Do you like to read? What kind of reading do you like? Are short stories included in your favorite reading list?
There are many types of short stories that exist around the world. People like short stories because the story is light and finished with a little conflict.
Then, do you know about short stories that are famous in Russia? And do you know the famous Russian short story writer Anton Chekhov? If you don’t know about it yet, let’s look at the greatest short stories written by Anton Chekhov.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov or better known as Anton Chekhov is a Russian playwright and short story writer. Anton Chekhov was born on January 29, 1860 in Taganrog, Southern Russia. His career as a writer in both the script and short story has received recognition from other writers and critics. His best works are highly valued. It is not wrong if he is considered to be the greatest writer of short fiction in history.
At first, Anton Chekhov wrote stories just to get money. But with the passage of time, his artistic ambitions developed. He often makes innovations that affect the evolution of modern short stories in Russia. In order for you to get to know more about short story works written by Anton Chekhov, in this article I will discuss the 4 greatest short stories written by Anton Chekhov.
- Gooseberry (1898)
Gooseberry is a short story written by Anton Chekhov. This story was first published in 1898. Gooseberry’s short story is included in a compilation entitled “The Little Trilogy” along with other short stories entitled “The Man in the Case” and also “About Love”.
The Gooseberry short story tells of Ivan Ivanovich’s brother named Nikolai Ivanovich. Nikolai Ivanovich was originally an official at the Exchequer Court, but he had recently been obsessed with wanting to live in a country where he and his siblings spent their happy childhood. When his dream come true, Nikolai bought the farm and become its owner.
When his brother visited Nikolai, he seems pathetic. He did not look like a man who was happy. He and cooks alike fat and flabby. Even Ivan said if they were like pigs. This story seems to tell about the denial of someone’s happiness despite the fact that his life is sad.
- The House with the Mezzanine (1896)
The House with the Mezzanine is a short story written by Anton Cheknov. This short story was first published in 1896. The House with the Mezzanine is also known as An Artist’s Story. This short story has been translated into several languages including Bulgarian, Hungarian, German and others.
The House with the Mezzanine tells a story of a painter’s love journey with a girl named Zhenya. But the relationship between the two was opposed by Zhenya’s sister, Lydia. Lydia is a beautiful young teacher. But she has a very hard character and has a more inclined attitude towards dictatorial. And Lydia really didn’t like the painter. Both characters are very conflicting.
The painter and Zhenya could not continue their relationship because Lydia asked them to separate. Zhenya did not want to argue with her sister. The hope in the painter’s heart is now gone and the one who snatched it was Lydia, someone who didn’t care about anything.
- The Black Monk (1894)
The Black Monk is a short story written by Anton Cheknov. This story was first published in 1894. At that time Anton Cheknov lived in a village in Mlikhovo. The storyline in The Black Monk tells the tragic story of the last two years of the life of a fictional scholar named Andrey Vasilyevich Kovrin also known as Andrey Kovrin.
Andrey Kovrin is a Russian scholar who looks brilliant. Initially because of overwork, Kovrin had a dead nerve. Then he was invited to take a break at the house where he was raised by someone who had cared for him since childhood, named Yegor. Yegor lives with his daughter named Tanya. After he began to rest, Andrey Kovrin started to hallucinate. In his hallucinations, Andrey Kovrin saw a black monk. The monk said that Andrey Kovrin was chosen by God to save humanity with his genius.
Yegor entrusted his daughter to Kovrin to marry him. Finally, they got married. One day Kovrin’s wife began to know the hallucinations of her husband. She tried to “cure him” even though she was sure if without the “guidance” of the black monk, Kovrin was nothing. The couple were eventually separated because Kovrin started to become antagonistic towards his wife. Until the end of the story, Kovrin died with a smile because at the time he was bleeding he saw the black monk led him.
- The Lady with the Dog (1899)
The Lady with the Dog is a short story written by Anton Chekhov. This short story was first published in 1899. The Lady with the Dog consists of four parts. The Lady with the Dog is one of Anton Chekhov’s most famous fictional short stories.
The Lady with the Dog tells the story of an inappropriate affair between a Moscow banker named Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov and a young married woman named Anna Sergeyevna Von Diderits. Gurov is a married man but his marriage is not happy. Their affair began when they met at the Yalta Sea Resort in Crimea when they were on vacation without their partners.
The Lady with the Dog part one, tells about the initial meeting of the two. The Lady with the Dog part two, tells of their increasingly perfect affair and the rest of their time in Yalta. The Lady with the Dog part three, tells of the return of both of them to their place of origin and Gurov’s visit to Anna’s hometown. The Lady with the Dog part four, tells about Anna’s visit to Moscow.
I hope this article can really help you to find out the 4 greatest short stories written by Anton Chekhov.