The Duel

The Duel is one of Chekhov¿s longest works, skirting the edge between novel and novella. Like many of Chekhov¿s works, it was first published as a serial.
Laevsky is a womanizing drunkard, a slave to life¿s vices. His wantonness clashes with the moralistic zoologist Von Koren, who grows to despise Laevsky. Their mutual enmity culminates in a duel¿though neither they, nor their friends, really want it to happen.