Preeta Chag

Selected Works-Volume 1 Stories

Pub by: Progress Publishers Moscow

Disclaimer: This is not a book review. These are my random reflections on reading the works of one of the greatest writers ever. 

I have just finished Volume 1 of Anton Chekhov’s short stories. And what do I say?

The words are lyrical and haunting. The stories mirror the harshness of the then Russian life and reflect the ever-changing, deceptive, despairing, and, above all, helpless human emotions. 

There is a subtle pathos underlying his work. A pathos which does not make you cry, but makes you reflect. Humanity, with all its simplicity and complexity, flows through the pages.

No judgements are passed. No rights or wrongs are clearly demarcated. He focusses on the happenings and deeds, narrating tales of human capriciousness. Harsh existence, coupled with a despondent resignation is reflected in his description of the physical surroundings as well. 

“The summer had turned out cold and rainy, the trees were always dripping, the garden looked sombre and unfriendly, and the desire to get away and work was quite natural.” The Bride (page 202)

“Reading the works of Chekhov makes one feel as if it were a sad day in late autumn, when the air is transparent, the bare trees stand out in bold relief against the sky the houses are huddled together and people are dim and dreary’, writes Maxim Gorky on Chekhov at the beginning of the book.

His haunting lyrical prose becomes a whirlpool of feelings long after one closes the book. 

“In the short time, the whole garden, warmed by the caresses of the sun, had sprung to life and drops of dew gleamed like diamonds on the leaves of the trees. And the old, neglected garden was young and gay for that one morning.” The Bride (page 199)

This is the first Anton Chekhov I have read, and I am sure it will not be the last.