Or rather with the understanding of the questions he wanted the reader to have. Not once did I feel like there was something missing or too much of something and I finished every story with a clear understanding of what he wanted to express and accomplish with it. And this is made even more vivid by the backdrop of each story which is the peaceful and what would seem to be the uneventful countryside (usually during winter), so that all the inner conflicts of the characters become even more poignant in an otherwise soothing setting.īeyond characters, Chekhov is also clearly the expert at writing short stories. And so even though the stories often involve no great drama, but rather focus on the daily lives of the characters, consisting of the most mundane activities, by creating complex characters or rather by giving them a unique trait or an intriguing backstory, each story draws you in immediately. Rather there is always a quiet build up to the point where the lives of the characters come to a head and although there may not be a clear and concise ending, the story always seems to have a resolution.
However, it is never exaggerated or played up for the purposes of the plot. His stories reflect the lives of ordinary Russian people at the end of the eighteenth century and so the reader has an insight into their inner turmoils and tragedies.
I have no doubt that there are certain things that are lost in translation, yet for this collection the brilliance of the writing definitely remained in its pages.Ĭhekhov is a master when it comes to subtlety.
Granted, a lot of the stories included in this Wordsworth collection are ones that I had not read, but still the writing spoke for itself more than the plots of the stories.įor years now I’ve been contemplating how wonderful it would be to actually have the ability to read the works of Russian authors in their original language, but when a translation as good as this comes my way, I again feel like there’s no need. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve matured more or I’m just more excited about everything that I now read in general, but this time around, I think that they are an absolute masterpiece. I remember reading Chekhov’s short stories years ago, when I was still in high school and while I liked them a lot, they did not really leave a strong impression on me.
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