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Summary: Fragments and Sketches of a Russian Perspective
Review: Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) has long been acknowledged as one of Russia's greatest playwrights and short story authors, a man whose expressiveness with the pen stemmed, in great part, from the hardship of his childhood experiences and, later in life, his vast globetrotting wanderings. Chekhov's family abandoned him at the age of sixteen to a fate somewhat close to wage-slavery; astonishingly, he later assumed complete responsibility for their indiscretions, and thereafter always faced financial difficulties. To help supplement his income, Chekhov began writing professionally for magazines, and over the course of his life came to scribe more than two hundred short stories. This collection, as suggested by the title, consists of forty pieces, of varying length and quality: the title is somewhat misleading, as several of these 'stories' are barely a page long and would be more aptly described as 'fragments', or, to take a cue from Turgenev, 'sketches' of Russian existence...although, in a sense, all of these stories could be described thus. With wit, compassion and keen insightfulness, the author paints a painfully accurate portrait of the Russian character: hardy, proud, generally inconsistent and very often drunken; and Russian environment, from the fertile luxury of the Crimea to the frozen wasteland exile of Siberia, from provincial predicaments to cityscape cluster-catastrophes. Like his contemporaries Gogol, Turgenev and Tolstoy, Chekhov wrote as he saw it, and his fiction now exists as literature - an invaluable testament of a bygone age. *Forty Stories* covers Chekhov's artistic span from 1880-1903. The progression of skill and storytelling becomes readily apparent as one ploughs deeper into the text: with the exception of Green Scythe, the first third of this book is generally underwhelming, given the author's reputation. Many of the pieces in this section fall under the fragment banner, too small and sparse for effective insight or even basic narrative enjoyment. From 'The Huntsman' on, however, the stories gradually gain expert polish, with wonderful descriptiveness and a strong sense of character, and the last seven or so are probably the best of the collection. Yet I still advise one to read this from beginning to end - there are a few gems in the beginning section, and the evolution of Chekhov's technique is in itself interesting to observe. An overview of some of the best stories: Green Scythe: Every summer the Princess of a certain villa at Green Scythe summons a host of gentlemen for vacation and entertainment. One of them (the least favored by the Princess) eventually falls in love with her daughter, and the rest of the men conspire to bring the two together in holy matrimony. Sergeant Prishibeyev: The military man of the title has been drawn up before court for disturbing the peace. Between the lines, one receives a feeling of how difficult it was for some members of the Russian military to return to a 'normal' life after the severe discipline and absolute authority of their previous incarnation; also expressed is the Sergeant's inability to cope with changing times/customs. Who is to Blame?: Using a kitten and a certain severity of 'training', Chekhov fashions a Pavlovian metaphor about how creatures are molded due to external stresses, and makes the point that the influence of this molding tends to continue long after the principle act. The Princess: This story concerns a spoiled, delusional member of the noble class (a true 'Princess,' in the derogatory sense) and her visit to a monastery for rest and recuperation. There she encounters a doctor of her former employment, who promptly unleashes a maelstrom of resentment about her general way of life and, in particular, her callous treatment of her fellow man. In this rant Chekov depicts the common mistreatment of serfs by their masters; the ending comes as a bit of a shock, but true to the characters of both the Princess, the doctor, and the prevalent social requirements of that time. Sleepyhead: Mistreatment of servants is again examined, as is the gradual strain of sleep-depravation. Varka the nursemaid is forced to operate without rest for days on end, tending the samovar, the fire, and most pertinent of all, the baby. Eventually her willpower snaps, with murderous consequence... Big Volodya and Little Volodya: This story begins with an interesting phenomenon: the sentimentality of alcohol, its illusionary rise and fall. A love triangle between two worldly men (the Big and Little Volodyas) and a very silly little fool (Sonya) commences, though the husband is of course ignorant to the cuckoldry. Sonya's character is vividly drawn: a fascinating portrait of someone despicably selfish, pathetically ignorant and ever so determined to 'purify' her indiscretions via the quick fix of prayer and Godly devotion. Anna Round the Neck: A young woman uses her natural beauty to elevate herself from squalor-beginnings to the highest circles of society. Family is left on the wayside, at first unwillingly, and then with wise calculation. The Lady with the Pet Dog: An aging Don Juan seduces yet another lonely wife - one more notch for the bedpost - but discovers that even the most insatiable satyr-instinct can crumble before the impulse of love... The Bride: A young woman narrowly escapes a small-town existence for the larger world; when she returns home, full of dread and nostalgic reminisce, she comes to realize that what she left behind was, in the long run, a worthy sacrifice. ... For those interested in Russian history of the 19th century, Anton Chekhov is a bookshelf necessity. Despite several pieces of fragmentary fluff, *Forty Stories* is a good overview of the master's best work. Four Stars
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Summary: Superb translations; the English flows
Review: I like Robert Payne's translations of Chekhov because he has a good ear for the flow of beautiful writing. He does not bog Chekhov's prose down with needless commas like Constance Garnett and others. Payne's Chekhov reads seamlessly. He understands that good storytelling is about how the words flow together as in speech. Beautiful translations. (By the way, they are perfect for teaching Chekhov to high school or college students.) Rosa La Luna
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