A new translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. The book contains the following short novels by Chekhov: The Steppe; The Duel; The Story of an Unknown Man; Three Years, and; My Life. They were all good though I especially liked The Duel and My Life. Pevear has added a highly informative introduction to the collection that is definitely worth reading.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/audio...

Philip Pullman reads 'The Beauties' by Anton Chekhov. "Like Waiting for Godot, it's a story in which nothing happens, twice."

ugh Gosh, it's kinda poetic, but I still can't write an accurate review about the Russian Magician Chekhov. so for me, sometimes words are better left unsaid. it ain't possible to describe how does it feel to fall in love, it ain't that graspable to talk about Tchaikovsky's Symphony. you gotta go through the work of art yourself. I really loved the plot, the choice of words and the sense of Artistic analogies. but I'm welling to reread it later on and maybe I'll develop a solid review then.

It is really great to read an absolute master like Chekov. I used to like his short stories when I was a teenager, but it has been a while since I last had something by him in my hands. After reading an old book by Edmund Wilson where he tells about a trip to the Soviet Union and digresses a bit about Russian literature, I decided to try Chekhov again. And I loved it! Every story is populated with amazing characters, carefully developed, humanistic and tender. The building forces of Russian society in the 19th century are all there -- church, proletariat, aristocracy -- articulating themselves around mundane and at the same time complex situations on an individual level. The translation is careful and delicate, showing a deep respect for the original, without losing sight of the pleasure of the reader. Highly recommended.