Books by Anton Chekhov

This superb play by Anton Chekhov presents drama and romance between an ensemble cast of vivid, evocative characters.We join Sorin, a retired government servant who lives on his estate with his wife who is a famed stage actress named Arkadina. Their son, Konstantin Treplyov, is a playwright who has recently published an unconventional work which has attracted much public attention. However, in spite of his artistic talents Konstantin is prone to troubles of mood. His habit of shooting seagulls influences the plot, and provides the play with its title. In keeping with his penchant for romantic flair, Chekhov establishes potential romances early in the story. Masha, the estate keeper's daughter, is taken by Konstantin but herself liked by a schoolteacher named Medvedenko. These romances in turn fuel the plot - as the reader is left guessing as to who will pair off with whom.

Collected in this volume are five of Chekhov's most popular dramatic works: "Ivanov", "The Sea-Gull", "Uncle Vanya", "Three Sisters" and "The Cherry Orchard". Firstly in "Ivanov" we find the taut psychological drama of Nikolai Ivanov, a man who is severely conflicted by the illness of his wife, his mounting debts, and his own internal desires. Secondly, "The Sea-Gull" is the story of the romantic and artistic conflicts between four main characters: Nina, the daughter of a wealthy landowner; Madame Irina Arkadina, a once leading actress; Konstantin Treplyov, her son and a playwright; and Trigorin, a well-known writer. Thirdly, "Uncle Vanya" is a melancholic portrait of a cast of characters examining their respective miseries and failures to accomplish in their lives that which they might have hoped to. Fourthly, "Three Sisters" is a story which concerns the lives of an aristocratic family, the Prozorovs, who struggle to search for meaning in the modern world. Lastly "The Cherry Orchard" is the tale of an aristocratic Russian woman and her family who return to their estate, a cherry orchard, to oversee its auction in order to pay the mortgage. Taken together this collection of dramas exhibits Chekhov's literary prowess and provides a brilliant portrait for the dramatic social environment of Russia at the turn of the 20th century. This edition is printed on a premium acid-free paper and follows the translations of Marian Fell and Julius West.

The second unique collection of Constance Garnett's translations of Chekhov's short fiction, selected for riverrun editions by Janet Malcolm

Comprising four one-act comic vaudevilles and four short stories adapted for the stage by Michael Frayn, The Sneeze introduces readers to a less familiar selection of work by one of the greatest precursors of modern drama. First published in 1989, this reissue includes The Sneeze; The Alien Corn; The Bear; The Evils of Tobacco; The Inspector-General; Swan Song; The Prospect, and Plots. Michael Frayns translations of Chekhovs work marry the expertise of the translator with the innate understanding of a master dramatist and are widely regarded as the truest, most authentic renderings of Chekhovs work: His keen imaginative sympathy with the great Russian dramatist extends beyond translation ...But translation is an art at which he excels. Spectator

An anthology of six of the most commonly studied and revived Naturalist plays from the modern European repertoire complete with a critical introduction by Dr Chris Megson ensures this is an essential compendium for students, theatre practitioners and theatre fans.

An electrifying new version of Chekhov's Three Sisters, by visionary director Benedict Andrews.

The Restless Classics edition of Chekhov: Stories for Our Time presents a must-have collection by the great Russian author who captured humanity in all its complexity, and reintroduces Chekhov as a funny, playful, deeply human, and thoroughly modern writer.The great 19th-century Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov wrote nearly one thousand stories, a body of work that is unmatched in its alchemy of sensitivity, wisdom, precision, verve, soulfulness, and economy. Chekhov’s sensibility was radically human and thoroughly modern: write not how you think things should be, but rather as they are. Universally recognized as one of the greatest short story writers of all time, he revolutionized the form and had a profound influence on his successors from Flannery O’Connor to Alice Munro. As the celebrated Russian-immigrant author Boris Fishman writes in his bold, incisive, and delightfully counterintuitive introduction to this Restless Classics collection, Chekhov is funny, optimistic, ceaselessly curious, and undogmatic—a significant break from the bleak and morally rigid tradition of his contemporaries Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Unlike those peers born to privilege, Chekhov was raised in the peasantry and worked as a doctor. In his writing, he portrays the complexity of human beings as changeable and contingent, neither saints nor sinners—an approach intimately linked with his work as a clinician and humanitarian. Chekhov’s humanity, just as much as his mastery of the writing craft, is potent medicine in times that seem so divided by ideology and antipathy for groups seen as “other.” The first new selection of his work in over a decade, the Restless Classics edition of Chekhov: Stories for Our Time pairs beloved favorites with lesser known gems, all stunningly illustrated by Matt McCann: a perfect introduction for novices and a must-have for Chekhov devotees.