Short Stories by Anton Chekhov (Bk.2)

The poignant, everyday dramas of Imperial Russia with the subtle sound effects including music by Pyotr Tchaikovskiy and the Russian-sounding narrator adding credibility and authenticity to the listening. Featuring: Talent, Anyuta, The Helpmate, Ivan Matveyitch, Polinka. The selection of stories in this book represents Chekhov's early work which perhaps is not as well known as some of his plays. The stories nevertheless possess unique potency and relevance to our modern lives just as they did back in 19th century Russia when they first appeared in various Russian publications. Chekhov himself described his work as comic satire: "All I wanted was to say honestly to people: 'Have a look at yourselves and see how bad and dreary your lives are!' The important thing is that people should realize that, for when they do, they will most certainly create another and better life for themselves. I will not live to see it, but I know that it will be quite different, quite unlike our present life." Chekhov was often criticized by prominent literary reviewers of the time for not providing readers with an answer or ideas how these dreary livesA" can be improved. Of course Chekhov is not giving a direct instruction or providing readers with a manual on how to live a life, but it is possible to find solutions in his stories ? they appear between the lines for each reader. Resolutions are different for each person and only each individual soul can find the right and most appropriate way in their life. Chekhov's own response to this is well documented. He often insisted that the job of an artist was not to answer questions, it was to ask them.

ISBN 0956116558   Translator Constance Garnett ISBN13 9780956116550 (What's this?)   Pages 65 Publisher Max Bollinger   Weight (grammes) 95 Imprint Sovereign   Published in London Format Audio CD   Height (mm) 190 Publication date 17 Jan 2010   Width (mm) 135 Playing time (mins) 65   Spine width (mm) 15 Other artists Max Bollinger   Academic level General

01 Talent; 02 Anyuta; 03 The Helpmate; 04 Ivan Matveyitch; 05 Polinka;

Each of the stories is a picture for me. In fact, I liken each of them to a Monet painting in which you can see the individual strokes of the brush if you stand too close, but stepping back you see the whole picture at once and not the bits that created the whole. Masterpieces! Frayda Glass (MA, USA) The tracks are superbly interspersed with snatches of music by Tchaikovsky, which set the mood perfectly. I have now listened to it a few times and will certainly do so again (hopefully, many times). Ken Petersen (UK) I listened to these short stories in the car while driving to and from errands and to work. At the conclusion of each short story, I was anxious to start the next, but also felt compelled to think about the one I had just completed - and then to contemplate my own past, my own choices, my own story. I love when literature sticks with me like this audio recording did. I am looking forward to listening to it again very soon. Meg Downing (MA, USA) This was my first experience with an audio book, at least for many years. I found the stories themselves captivating and now wish to read them in "regular" form. And only 5 stories is just a sample of Anton Chekhov's works. But I would listen to another collection of his stories again. His stories are about people, with real problems. There are no trite solutions for their problems, sometimes just an understanding of the characters' flaws. Each story offers a portrait of a person, a situation, and through simple dialogue we learn more about them than they know themselves. It is a wonderful experience to hear these stories. Joseph Belliveau (Canada) This was an enjoyable experience for me. Its not often that I listen to audiobooks. The readers lightly accented voice wasn't too fast, too slow or too annoying (which can happen with audiobooks and ruins them.) The little vignettes themselves were great. My favourite was the one about the 'little foot.' Hilarious. Renee (MI, USA)

 Be the first to write a customer review