Forty StoriesIf any writer can be said to have invented the modern short story, it is Anton Chekhov. It is not just that Chekhov democratized this art form; more than that, he changed the thrust of short fiction from relating to revealing. And what marvelous and unbearable things are revealed in these Forty Stories. The abashed happiness of a woman in the presence of the husband who abandoned her years before. The obsequious terror of the official who accidentally sneezes on a general. The poignant astonishment of an aging Don Juan overtaken by love. Spanning the entirety of Chekhov's career and including such masterpieces as "Surgery," "The Huntsman," "Anyuta," "Sleepyhead," "The Lady With the Pet Dog," and "The Bishop," this collection manages to be amusing, dazzling, and supremely moving—often within a single page. |
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... asked Chekhov what he would have done to the prisoner if he were the judge. “I would have acquitted him,” Chekhov replied. “I would say to him: 'You, Denis, have not yet ripened into a deliberate criminal. Go—and ripen!'” In “Sergeant ...
... asked Chekhov what he would have done to the prisoner if he were the judge. “I would have acquitted him,” Chekhov replied. “I would say to him: 'You, Denis, have not yet ripened into a deliberate criminal. Go—and ripen!'” In “Sergeant ...
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... asking the medical expert whether the fracture of the ribs could have been caused by the attempts to revive the dead man. But I don't think the question will ever be asked. There won't be any counsel for the defense and there won't be ...
... asking the medical expert whether the fracture of the ribs could have been caused by the attempts to revive the dead man. But I don't think the question will ever be asked. There won't be any counsel for the defense and there won't be ...
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... . Sometimes it amused him to wonder how long his works would last. One day, talking with the writer Ivan Bunin, he said he thought that people might go on reading him for seven years. “Why seven?” asked Bunin. “Well, seven and a half,”
... . Sometimes it amused him to wonder how long his works would last. One day, talking with the writer Ivan Bunin, he said he thought that people might go on reading him for seven years. “Why seven?” asked Bunin. “Well, seven and a half,”
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Anton Chekhov. years. “Why seven?” asked Bunin. “Well, seven and a half,” Chekhov replied. “That's not so bad. I've got six years to live. Mind you, don't tell the Odessa reporters about that.” He was dead a few months later, making ...
Anton Chekhov. years. “Why seven?” asked Bunin. “Well, seven and a half,” Chekhov replied. “That's not so bad. I've got six years to live. Mind you, don't tell the Odessa reporters about that.” He was dead a few months later, making ...
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... asking me, sir? How should I know! God is my witness, we only took one apple, and we took it off the ground.” “Tell me a story!” Karpushka began to gather nettles. The boy knew very well why the nettles were being gathered. Like all his ...
... asking me, sir? How should I know! God is my witness, we only took one apple, and we took it off the ground.” “Tell me a story!” Karpushka began to gather nettles. The boy knew very well why the nettles were being gathered. Like all his ...
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