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Rating: 
Summary: Karlinsky si! Chekhov si!
Review: A fabulous book!! No one could ask for a better read, late at night, with the blankets tucked around one, and a hot buttered rum at one's side!!Chekhov was a man!!
Rating:
Summary: Karlinsky si! Chekhov si!
Review: A fabulous book!! No one could ask for a better read, late at night, with the blankets tucked around one, and a hot buttered rum at one's side!! Chekhov was a man!!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!!
Review: This is a fascinating book, for fans of both great literature and great biography. There have been many collections of Chekhov's letters, but this one points out the errors in those previous ones (such as the one edited by Lillian Hellman) and corrects them. It focuses primarily on the letters in which Chekhov talked about his literature and the productions of his plays, and on his relationships with other artists, such as Tolstoy, Gorky, Stanislavsky and many others less well known outside of Russia. It also corrects many misperceptions about Chekhov created the various memoirs (such as Stanislavsky's) and biographies based on the erroneous information in those memoirs. The Chekhov that the reader gets to know through this book is a vividly real human being.
Rating:
Summary: An absolutely brilliant book
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read on any subject. It is NOT just a collection of Chekhov's letters, but a complete outline of his life and thought -- just as the title promises! Simon Karlinsky is, of course, a treasure to the world of literature. His knowledge of Russian history and literature is profound -- and you will find this book utterly fascinating if only because of its scathing analysis of 19th-century Russian critics, the most myopic of men -- and the unwitting forerunners of the even more myopic partisans of "Socialist Realism." It was against these titanic mental pygmies that Chekhov had to make his artistic way -- and the pygmies misunderstood and and libelled him every step of the way. Chekhov was a highly original literary genius whom the world is still discovering. Enjoy this book, and enjoy your invitation to the even greater pleasure of reading Chekhov himself. The Modern Library has published three volumes of his stories, and they are wonderful. The plays are also superb. Highest recommendation!
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