The Witch

by Anton Chekhov

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. 1st World Library-Literary Society is a non-profit educational organization. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG IT was approaching nightfall. The sexton, Savely Gykin, was lying in his huge bed in the hut adjoining the church. He was not asleep, though it was his habit to go to sleep at the same time as the hens. His coarse red hair peeped from under one end of the greasy patchwork quilt, made up of coloured rags, while his big unwashed feet stuck out from the other. He was listening. His hut adjoined the wall that encircled the church and the solitary window in it looked out upon the open country. And out there a regular battle was going on. It was hard to say who was being wiped off the face of the earth, and for the sake of whose destruction nature was being churned up into such a ferment; but, judging from the unceasing malignant roar, someone was getting it very hot. A victorious force was in full chase over the fields, storming in the forest and on the church roof, battering spitefully with its fists upon the windows, raging and tearing, while something vanquished was howling and wailing. . . . A plaintive lament sobbed at the window, on the roof, or in the stove. It sounded not like a call for help, but like a cry of misery, a consciousness that it was too late, that there was no salvation. The snowdrifts were covered with a thin coating of ice; tears quivered on them and on the trees; a dark slush of mud and melting snow flowed along the roads and paths. In short, it was thawing, but through the dark night the heavens failed to see it, and flung flakes of fresh snow upon the melting earth at a terrific rate. And the wind staggered like a drunkard. It would not let the snow settle on the ground, and whirled it round in the darkness at random.

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

308 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1886

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

[AiK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Этот короткий рассказ – еще один высокий образец емкой, но глубокой чеховской прозы, описывающей простых людей из забытого Богом места. Дьячок Савелий Гыкин давно уже не дьячок, а сторож при церквушке. Приход его упразднили несколько лет назад, а к месту этому они приросли, ибо жена его, Раиса Ниловна, - дочка предыдущего дьякона. Женился он по случаю. Старый дьякон перед отходом от дел попросил прислать неженатого священника себе на смену. Так он получил и приход, и жену. Савелий – полное ничтожество, он не пытается изменить свою судьбу. Но он и не ропщет. Он смирился и сломался, а скорее всего уродился таким приниженным и не стремящимся ни к чему. Живут они с дьячихой скушно, тоскливо. Его жена, дьячиха – еще не старая женщина, в браке они четыре года, детей у них нет. Ее лицо не выражает ни желаний, ни грусти, ни радости. Она статная, красивая, с особенно белой шеей, нежной кожей и ямочками на щеках. Она да, она ропщет, она не хочет ласк своего недалекого муженька.. Она хотела и хочет другой судьбы – чтобы взял ее в жены кто-то из купцов, а может даже из благородных. Никто в их сторожку, состоящую из сеней и одной комнаты, в которой все было грязно, засалено и закопчено, не приходит. Только в непогоду заблудившийся путник попросится к ним отогреться и переждать метель или стужу. Ждет дьячиха этих дней. А муженек то и заметил особенный блеск в ее глазах в такие дни. Блеск надежды. И доканывает, достает ее своими истеричным скулежом, что дескать она ведьма, насылает непогоду, чтобы мужчин привадить. А она плачет на их супружеской кровати, отвернувшись от него, плачет о своей несчастной женской судьбе.
Чехов живописно, несколькими мощными штрихами дает описания непогоды.
«А в поле была сущая война. Трудно было понять, кто кого сживал со света и ради чьей погибели заварилась в природе каша, но, судя по неумолкаемому, зловещему гулу, кому-то приходилось очень круто. Какая-то победительная сила гонялась за кем-то по полю, бушевала в лесу и на церковной крыше, злобно стучала кулаками по окну, метала и рвала, а что-то побежденное выло и плакало... Жалобный плач слышался то за окном, то над крышей, то в печке. В нем звучал не призыв на помощь, а тоска, сознание, что уже поздно, нет спасения. Снежные сугробы подернулись тонкой льдяной корой; на них и на деревьях дрожали слезы, по дорогам и тропинкам разливалась темная жижица из грязи и таявшего снега. Одним словом, на земле была оттепель, но небо, сквозь темную ночь, не видело этого и что есть силы сыпало на таявшую землю хлопья нового снега. А ветер гулял, как пьяный... Он не давал этому снегу ложиться на землю и кружил его в потемках как хотел.»

[Evoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a sad and scary tale about the fate of quite a few women and the hardship of being female in a prejudiced society that constantly diminishes your persona.
I felt immensely sorry for our female protagonist for the fact that she forced to live with such a stupid and vile man as her husband. Truly sorry to tears for her bitter fate.

[Jan de Vries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een heerlijke Tsjechov ontgroening

[فلاح رحيم · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chekhov is exceptional, every new reading is a real discovery of facts and refined story telling.

[Taja Ofthemarigold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Было безмерно жаль женщину, что она от безвыходной ситуации живёт с таким глупым и мерзким человеком, как её муж. До слёз жаль ее горькую судьбу

[Ksenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

простенько и очень грустно.

[Elizabeth Geynovich Douthit · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a sad and scary tale.

[Bessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

რამდენი შეგრძნება და პროტესტია ადამიანში, თავისი ფობიებითა და აკვიატებებით, რთული პროცესებით გონებაში და ა.შ., მაგრამ ამ ყველაფრის შიშველი არსი, თითქმის იგივე, რაც რაიმე რეპტილიისთვის, დომინანტობამდე და გამრავლებამდე დადის და აქ განსაკუთრებულად აქცენტირებული ჰიპოთერმიისგან თავდაცვა ხომ საერთოდ რეპტილიების კლასის ეგზისტენციალური საკითხია. ასეა საქმე.. :D

[Eschad · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is the master of all masters, when it comes to the short story. I have 13 volumes of them, and I read one every year. The highlight here was The Peasants, but The Pipe is a close second in that it might be the best account yet of the logic behind Climate Change denial, which the same as any denial of rational evidence. Chekhov had it nailed in 1883.

[Ayushman Bhattacharjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story was really good! Anyone Chekhov has used imagery in this, and I believe the language (else, translation) wasn't that hard. I did re-read it a few times to actually get the whole plot, and in the end I found it a really simple but an amazing story. Anton Chekhov knew his stuff!

[Rut · Rating 3 out of 5]

First tale by Chekhov. They had recommended time to read this author for a long time. This might not be the best of his works to begin with, but I do appreciate his narrative. In such a short story, he truly draws both characters and a scenario that feels real, almost touchable.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Domestic, but interesting. (Also a beer review).

[Christina Geoghegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kBZv...

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

sad but kinda cool. i love witchy themes.

[Book of Sand · Rating 3 out of 5]

პატარა მოთხრობა იმის შესახებ, თუ როგორი აუტანელია ცხოვრება ადამიანთან, რომელიც არ გიყვარს.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

An unappealing man accuses his wife of being a witch because she doesn’t love him and he can’t imagine any other explanation.

[Alvis Mešalkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning the year with a cold snowy day and a short simple story about a god-forgotten snowy place.

It's good, a concise portrayal of a russian couple in a loveless marriage

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

poor girl dealing with such a retarded man. pretty anticlimactic, though.

[Forked Radish · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's why one should always keep faggots on hand.