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The Bishop (Translated)
Pyotr, the Bishop at the Staro-Petrovski Convent feels weak and unwell. During the evening service, on the eve of Palm Sunday, while distributing the palm, he sees in the crowd a woman who looks like his mother whom he had not seen for nine years. For no particular reason tears start flowing from his eyes… Tired and in a kind of haze, he returns to his monastery bedroom, then learns from Father Sysoi, a lay brother, that his mother indeed had come to visit him, bringing with her Katya, an eight-year old niece. This brings him great joy, he spends the night in reveries… But he is unable to sleep also because his conditions worsens, and he seems to be in a fever.
172 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 20, 2020
About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,800 books10.1k 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 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 28, 2023
(read for russian lit of the 20th century)
father sisoi is JUST like me fr …
father sisoi is JUST like me fr …
March 31, 2026
I found The Bishop an unsettling reflection on loneliness, identity, and the passage of time. It’s a quiet story and very little seems to happen: an aging bishop, respected and admired by his colleagues and congregation, goes about his duties while his health declines. Not very exciting but beneath the simplicity of the narrative is an exploration of what it means to live a life that doesn’t feel like your own.
The bishop is surrounded by people who revere him, but despite this he feels alone. Even when visited by his mother, he feels an emotional void that cannot be crossed. He is seen not as her son but a role, a title. This separation for me gives the story its emotional weight.
The story really expresses how life unfolds without our understanding, without our wishes despite how much we try to control things. The bishop did not choose his isolation; it emerged from the circumstances of his life, his position, and his limitations. He believes something is missing, that he is not the best version of himself, but he cannot decide what he should do or how he can change it. This is where the tragedy begins: his life is only surface deep. There is no deeper meaning.
The meaning of the prose emerges through small moments, the bishop’s fleeting thoughts, and understated interactions. The story that felt intimate. Very real and haunting.
The Bishop is not plot-driven and because of this may feel slow or uneventful. But for the reader who is willing to sit with its uneventfulness will find a tale which provides a reflection on identity, mortality, and the subtle ways a life can slip by unnoticed.
The Bishop is not just about one man’s death it is about the unsettling possibility that no matter our ultimate intentions we may never fully understand ourselves before our time runs out.
The bishop is surrounded by people who revere him, but despite this he feels alone. Even when visited by his mother, he feels an emotional void that cannot be crossed. He is seen not as her son but a role, a title. This separation for me gives the story its emotional weight.
The story really expresses how life unfolds without our understanding, without our wishes despite how much we try to control things. The bishop did not choose his isolation; it emerged from the circumstances of his life, his position, and his limitations. He believes something is missing, that he is not the best version of himself, but he cannot decide what he should do or how he can change it. This is where the tragedy begins: his life is only surface deep. There is no deeper meaning.
The meaning of the prose emerges through small moments, the bishop’s fleeting thoughts, and understated interactions. The story that felt intimate. Very real and haunting.
The Bishop is not plot-driven and because of this may feel slow or uneventful. But for the reader who is willing to sit with its uneventfulness will find a tale which provides a reflection on identity, mortality, and the subtle ways a life can slip by unnoticed.
The Bishop is not just about one man’s death it is about the unsettling possibility that no matter our ultimate intentions we may never fully understand ourselves before our time runs out.
April 29, 2024
Here is another depressing but impactful short story to further inflate my numbers.
The story follows the activities of a Russian Orthodox Bishop during Holy Week. The themes of devotion, spirituality, and death are effectively woven throughout the narrative. But the Bishop's pursuit of a meaningful, human interaction lies at the heart of the story. This latter aspect made me quite emotional while reading, and the ending only increased this feeling of catharsis.
Overall, this was a very spiritual and emotional short story. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Russian history or Orthodox Christianity. 8/10.
The story follows the activities of a Russian Orthodox Bishop during Holy Week. The themes of devotion, spirituality, and death are effectively woven throughout the narrative. But the Bishop's pursuit of a meaningful, human interaction lies at the heart of the story. This latter aspect made me quite emotional while reading, and the ending only increased this feeling of catharsis.
Overall, this was a very spiritual and emotional short story. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Russian history or Orthodox Christianity. 8/10.
February 14, 2023
Authority is alienating.
January 31, 2024
Pyotr’s level of authority outcasted him, even his mother couldn’t relax around him. But in death he is free to roam wherever he pleases!
May 26, 2024
An interesting little vignette…Chekhov leaves it for us to decide: who is the main focus of this story? The Bishop? Or his mother?
November 4, 2024
Vaults and candles, robes riven,
Stained in death's embrace.
Stained in death's embrace.
January 15, 2026
the search for meaningful human interaction … girl don’t we all
August 11, 2024
A story about how being placed on a pedastole can make the people in your life act differently towards you. Still very relevant today if you listen to modern celebrity's talking about how everyone becomes 'fake' once you become famous.
Might be Chekhov's best!
"And in spite of the affectionate tone in which she said this, he could see she was constrained as though she were uncertain whether to address him formally or familiarly, to laugh or not, and that she felt herself more a deacon’s widow than his mother."
5/5
Might be Chekhov's best!
"And in spite of the affectionate tone in which she said this, he could see she was constrained as though she were uncertain whether to address him formally or familiarly, to laugh or not, and that she felt herself more a deacon’s widow than his mother."
5/5
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews