Synopses & Reviews
Review
"In some ways Antón Chekhov stands alone as the quintessential Russian writer. Tolstoy knew the upper classes and understood history; Dostoevsky explored the depths of human psychology; Pushkin was at once a genius and an aesthete of the first magnitude. But Chekhov, grandson of a serf and son of a petty shopkeeper, knew his Russia and his Russians—high and low—as no one else. Himself of humble parentage, V.S. Pritchett obviously feels a kinship with the great storyteller, and in this exploration of Chekhov we find unexpected beauty and sensitivity in the stories as well as the plays. A fine study, highly recommended." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)