Synopses & Reviews
In honor of its 35th anniversary, Ecco is proud to reissue Constance Garnett's 1929 13-volume
Tales of Chekhov, heralded as one of the finest Chekhov translations ever.
Anton Chekhov's short fiction is admired and cherished by readers the world over. This stunning boxed set brings together the largest, most comprehensive selection of his stories, all full of humor, truth, and vast insight. Included are the familiar masterpieces "The Kiss," "The Darling," and "The Lady with the Dog" as well as several brilliant but lesser-known tales such as "A Blunder," "Hush!," and "Champagne." The entire collection is introduced by Richard Fords perceptive essay "Why We Like Chekhov," while each individual volume includes a brief reminiscence on the meaning of Chekhov from a celebrated author, among them Nadine Gordimer, Susan Sontag, Harold Brodkey, Cynthia Ozick, and Russell Banks.
Amidst a sea of Chekhov translations, Constance Garnett, who brought Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Turgenev to the English-speaking world, has a style particularly suited to Chekhovs prose. Her benchmark translations enable readers to immerse themselves in his world, experiencing the breadth of his talent in one voice.
Review
"In 1984, Daniel Halpern, founder of the Ecco Press, began republishing all 201 of the Constance Garnett translations of Anton Chekhov's stories. Since then, the thirteen resulting volumes have become a contemporary staple for the library of any serious reader....Ecco might be wise to assemble the books in durable hardback; they will always find a market." Mona Simpson, The Atlantic Monthly (read the entire Atlantic Monthly review)
Synopsis
A thirty-fifth anniversary publication of a heralded thirteen-volume translation features a comprehensive selection of Chekhov's short fictional works, including "The Kiss," "The Darling," and "the Lady with the Dog," in a set that includes an essay on Chekhov's lasting influence as well as reflections on his achievements as contributed by some of today's most popular writers. Reprint.
About the Author
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born in Taganrog, Ukraine in 1860. First published in the eighteen-eighties, he was a celebrated figure in Russia by the time of his death in 1904, but he remained relatively unknown internationally until the years after World War I, when his works were translated into English. His essays, plays, poetry, and short fiction have been translated into countless languages and he is remembered today as a master of the modern short story.