num pranto amargo. - E ninguém, ninguém sabe...
...enquanto a “Corista” se vê confrontada com a esposa do seu amante.
- Que é isso que me dá? – perguntou. – Não lhe estou a pedir esmola, mas o que me pertence... aquilo que você, valendo-se da sua situação, tirou a meu marido...a esse desgraçado sem força de vontade... Na quinta-feira, quando a vi na doca, com ele, você ostentava uns broches e pulseiras de grande valor. Portanto, não finja: não é um cordeirinho inocente. É a última vez que lhe peço: dá-me as jóias ou não?
A Enfermaria Nº 6 - 4*
Vizinhos – 4*
Dô-Doce – 4*
Um Assassinato – DNF
O Mendigo – 3*
Sem título – 4*
O adulador – 3*
A boticária – 4*
Uma corista – 4*
3,5*
Que agradável era estar imóvel, deitado no sofá, com a sensação de não haver mais ninguém no quarto! Sem solidão é impossível a verdadeira felicidade. O anjo caído atraiçoou provavelmente a Deus, porque sentia desejos de uma solidão que os anjos não conhecem.
Na obra “Figuras numa Paisagem”, Paul Theroux refere o conto “Enfermaria Nº 6” como sendo um dos preferidos do neurologista Oliver Sacks. Fiquei muito intrigada com a história tal como a contavam, a de um médico que é confundido com um dos doentes da ala psiquiátrica, mas ainda que seja igualmente assustadora, é intencional e não acidental a forma como o Andrei Efimich acaba compulsivamente internado.
Andrei Efimich não tem a mínima vocação para a medicina e exercê-la é para ele um sacrifício e uma inutilidade.
Além do mais, para quê impedir que as pessoas morram, se a morte é o fim normal e lógico de cada um? Que acontecia se um ricaço ou funcionário vivia 5 ou 10 anos mais? Se se considera que o objectivo da Medicina consiste em aliviar a dor, surge a pergunta: para quê aliviá-la? Em primeiro lugar, dizem que a dor leva o homem à perfeição. (...) Pushkin, na hora da sua morte, sofreu dores horríveis, o pobre Heine esteve paralítico vários anos. Então, por que razão não havia de padecer doenças qualquer Andrei Efimich ou qualquer Mastriona Savishna, cujas vidas não possuíam qualquer conteúdo e seriam completamente vazias e parecidas com as de uma ameba se não fossem os sofrimentos?
Feroz é a crítica a todo o sistema de saúde, ou não fosse o próprio Tchekov um médico que custeou os seus estudos escrevendo contos.
É na Enfermaria Nº 6 que Andrei Efimich conhece a única pessoa que o estimula intelectualmente, um homem internado por mania da perseguição, mas isso não é bem visto pela comunidade hospitalar, que segue o provérbio “diz-me com quem andas e dir-te-ei quem és”.
Não acredite! É um engano! A minha única doença é que depois de 20 anos não encontrei em toda a cidade mais do que um homem inteligente e esse está louco. Não há qualquer doença; apenas entrei num círculo vicioso de que não há saída.
Anton Tchekov é muito habilidoso a pegar em personagens fracas, desenxabidas e insatisfeitas e a dar-lhes alguma iniciativa ou uma breve hipótese de alterarem o destino aparentemente traçado. Não é em vão que é considerado um dos melhores contistas de sempre, mas creio que era mais refinado nas histórias protagonizadas por mulheres. Se “Dô-Doce” é uma mulher que só sabe viver apaixonada...
E comparava-se às galinhas, que também não dormem de noite e se sentem inquietas quando não há um galo na capoeira.
...a “Boticária” é uma esposa entediada num momento de coquetismo com um desconhecido...
- Que infeliz eu sou!- diz a boticária, olhando enraivecida o marido, que despe rapidamente o roupão para voltar para a cama. – Que desgraçada! – repete e, de repente, desata num pranto amargo. - E ninguém, ninguém sabe...
...enquanto a “Corista” se vê confrontada com a esposa do seu amante.
- Que é isso que me dá? – perguntou. – Não lhe estou a pedir esmola, mas o que me pertence... aquilo que você, valendo-se da sua situação, tirou a meu marido...a esse desgraçado sem força de vontade... Na quinta-feira, quando a vi na doca, com ele, você ostentava uns broches e pulseiras de grande valor. Portanto, não finja: não é um cordeirinho inocente. É a última vez que lhe peço: dá-me as jóias ou não?
A Enfermaria Nº 6 - 4*
Vizinhos – 4*
Dô-Doce – 4*
Um Assassinato – DNF
O Mendigo – 3*
Sem título – 4*
O adulador – 3*
A boticária – 4*
Uma corista – 4*
February 2, 2015
Introduction
Further Reading
Chronology
Note on Text
Patronymics
--The Grasshopper
--Ward No. 6
--Ariadna
--The Black Monk
--Murder
--A Woman's Kingdom
--The Two Volodyas
--Three Years
--The Student
Publishing History and Notes
Further Reading
Chronology
Note on Text
Patronymics
--The Grasshopper
--Ward No. 6
--Ariadna
--The Black Monk
--Murder
--A Woman's Kingdom
--The Two Volodyas
--Three Years
--The Student
Publishing History and Notes
October 23, 2019
Not so long ago, while reading Ward No. 6 I watched this pretty fresh interview on youtube with Lyudmila Ulitskaya and she said that she was rereading Ward No. 6 just about that time and her conclusion was that Chekhov hated people. She said some more things with which I agree but this particular thing about hating people - I disagree. I think he really saw through people, he was a great psychologist as a writer and he had a deep understanding of human nature. All through his life and his medical practice he saw a lot, to say the least. And he wrote about people just as he saw them - without covering ugly details, without having favourite characters, without all this writer's "make up". But through all the pessimism and hopelessness there's forgiveness. I don't see condemnation in his words, just a sad smile, if we are discussing Ward No. 6.
Chekhov is one of my favourite writers, but I don't read him too often, because he's just a bit too depressing.
Chekhov is one of my favourite writers, but I don't read him too often, because he's just a bit too depressing.
August 13, 2017
Tchekhov foi para mim foi uma estreia no formato livro (só conhecia o autor do teatro).
Muito francamente, estava preparada para alguma dose de seca, mas fui surpreendida pela capacidade do autor de caracterizar personagens de forma muito completa e contar histórias com princípio, meio e fim em tão poucas páginas, que fiquei a perguntar-me como tal é possível. Tenho lido alguns livros com várias centenas de páginas, que não chegam aos pés deste, neste aspecto em particular.
Posto isto, não gostei igualmente de todos os contos. Aquele de que mais gostei foi, precisamente, o que dá título ao livro: a Enfermaria nº6. Por acaso é o mais longo e, quanto a mim, o mais bem conseguido. Também gostei bastante de Dô-Doce e de Um Assassinato. Depois houve outros em que apreciei a ironia, mas achei que acabavam de forma demasiado abrupta, como, por exemplo O Adulador ou A Boticária, a fazer lembrar um pouco o formato das fábulas.
Muito francamente, estava preparada para alguma dose de seca, mas fui surpreendida pela capacidade do autor de caracterizar personagens de forma muito completa e contar histórias com princípio, meio e fim em tão poucas páginas, que fiquei a perguntar-me como tal é possível. Tenho lido alguns livros com várias centenas de páginas, que não chegam aos pés deste, neste aspecto em particular.
Posto isto, não gostei igualmente de todos os contos. Aquele de que mais gostei foi, precisamente, o que dá título ao livro: a Enfermaria nº6. Por acaso é o mais longo e, quanto a mim, o mais bem conseguido. Também gostei bastante de Dô-Doce e de Um Assassinato. Depois houve outros em que apreciei a ironia, mas achei que acabavam de forma demasiado abrupta, como, por exemplo O Adulador ou A Boticária, a fazer lembrar um pouco o formato das fábulas.
February 26, 2020
"Ward #6"
Outwardly, the horrific account of a sympathetic doctor losing his sanity as he exchanges on a regular basis with one of his patients.
You're done with this book in a couple of sittings!
Matching juke-box :
Piano Quartet in A minor For Piano and Strings Trio - Gustav Mahler
---------------------------
Salle No.6
Le récit glaçant d'un praticien en asile qui perd sa santé mentale, enfin, ce qu'on conçoit comme la santé mentale dans son établissement.
Le rythme est conduit de main de maître par Tchekhov.
Dans les enceintes :
Piano Quartet in A minor For Piano and Strings Trio - Gustav Mahler
Outwardly, the horrific account of a sympathetic doctor losing his sanity as he exchanges on a regular basis with one of his patients.
You're done with this book in a couple of sittings!
Matching juke-box :
Piano Quartet in A minor For Piano and Strings Trio - Gustav Mahler
---------------------------
Salle No.6
Le récit glaçant d'un praticien en asile qui perd sa santé mentale, enfin, ce qu'on conçoit comme la santé mentale dans son établissement.
Le rythme est conduit de main de maître par Tchekhov.
Dans les enceintes :
Piano Quartet in A minor For Piano and Strings Trio - Gustav Mahler
July 21, 2020
Este livro só vem reafirmar a minha certeza de que, ninguém consegue penetrar nos recessos da alma, como os escritores russos.
January 15, 2019
Seguramente es uno de los relatos más oscuros de Chéjov, no por sí retrato de la condición humana sino por la desesperanza en las posibilidades de una vida plena que destila. La vida alrededor de un manicomio de una pequeña ciudad de provincias, en realidad un infierno anticipado, es un símbolo obvio de la marginación a la que la sociedad convencional somete al diferente. Pero el relato va más allá, prefigurando elementos kafkianos y surrealistas, distópicos, que se adelantan a gran parte de la literatura mejor del siglo XX.
November 8, 2020
Near perfection.
Perhaps one of the most comprehensive and meticulous examinations of how individuals navigate their world, in particular, because of the demands placed on them by their society. Each one of these stories considers a different reaction to the despair caused by societal and cultural standards, by the painful lesson of one's own choices, and the reminder of one's own insignificance; no matter how one responds to the unfairness -- or more aptly, the apathy -- of the world, the remainder is always the same.
If you believe that the answer of how to manage one's perspectives to mitigate the world's influence is to remove oneself spiritually and emotionally from the world and merely examine dispassionately and stoically: then, "Ward Six" may perhaps change your mind. How about intellectualising meaning, giving oneself to the purpose of ferreting out "truth"? "A Dull Story" shows that doing so may very well cause one to relinquish one's emotional connectivity. Perhaps instead, one needs to uphold family values? See: "In the Ravine". How about becoming a tourist, as Jarvis Cocker calls it, through the social classes to best understand the needs of the people? Eh... pay attention then to "My Life."
What each of these stories share in common is their unrelenting perspective of how impossible it is to live with integrity, to manage expectations, to connect, to love, to feel: and yet... they feel alive. They live and breathe as flawed human beings, prideful, and painfully foolish. Their choices are idiotic, bred oftentimes either by weakness of character or misplaced arrogance. But of the protagonists of each story, they also do it out of the absurd belief in humanity despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Chekhov is an absolute joy and Ward Six and other Short Stories is a wonderful example of his mastery in the truth that fiction can provide.
Perhaps one of the most comprehensive and meticulous examinations of how individuals navigate their world, in particular, because of the demands placed on them by their society. Each one of these stories considers a different reaction to the despair caused by societal and cultural standards, by the painful lesson of one's own choices, and the reminder of one's own insignificance; no matter how one responds to the unfairness -- or more aptly, the apathy -- of the world, the remainder is always the same.
If you believe that the answer of how to manage one's perspectives to mitigate the world's influence is to remove oneself spiritually and emotionally from the world and merely examine dispassionately and stoically: then, "Ward Six" may perhaps change your mind. How about intellectualising meaning, giving oneself to the purpose of ferreting out "truth"? "A Dull Story" shows that doing so may very well cause one to relinquish one's emotional connectivity. Perhaps instead, one needs to uphold family values? See: "In the Ravine". How about becoming a tourist, as Jarvis Cocker calls it, through the social classes to best understand the needs of the people? Eh... pay attention then to "My Life."
What each of these stories share in common is their unrelenting perspective of how impossible it is to live with integrity, to manage expectations, to connect, to love, to feel: and yet... they feel alive. They live and breathe as flawed human beings, prideful, and painfully foolish. Their choices are idiotic, bred oftentimes either by weakness of character or misplaced arrogance. But of the protagonists of each story, they also do it out of the absurd belief in humanity despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Chekhov is an absolute joy and Ward Six and other Short Stories is a wonderful example of his mastery in the truth that fiction can provide.
October 8, 2024
This is the second of a fine three-volume edition of Chekov’s stories published by Penguin paperbacks. Each volume is arranged more or less chronologically, is annotated, and accompanied with a brief and often interesting account of the publishing history of each tale in the collection. One can clearly see how much Chekov has progressed from the earlier stories of vol 1!
Here are my (purely personal) ranking:
Ward No. 6 & Other Stories, 1892-1896 (368 pg.)
“The Black Monk” (1894) [5+] — the mystic
“Ward No. 6” (1892) [5] (novella) — Kafkaesque
“Ariadna” (1895) [5] — the misogynist
“The Two Volodyas” (1893) [4.5] — a nice little vignette
“The Gasshopper” (1892) [4]
“Three Years” (1895) [4] — long novella, charming, but vague
“A Woman’s Kingdom” (1894) [3.5]
“The Student” (1894) [3.5] - one of Chekov’s favorites
“Murder” (1895) [2]
Here are my (purely personal) ranking:
Ward No. 6 & Other Stories, 1892-1896 (368 pg.)
“The Black Monk” (1894) [5+] — the mystic
“Ward No. 6” (1892) [5] (novella) — Kafkaesque
“Ariadna” (1895) [5] — the misogynist
“The Two Volodyas” (1893) [4.5] — a nice little vignette
“The Gasshopper” (1892) [4]
“Three Years” (1895) [4] — long novella, charming, but vague
“A Woman’s Kingdom” (1894) [3.5]
“The Student” (1894) [3.5] - one of Chekov’s favorites
“Murder” (1895) [2]
February 5, 2018
English title
: Ward No. 6
Note: the edition I've shelved is for the short story collection, but I read and reviewed only the singular story/novella.
Taking this off my short-stories shelf, because this is most definitely not a short story, but a novella. *Shakes fist* at goodreads for convincing me that this would be a much shorter read than it actually was! (Because I was reading on Kindle, I couldn't actually tell how long it was going to be...) Having said that it was utterly brilliant and I'm very glad to have read it.
My first thought on starting the novella was: why I have read so little Chekhov? I've seen some of his plays and know the general storylines to a lot of his most well-known works, but I can't really remember ever having sat down to read anything by him. I think the main reason for this is that Chekhov was such a prolific writer, and wrote so much, that I almost get decision fatigue when trying to decide what to start with. I picked this up as it themes on mental illness and treatment towards characters deemed to be "different" is something I am hopefully going to be writing about for the final semester of my undergrad. If this story hadn't sounded so perfect for that, then who knows how long it would have been before I'd finally have picked up a book by Chekhov.
Ward No. 6 is set in a provincial hospital and centres on the conflict between a mediocre and indifferent doctor, Andrei Efimich, and one of his mentally-ill patients, Ivan Dmitrii. Written in the 1890s, years before solid developments in clinical psychology, it's remarkable that Chekhov was able a story that discusses issues surrounding mental illness with such depth and insightfulness. Chekhov asks questions that are undoubtedly still relevant today; he questions what it is to be human, how does society judge us to be "mentally ill", how do we decide that one person is right (sane) and one person is wrong (insane), and what happens to those we deem "wrong"? We separate them from society, and whose benefit do you think that's really for? Certainly not the residents of ward no.6 themselves, perhaps for society as a whole. The doctor compares the hospital to the nearby prison, when in reality the inmates of both buildings are treated little differently in the wider, outside world:
Note: the edition I've shelved is for the short story collection, but I read and reviewed only the singular story/novella.
Taking this off my short-stories shelf, because this is most definitely not a short story, but a novella. *Shakes fist* at goodreads for convincing me that this would be a much shorter read than it actually was! (Because I was reading on Kindle, I couldn't actually tell how long it was going to be...) Having said that it was utterly brilliant and I'm very glad to have read it.
My first thought on starting the novella was: why I have read so little Chekhov? I've seen some of his plays and know the general storylines to a lot of his most well-known works, but I can't really remember ever having sat down to read anything by him. I think the main reason for this is that Chekhov was such a prolific writer, and wrote so much, that I almost get decision fatigue when trying to decide what to start with. I picked this up as it themes on mental illness and treatment towards characters deemed to be "different" is something I am hopefully going to be writing about for the final semester of my undergrad. If this story hadn't sounded so perfect for that, then who knows how long it would have been before I'd finally have picked up a book by Chekhov.
Ward No. 6 is set in a provincial hospital and centres on the conflict between a mediocre and indifferent doctor, Andrei Efimich, and one of his mentally-ill patients, Ivan Dmitrii. Written in the 1890s, years before solid developments in clinical psychology, it's remarkable that Chekhov was able a story that discusses issues surrounding mental illness with such depth and insightfulness. Chekhov asks questions that are undoubtedly still relevant today; he questions what it is to be human, how does society judge us to be "mentally ill", how do we decide that one person is right (sane) and one person is wrong (insane), and what happens to those we deem "wrong"? We separate them from society, and whose benefit do you think that's really for? Certainly not the residents of ward no.6 themselves, perhaps for society as a whole. The doctor compares the hospital to the nearby prison, when in reality the inmates of both buildings are treated little differently in the wider, outside world:
Раз существуют тюрьмы и сумасшедшие дома, то должен же кто-нибудь сидеть в них. Не вы - так я, не я - так кто-нибудь третий. Погодите, когда в далеком будущем закончат свое существование тюрьмы и сумасшедшие дома, то не будет ни решеток на окнах, ни халатов. Конечно, такое время рано или поздно настанет.(Note: please don't judge Chekhov's writing on my poor translation!!) Ivan questions why it has to be him that has lost his freedom and must be left to rot in the asylum. What right does society have to inflict such an existence on a person?
Once prisons and asylums exist, then there must be someone to live in them. If not you, me, and if not me, then someone else. In the distant future, when there are no longer prisons or asylums, then there will be neither bars on the windows nor hospital smocks. Such a time will come, sooner or later.
- А за что вы меня здесь держите?It's striking how observant and insightful Chekhov's writing is; he understands what it means to be human. He writes of a world as his characters and he himself sees it to be, not the world that we may wish to exist. Sometimes this gritty, dark realism is overwhelming, but I do see sparks of hope in his words as well, no matter how difficult and upsetting the experiences of his characters may be. The fact that he can write from the characters' perspectives in a way that makes the reader truly sympathise with them is remarkable in some ways. One character in particular I was not expecting to feel anything for, but by the end couldn't help feeling a rush of empathy for him. There is a poetic justice to his ending, but it is not a happy one, one that I have no doubt will haunt as I continue to ponder what Chekhov was observing in human nature.
- За то, что вы больны.
- Да, болен. Но ведь десятки, сотни сумасшедших гуляют на свободе, потому что ваше невежество не способно отличить их от здоровых. [...] Вы, фельдшер, смотритель и вся ваша больничная сволочь в нравственном отношении неизмеримо ниже каждого из нас, почему же мы сидим, а вы нет? Где логика?
- Why do you keep me here?
- Because you are ill.
- Yes, I'm ill. But dozens, hundreds of other madmen walk about in freedom, because your ignorance is incapable of distinguishing us from the healthy. [...] You, your assistant, caretaker and all the hospital scoundrels have morals far lower than ours, so why are we stuck here and you're not? Where is the logic?
August 18, 2017
I will review Ward Number Six
This short novel is a parabola about the alienation of the different,in this case the differen is that one that is not a mediocre ,also is a existential tale and a allegation against the stupefy rural,provincial Russia.
Ivan Dimitrich is closed in a hospital ,in a small city,in the ward number six a ward used for mental ills,the hospital is old,dirt,and the ill treat is frequent,the patients almost abandoned;yet Ivan is ill,he is not a mediocre,thinks by himself and has deep thoughts and ideals.
The new chief of the hospital Andrey Efimych begins to work hard but his weak nature and the routine make that he neglect his duties and purposes and the busines follow as usual,but in a visit he knows Ivan, and as Andrey neither is a mediocre, finds Ivan very interesting and visit him very frquently and has long disgressions,this awakes suspicious about the sanity of Andrey in the hospital staf and the small city and is eventually resigned.In a leisure journey with a flighty friend and a loan to this friend Andrey loss his savings an as has not pension falls in poverty,the authorities of the city think he is better closed in the hospital and with ruses closed him in the ward number six with his ancient patient Ivan, Andrey falls in desesperation and try to scape,is catched and beated and die painfully.
In his burial only two persons show up
This short novel is a parabola about the alienation of the different,in this case the differen is that one that is not a mediocre ,also is a existential tale and a allegation against the stupefy rural,provincial Russia.
Ivan Dimitrich is closed in a hospital ,in a small city,in the ward number six a ward used for mental ills,the hospital is old,dirt,and the ill treat is frequent,the patients almost abandoned;yet Ivan is ill,he is not a mediocre,thinks by himself and has deep thoughts and ideals.
The new chief of the hospital Andrey Efimych begins to work hard but his weak nature and the routine make that he neglect his duties and purposes and the busines follow as usual,but in a visit he knows Ivan, and as Andrey neither is a mediocre, finds Ivan very interesting and visit him very frquently and has long disgressions,this awakes suspicious about the sanity of Andrey in the hospital staf and the small city and is eventually resigned.In a leisure journey with a flighty friend and a loan to this friend Andrey loss his savings an as has not pension falls in poverty,the authorities of the city think he is better closed in the hospital and with ruses closed him in the ward number six with his ancient patient Ivan, Andrey falls in desesperation and try to scape,is catched and beated and die painfully.
In his burial only two persons show up
November 5, 2023
How can you describe the Chekhovian effect? Simple,yet complex in its themes. Beautiful, yet a blurry sense of melancholy. It is a collection of some short stories written by Chekhov. I don't know whether these are his best works or not. But most of the stories here touched in a profound way(or am i just scratching the surface like a dog). Ward No.6 would of course be my favourite. Here in this story we can see the distinction bewteen normalcy and madness dissolving. Human soul seen in a loop. I also loved the first story of this book,The grasshopper I don't know why,but Chekhov's male characters are so sweet and lovely. We can say the female characters are kind of traditional. But with depth and dimension of course. Now I just want to read Chekhov more and more. My motto is: to read one short story of Chekhov every day/night.
May 3, 2020
Many claim that Chekhov was most successful when using the short story form. It turns out that I much prefer his plays. His theater pieces seem more expansive (some would say boring) and the philosophical messages are delivered more gently. The reader or audience member has more time to contemplate. The stories here felt heavy-handed, with their morals concentrated, obvious, and (ironically) overly dramatic.
March 26, 2024
Pobrecito chejov estaba muy triste con la vida, le hacia falta un abrazo y un chocolatito caliente. Pero que bien escribe, es sincero y simple, me dejo pensativa en el tren.
June 2, 2023
I must say that Chekhov is still striking us with his masterpiece short stories . His insightful stories will never fade for future generations, because he wrote about the human being (his suffering, affection, love, anxieties, or miseries). Throughout the stories that I read he makes me feel for the character and sometimes be the character.. to the extent that I actually felt the depth of the character’s personality in me .. and start thinking of how to solve or think about the issues that the character is facing!
Ward Number six is the one that I liked the most.
Ward Number Six represents an important question which still persists today : who is the lunatic? Chekhov draws two characters to deal with such question the doctor (Ragin) and the so called “lunatic” his patient (Gromov). Bothdoctor and patient have some concerns, and questions need answers. Such concerns or questions (or actually the fact that having conscience) are not deemed to be crazy according to Chekhov. However, according to society you may be considered lunatic to think deeply in such matters!
It can be said that today we have the same problem in answering such question. We try to look at each other …way of thinking (believing in something) or questioning something.. or even actions as whether they are right (means you are sane) or wrong (means you are a lunatic).
For example in any society, if you talk about justice and how a government or a regime should fall .. society will judge you as lunatic, very few will agree with you in the beginning, and those few will be judged the same way as you’ve been judged “lunatic”.
So, does it became a mere judgment (lunatic not lunatic) according to society or is it really a psychological, mental disease that you should be thrown in a hospital “Ward Number Six”. Chekhov was very clever in discussing this matter of the inside world (human inner world) and the outside world (society).. and that it is not necessarily mean that society is always “sane”!
When says: “Ragin was still convinced that there was no difference at all between Mrs. Belov ‘s house and Ward Number Six, …”. P65
He also depicts the picture that those who are in Ward Number Six might be a few sane people among the larger lunatics of the whole society!
Ward Number six is the one that I liked the most.
Ward Number Six represents an important question which still persists today : who is the lunatic? Chekhov draws two characters to deal with such question the doctor (Ragin) and the so called “lunatic” his patient (Gromov). Bothdoctor and patient have some concerns, and questions need answers. Such concerns or questions (or actually the fact that having conscience) are not deemed to be crazy according to Chekhov. However, according to society you may be considered lunatic to think deeply in such matters!
It can be said that today we have the same problem in answering such question. We try to look at each other …way of thinking (believing in something) or questioning something.. or even actions as whether they are right (means you are sane) or wrong (means you are a lunatic).
For example in any society, if you talk about justice and how a government or a regime should fall .. society will judge you as lunatic, very few will agree with you in the beginning, and those few will be judged the same way as you’ve been judged “lunatic”.
So, does it became a mere judgment (lunatic not lunatic) according to society or is it really a psychological, mental disease that you should be thrown in a hospital “Ward Number Six”. Chekhov was very clever in discussing this matter of the inside world (human inner world) and the outside world (society).. and that it is not necessarily mean that society is always “sane”!
When says: “Ragin was still convinced that there was no difference at all between Mrs. Belov ‘s house and Ward Number Six, …”. P65
He also depicts the picture that those who are in Ward Number Six might be a few sane people among the larger lunatics of the whole society!
September 7, 2023
ESPAÑOL: El cuento corto más largo de Chejov y uno de los mejores que escribió. La filosofía nihilista del protagonista me resulta refractaria, aunque reconozco que le va bien al argumento.
ENGLISH: Chekhov's longest short story and one of the best he wrote. I don't agree with the nihilistic philosophy of the protagonist, although I accept that it's appropriate to the plot.
ENGLISH: Chekhov's longest short story and one of the best he wrote. I don't agree with the nihilistic philosophy of the protagonist, although I accept that it's appropriate to the plot.
May 24, 2021
Dari 9 karya cerpen di buku ini, bisa disimpulkan bahwa kehebatan Anton Chekhov terletak pada kemahirannya menghidupkan alam psikologis manusia -- yang kemudian ia narasikan, ia beri nama dan wujud, ia mainkan dalam situasi kehidupan yang terkesan familiar padahal ganjil. Ya, karakter-karakter dalam cerpennya seolah-olah hanyalah 'alat' atau portal pengekspresi gejolak psikologis manusia, tokoh utama yang sebenarnya bersumber dari dalam sana dengan nama-nama seperti paranoia, kecemasan, penyesalan, inferioritas, ketakutan terhadap yang tidak pasti, yang dikemas ke dalam tragedi, lalu komedi, lalu gabungan keduanya. Seperti judulnya, Ruang Inap No. 6, setiap tokoh utama di sini merupakan individu yang terperangkap dalam berbagai ruang. Ada yang berbentuk paviliun rumah sakit jiwa, penjara, kotak alat musik, atau malah yang jauh lebih abstrak lagi seperti masa tua, cinta buta, dan birokrasi. Tapi pada akhirnya Chekhov menyuguhkan pengalaman claustrophobic yang berkesan. Pada akhirnya, nama tokoh-tokohnya yang berakhiran '-ov' dan '-ich' itu tidak bakal diingat tapi kisah mereka sukses menetap di kepala.
January 4, 2023
4.5 stars
I have forced everyone in my life to endure my 'in reading this, I'll check off Chekhov' joke, so now I'm writing this review to make all my Goodreads followers endure it. However, I believe that Chekhov shouldn't be ticked off a list of Russian greats, but rather treated with the same depth of consideration afforded to Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment or Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. In relatively few pages, he confronts great questions about human nature and existence with all the dexterity of those novelists.
I have forced everyone in my life to endure my 'in reading this, I'll check off Chekhov' joke, so now I'm writing this review to make all my Goodreads followers endure it. However, I believe that Chekhov shouldn't be ticked off a list of Russian greats, but rather treated with the same depth of consideration afforded to Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment or Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. In relatively few pages, he confronts great questions about human nature and existence with all the dexterity of those novelists.
June 6, 2017
Los rusos son otro nivel de tristeza.
February 3, 2026
DNF
Well at least I found out classic short stories are not for me, nothing against Chekhov this kind of thing just isn’t for me
Well at least I found out classic short stories are not for me, nothing against Chekhov this kind of thing just isn’t for me
July 4, 2013
Antón Chéjov tiene un estilo tan particular que aún si hubiera leído estos tres relatos sin saber quién era su autor, lo habría adivinado al terminarlas; lo curioso es que ninguna de sus historias es repetitiva. Un verdadero maestro de la literatura universal.
April 28, 2024
un poco la campana de cristal, un poco unamuniano (el sentimiento trágico de la vida), un poco tragedia clásica... increíble
July 16, 2015
Last month when I was reading Gary Shteyngart’s entertaining Super Sad True Love Story, he made a reference to an Anton Chekhov short story that I was unfamiliar with, “Three Lives.” So I sought out the collection it was in, Ward No.6 and Other Stories and read it. However, since I’ve read only a couple of his stories in anthologies over the years I decided to read the rest of the stories in the collection. Overall, I think he has a great ability to describe people and their shortcomings and contradictions as well as capture the way they talk about their hopes and dreams. Thus many of the stories are timeless in how they chronicle the things that makes us all human-love, hate, envy, hope, dreams, and fears. However, Chekov is also adept at drawing a picture of life in a family run factory (in “A Woman’s Kingdom”) or the workings of a late 19th century insane asylum (in “Ward No.6”). Mental health is another theme in another short story, “The Black Monk.” But I tend to be drawn to the stories of love or failed love like “The Grasshopper” about a capricious doctor’s wife and her shallow affair with an artist, meditations on pure love in “Arindna,” the story of mismatched love in “Three Lives,” and the story of a cuckold’s wife's minor obsession with an aunt (a fallen woman) who becomes a nun in “The Two Volodyas.” This collection has what has been said to be Chekov’s favorite story, “The Student,” which is a sort of religious story where a student has an epiphany where he feels a strong feeling of goodwill and hope among the peasants through his brief contact with them on a cold night. It is easy to see why Chekhov is considered one of the great Russian writers, in the same league as Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. Then again this would be true if he had only been a playwright as well as one of the masters of the short story. The Penguin edition has an enlightening and informative introduction and competent notes throughout the stories.
February 13, 2013
El libro tiene 22 cuentos, hay de todo, típicas depresiones rusas, historias de amor y hasta tragicomedias. Me gusta muchísimo como escribe Chéjov: incluye opiniones sin perder la naturalidad en la narración, sabe manipular al lector, escribe desde la perspectiva humana.
Sin lugar a dudas El Pabellón No.6 es lo más grande del libro, lloré y reí, pero le tomé cariño a dos cuentos: Relato de la Señora N. N. y La Dama del Perrito.
La edición que leí es de 1967, espero que la traducción haya sido corregida porque, sinceramente, fue algo arbitraria.
Sin lugar a dudas El Pabellón No.6 es lo más grande del libro, lloré y reí, pero le tomé cariño a dos cuentos: Relato de la Señora N. N. y La Dama del Perrito.
La edición que leí es de 1967, espero que la traducción haya sido corregida porque, sinceramente, fue algo arbitraria.
April 6, 2014
Читая Чехова понимаешь, что основные проблемы в образовании, медицине и вообще в обществе, что сто лет назад, что сейчас - это что людей в основном заботит только личное материальное благополучие и ничего больше. Что остаётся делать человеку, который мыслит широко, среди пошлости, грубости и невежества? Или стать таким как все, или выносить одиночество заключения морального или физического.
Read
August 6, 2023el primer relato me ha gustao mucho x la critica y el resto me han parecido un poco sin mas la verdad me los esperaba un poco más sutiles teniendo en cuenta que es el maestro de carver pero bueno son solo cuatro cuentos y su obra es super extensa asi que seguire leyendolo... de todas formas me ha parecido super punk! seguro que chéjov habría sido fan de cristina morales idc
March 29, 2026
The Grasshopper: 8/10
Ward No.6: 9/10
Ariadna: 8/10
The Black Monk: 8.5/10
Murder: 6.5/10
A Woman’s Kingdom: 7/10
The Two Volodyas: 7/10
Three Years: 6.5/10
The Student: 7/10
March 17, 2026
such great collection of short stories!!
December 9, 2018
This was the first collection of Chekhov's short stories I've read and still one of my favorites.
It contains "A Dreary Story", definitely among my top 3 favorites of Chekhovian stories. It is a veritable onion or Russian doll. Even after three re-reads, it still yields new meaning and grants new perspectives on every page, layers after layers of wonder. Like James Joyce’s “The Dead”, it is a short story to rival any great novel. Seriously, read it, and then read it again.
The other stories belong to what I like to call "novelist Chekhov" (except "The Neighbor", which is also vintage Chekhov in its lack of a resolution). These narratively-directed short stories and novellas put him on full footing with the great novelists of Russia’s Golden Era. Chekhov’s scope gradually becomes broader and broader, from an initial (mostly) two-man play (“Ward Number Six”) to a larger ensemble of lovers and knaves (“Anonymous Story” “Ariadne”). The greatest of them all, “In the Ravine”--rich and evocative as any major Russian novel--is not included in this collection, and that might be my only beef with the editor.
—“Ward Number Six”: The first time I read it (almost a decade ago), the plight of the Doctor frightened me. The next time I read it, I saw the poetic justice in his plight, but the implication—that of remorseless, pitiless Justice—frightened me more. One of the most chilling stories ever penned.
—“An Anonymous Story”: Similar to "The Duel", it is a variation on the same theme of a sordid love affair between a Superfluous Man and an educated but banal woman. They seem to be Chekhov’s response to the great masters of the Russian Golden Era. Rich in Tolstoyan themes, it also manages to introduce elements of Dostoyevsky: the clusterphobic setting of the flat, the Underground Man(servant). The result is not altogether successful but the ending, smack in the middle of nothing at all, is vintage Chekhov.
—“Ariadne”: Chekhov is clearly at the height of his astringency and terseness here, managing to say in very few words more than most writers accomplish in pages. “Even when she was in a good mood she thought nothing of insulting a servant or killing an insect. She liked bullfights and reading about murders, and was angry when accused people were acquitted in court.” Never has a more convincing portrait been created with so few strokes!
In fall of 2016 I reread about 65 of Chekhov's short stories as well as short novels in chronologic order over 2 weeks. It was an immersive experience; the stories really sank in this time. The reviews, including this one, may be accessed as follows: Selected Stories, The Steppe and Other Stories, The Princess and Other Stories, The Russian Master and Other Stories, A Woman's Kingdom and Other Stories.
It contains "A Dreary Story", definitely among my top 3 favorites of Chekhovian stories. It is a veritable onion or Russian doll. Even after three re-reads, it still yields new meaning and grants new perspectives on every page, layers after layers of wonder. Like James Joyce’s “The Dead”, it is a short story to rival any great novel. Seriously, read it, and then read it again.
The other stories belong to what I like to call "novelist Chekhov" (except "The Neighbor", which is also vintage Chekhov in its lack of a resolution). These narratively-directed short stories and novellas put him on full footing with the great novelists of Russia’s Golden Era. Chekhov’s scope gradually becomes broader and broader, from an initial (mostly) two-man play (“Ward Number Six”) to a larger ensemble of lovers and knaves (“Anonymous Story” “Ariadne”). The greatest of them all, “In the Ravine”--rich and evocative as any major Russian novel--is not included in this collection, and that might be my only beef with the editor.
—“Ward Number Six”: The first time I read it (almost a decade ago), the plight of the Doctor frightened me. The next time I read it, I saw the poetic justice in his plight, but the implication—that of remorseless, pitiless Justice—frightened me more. One of the most chilling stories ever penned.
—“An Anonymous Story”: Similar to "The Duel", it is a variation on the same theme of a sordid love affair between a Superfluous Man and an educated but banal woman. They seem to be Chekhov’s response to the great masters of the Russian Golden Era. Rich in Tolstoyan themes, it also manages to introduce elements of Dostoyevsky: the clusterphobic setting of the flat, the Underground Man(servant). The result is not altogether successful but the ending, smack in the middle of nothing at all, is vintage Chekhov.
—“Ariadne”: Chekhov is clearly at the height of his astringency and terseness here, managing to say in very few words more than most writers accomplish in pages. “Even when she was in a good mood she thought nothing of insulting a servant or killing an insect. She liked bullfights and reading about murders, and was angry when accused people were acquitted in court.” Never has a more convincing portrait been created with so few strokes!
In fall of 2016 I reread about 65 of Chekhov's short stories as well as short novels in chronologic order over 2 weeks. It was an immersive experience; the stories really sank in this time. The reviews, including this one, may be accessed as follows: Selected Stories, The Steppe and Other Stories, The Princess and Other Stories, The Russian Master and Other Stories, A Woman's Kingdom and Other Stories.
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