Anton Chekhov was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. He wrote hundreds of short stories, one novel, and seven full-length plays.
Plays
Four-act plays
- Untitled Play (ÃÂÃÂõÃÂð ñõ÷ ýð÷òðýøÃÂ, discovered 19 years after the author's death in manuscript form with title page missing; most commonly known as Platonov in English; 1878)âÂÂadapted in English by Michael Frayn as Wild Honey (1984)
- Ivanov (ÃÂòðýþò, 1887)âÂÂa play in four acts
- The Wood Demon (ÃÂõÃÂøù, 1889)âÂÂa comedy in four acts; eight years after the play was published Chekhov returned to the work and extensively revised it into Uncle Vanya (see below)
- The Seagull (çðùúð, 1896)âÂÂa comedy in four acts
- Uncle Vanya (ÃÂÃÂôàÃÂðýÃÂ, 1899)âÂÂscenes from country life in four acts; based on The Wood Demon
- Three Sisters (âÃÂø ÃÂõÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ, 1901)âÂÂa drama in four acts
- The Cherry Orchard (ÃÂøÃÂýÃÂòÃÂù ÃÂðô, 1904)âÂÂa comedy in four acts
One-act plays
- On the High Road (ÃÂð ñþûÃÂÃÂþù ôþÃÂþóõ, 1884)âÂÂa dramatic study in one act
- On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco (àòÃÂõôõ ÃÂðñðúð; 1886, 1902)âÂÂa monologue in one act
- Swansong (ÃÂõñõôøýðàÿõÃÂýÃÂ, 1887)âÂÂa dramatic study in one act
- The Bear or The Boor (ÃÂõôòõôÃÂ, 1888)âÂÂa farce in one act
- A Marriage Proposal (ÃÂÃÂõôûþöõýøõ, c. 1889)âÂÂa farce in one act
- A Tragedian in Spite of Himself or A Reluctant Tragic Hero (âÃÂðóøú ÿþýõòþûõ, 1889)âÂÂa farce in one act
- The Wedding (áòðôÃÂñð, 1889)âÂÂa play in one act
- Tatiana Repina (âðÃÂÃÂÃÂýð àõÿøýð, 1889)âÂÂa drama in one act
- The Night before the Trial (ÃÂþÃÂàÿõÃÂõô ÃÂÃÂôþü, the 1890s)âÂÂa play in one act; sometimes considered unfinished
- The Festivities or The Anniversary (îñøûõù, 1891)âÂÂa farce in one act
Dialogues and parodies
- The Fool, or The Retired Sea Captain (ÃÂÃÂÃÂð, øûø ÃÂðÿøÃÂðý ò þÃÂÃÂÃÂðòúõ, 1883)
- Unclean Tragedians and Leprous Playwrights (ÃÂõÃÂøÃÂÃÂÃÂõ ÃÂÃÂðóøúø ø ÿÃÂþúðöÃÂýýÃÂõ ôÃÂðüðÃÂÃÂÃÂóø, 1884)
- A Young Man (ÃÂþûþôþù ÃÂõûþòõú, 1884)
- An Ideal Examination (ÃÂôõðûÃÂýÃÂù ÃÂú÷ðüõý, 1884)
- Chaos-Vile in Rome (ÃÂðòðÃÂôðú ò àøüõ, 1884)
- A Mouth as Big as All Outdoors (ï÷ÃÂú ôþ ÃÂøõòð ôþòõôõÃÂ, 1884)
- Honorable Townsfolk (ÃÂþÃÂÿþôð þñÃÂòðÃÂõûø, 1884)
- At the Sickbed (ã ÿþÃÂÃÂõûø ñþûÃÂýþóþ, 1884)
- The Case of the Year 1884 (ÃÂõûþ þ 1884 óþôõ, 1885)
- A Drama (ÃÂÃÂðüð, 1886)
- In the Spring: Cat's Monologue (ÃÂõÃÂýþù: áÃÂõýð-üþýþûþó, 1887)
- Before the Eclipse (ÃÂõÃÂõô ÷ðÃÂüõýøõü, 1887)
- A Forced Declaration (ÃÂÃÂýÃÂöôõýýþõ ÷ðÃÂòûõýøõ, 1888)
Novel
Novellas
- The Unnecessary Victory (, 1882)
- The Steppe (áÃÂõÿÃÂ, 1888)
- The Duel (ÃÂÃÂÃÂûÃÂ, 1891)
- The Story of an Unknown Man (àðÃÂÃÂúð÷ ýõø÷òõÃÂÃÂýþóþ ÃÂõûþòõúð, 1893)
- Three Years (âÃÂø óþôð, 1895)
- My Life (ÃÂþàöø÷ýÃÂ, 1896)
Novelettes
- Late-Blooming Flowers (, 1882)
- A Living Chattel (, 1882)
- Lights (, 1888)
- The Party (, 1888)
- A Dreary Story (áúÃÂÃÂýðàøÃÂÃÂþÃÂøÃÂ, 1889)
- Ward No. 6 (ÃÂðûðÃÂð No. 6, 1892)
- The Wife (, 1892)
- The Black Monk (çÃÂÃÂýÃÂù üþýðÃÂ
, 1894)
- A Woman's Kingdom (, 1894)
- Murder (, 1895)
- Peasants (ÃÂÃÂöøúø, 1897)
- In the Ravine (àþòÃÂðóõ, 1900)
Short-story collections
Collections of his stories that Chekhov prepared and published, or, in the case of The Prank, attempted to publish.
The Prank (èðûþÃÂÃÂÃÂ, 1882)
The Tales of Melpomene (áúð÷úø ÃÂõûÃÂÿþüõýÃÂ, 1884)
Motley Stories (ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂõ ÃÂðÃÂÃÂúð÷ÃÂ, 1886)
In the Twilight (àÃÂÃÂüõÃÂúðÃÂ
, 1887)
Innocent Speeches (ÃÂõòøýýÃÂõ ÃÂõÃÂø, 1887)
Stories (àðÃÂÃÂúð÷ÃÂ, 1888)
Children (ÃÂõÃÂòþÃÂð, 1889)
Gloomy People (Ã¥üÃÂÃÂÃÂõ ûÃÂôø, 1890)
Ward No. 6 (ÃÂðûðÃÂð No. 6, 1893)
Novellas and Stories (ÃÂþòõÃÂÃÂø ø ÃÂðÃÂÃÂúð÷ÃÂ, 1894)
Peasants and My Life (ÃÂÃÂöøúø ø ÃÂþàöø÷ýÃÂ, 1897)
Stories (àðÃÂÃÂúð÷ÃÂ, 1901)
Short stories
Chekhov wrote over 500 short stories, some left unfinished. Much of his early work was published in comic periodicals, in the form of quips, topical writing, cartoon captions and sketches. As such, not all publications fit the definition of a short story.
Other humorous writing
Nonfiction
- Fragments of Moscow Life (1883-1885)
- The Case of Rykov and Company (1884)
- A Journey to Sakhalin (1895), including:
- Sakhalin Island (1891âÂÂ1895)
- Across Siberia
Letters
(In English translation.)
- Letters of Anton Tchehov to His Family and Friends: With a Biographical Sketch. Translated by Constance Garnett. New York. 1920. Internet Archive on-line edition.
- Letters on the Short Story, the Drama, and Other Literary Topics, by Anton Chekhov. Selected and Edited by Louis S. Friedland. London. 1924.
- The Letters of Anton Pavolvitch Tchekhov to Olga Leonardovna Knipper. Translated from the Russian by Constance Garnett. New York.
- The Life and Letters of Anton Tchekov. Translated and Edited by S.S. Koteliansky and Philip Tomlinson. New York. 1925.
- The Personal Papers of Anton Chekhov. Introduction by Matthew Josephson. New York. 1948.
- The Selected Letters of Anton Chekhov. Edited by Lillian Hellman and translated by Sidonie Lederer. New York. 1955. .
- DEAR WRITER, DEAR ACTRESS: The Love Letters of Anton Chekhov and Olga Knipper. Ecco, 1997, .
- Anton Chekhov's Life and Thought: Selected Letters and Commentary. Translated by Simon Karlinsky, Michael Henry Heim, Northwestern University Press, 1997, .
- A Life in Letters. Translated by Rosamund Bartlett, Anthony Phillips. Penguin Books, 2004. .
Notebooks
Selected English-language compilations of stories
- The Darling and Other Stories, trans. Constance Garnett (1916)
- The Duel and Other Stories, trans. Constance Garnett (1916)
- The Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories, trans. Constance Garnett (1917)
- The Party and Other Stories, trans. Constance Garnett (1917)
- The Wife and Other Stories, trans. Constance Garnett (1918)
- The Witch and Other Stories, trans. Constance Garnett (1918)
- The Bishop and Other Stories, trans. Constance Garnett (1919)
- The Chorus Girl and Other Stories, trans. Constance Garnett (1920)
- Ward Number Six and Other Stories, trans. Ronald Hingley (Oxford, 1965)
- The Russian Master and Other Stories, trans. Ronald Hingley (Oxford, 1984)
- The Steppe and Other Stories, trans. Ronald Hingley (Oxford, 1991)
- Selected Stories of Anton Chekhov, trans. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (2000)
- The Complete Short Novels, trans. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (2000)
- The Steppe and Other Stories, 1887-1891, trans. Ronald Wilks (Penguin, 2001)
- Ward No. 6 and Other Stories, 1892-1895, trans. Ronald Wilks (Penguin, 2002)
- The Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories, 1896-1904, trans. Ronald Wilks (Penguin, 2002)
- Seven Short Novels, trans. Barbara Norman Makanowitzky (Norton, 2003)
- About Love and Other Stories, trans. Rosamund Bartlett (Oxford, 2004)
- Fifty-Two Stories, trans. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (Knopf 2020)
Notes
References
- Entirely in Russian
- The Undiscovered Chekhov: Fifty-One Newly Translated Stories, translated by Peter Constantine, foreword by Spalding Gray, UK (Duckbacks) edition, 2002: . NB: This collection seems to expand with each new edition
- The Unknown Chekhov: Stories and Other Writings Hitherto Unpublished, translated by Avrahm Yarmolinsky, 1954
- The Prank: The Best of Young Chekhov, translated by Maria Bloshteyn, New York (NYRB) edition, 2015:
- Chekhov,ÃÂ A.ÃÂ (2016).ÃÂ Little Apples: And Other Early Stories.ÃÂ United States:ÃÂ Seven Stories Press.
External links
Audio