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Late-Blooming Flowers and Other Stories
A collection of eight short stories by this late nineteenth-century Russian writer
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1882
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72 people want to read
About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,967 books9,786 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 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 1, 2024
“My darling, dearest, my torment, and my longing” …wow! These short stories are all so beautifully written! I was blown away by the passion Chekhov writes with. Absolutely gorgeous!
July 26, 2025
“But the sun did not save them from the darkness and… flowers will not bloom late in autumn!”
There is something real in the stories that Chekhov writes. An insight into the soul. These short stories are exactly that: short. They are not some grand work, building up to some dramatic pitch where the character commits suicide, but instead focus on, if you were to look at it from a blasé point of view, the normal and banal. But this is a foolish outlook, and what makes these stories so powerful is how one can instantly connect to it. To boredom with a humdrum life, a love rejected, an adventure with friends, it is quintessentially human. Life is not made up of grand adventures; they in the end fill up very little time in our life. Instead it is these small moments, these beautiful moments, that we most experience.
These short stories focused on the more melancholy aspect of life. Even the title of the first and longest story, “Late-Blooming Flowers” brings a sad smile, it brings memory of good times lost. A love rejected is never easy, to place so much hope on a person for it to fail is never a good experience. Nor is happiness so tantalizingly close.
The story that made me feel the most melancholy was “A Visit to Friends” for whatever reason. There is just something sad about it.
“The Beauties” also struck me as very intriguing. Many a men can understand what Chekhov was writing about.
I love you!
4.5/5
There is something real in the stories that Chekhov writes. An insight into the soul. These short stories are exactly that: short. They are not some grand work, building up to some dramatic pitch where the character commits suicide, but instead focus on, if you were to look at it from a blasé point of view, the normal and banal. But this is a foolish outlook, and what makes these stories so powerful is how one can instantly connect to it. To boredom with a humdrum life, a love rejected, an adventure with friends, it is quintessentially human. Life is not made up of grand adventures; they in the end fill up very little time in our life. Instead it is these small moments, these beautiful moments, that we most experience.
These short stories focused on the more melancholy aspect of life. Even the title of the first and longest story, “Late-Blooming Flowers” brings a sad smile, it brings memory of good times lost. A love rejected is never easy, to place so much hope on a person for it to fail is never a good experience. Nor is happiness so tantalizingly close.
The story that made me feel the most melancholy was “A Visit to Friends” for whatever reason. There is just something sad about it.
“The Beauties” also struck me as very intriguing. Many a men can understand what Chekhov was writing about.
I love you!
4.5/5
February 9, 2024
An impoverished princess lives with her ne'er-do-well son and her unmarried, spinsterish daughter. A young man playfully tells a young lady -- as they ride down a hill on a toboggan -- that he loves her, but neither speaks of it after the various runs. A man takes leave of a country house...and the woman who lives there, who has a secret she needs to share with him. Looking back on his boyhood, a man reflects on two startlingly beautiful women he had encountered. A woman now married to a man older than her father thinks about the suitor she might have had. A visit to a country estate prompts a student to consider what direction his life should take. There are passionate undercurrents in a seemingly stable household. A woman impulsively decides to break her engagement to a man she does not love. -- All of these may seem like common events, unremarkable events -- but Chekhov is a master storyteller, and in his hands these people and situations come alive to thoroughly engage the reader. Highly recommended!
August 23, 2025
First time in a while reading short stories and of course what a great intro. Late blooming flowers wasn’t for me but a visit to friends, big and little volodya, and the fiancée were fantastic.
Chekhov’s writing is poignant and strips the characters down to their truest feelings… a treat to read.
Chekhov’s writing is poignant and strips the characters down to their truest feelings… a treat to read.
March 7, 2017
Chekhov writes most beautifully when the topic concerns disappointment, failed attempts at connections, the minutiae of tedium and the contradictory shallowness and depths of individuals. Writing about love, however, only evokes a feeling of a turd thumping heavily to the ground.
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April 26, 2021read for russian literature class 📝
October 17, 2023
Sad story of a life...
February 21, 2025
the first story was really great
March 21, 2017
A most delightful book. Such a change from anything recently written... pure delight.
April 8, 2016
Dear Ukrainian Website Girl -
Ah! I have but recently finished reading a book of short stories by your fellow countryman, Anton Chekhov. Surely a literary saint, he had the God-given talent for looking into the human soul and gifting us with his observations on the frailties of love. His tales are as true now in our cynical age as when penned over one hundred years ago.
- r.
P.S. Before I shell out for a plane ticket with an overnight transfer to your bank account, please send more nude pix. Ah!
P.P.S. I have eyes for the policeman's wife. With her dyed black hair and bowie knife.
Ah! I have but recently finished reading a book of short stories by your fellow countryman, Anton Chekhov. Surely a literary saint, he had the God-given talent for looking into the human soul and gifting us with his observations on the frailties of love. His tales are as true now in our cynical age as when penned over one hundred years ago.
- r.
P.S. Before I shell out for a plane ticket with an overnight transfer to your bank account, please send more nude pix. Ah!
P.P.S. I have eyes for the policeman's wife. With her dyed black hair and bowie knife.
September 11, 2017
Читая книги, мы на самом деле читаем личность автора.
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January 12, 2020Man, that was hard to read. Funny at times and yet deeply tragic. Poor Marusya!
January 21, 2020
Собственно, как и сейчас, не всегда сразу понимаем, что любовь дороже денег. Жалко героев.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews