Contains translations of forty short stories written by Russian author Anton Chekhov, representing the full span of his career, and includes a biographical introduction.

Because Chekhovs plays convey the universally recognizable, sometimes comic, sometimes dramatic, frustrations of decent people trying to make sense of their lives, they remain as fresh and vigorous as when they were written a century ago. Gathered here in superb new renderings by one of the most highly regarded translators of our time-versions that have been staged throughout the United States, Canada, and Great Britain-are Chekhovs four essential...

A day in the country -- Old age -- Kashtanka -- Enemies -- On the way -- Vanka -- La Cigale -- Grief -- An inadvertence -- The black monk -- The kiss -- In exile -- A work of art -- Dreams -- A woman's kingdom -- The doctor -- A trifling occurrence -- The hollow -- After the theatre -- The runaway -- Vierochka -- The steppe -- Rothschild's fiddle.

An old man and two children wander through the country and he answers all of their questions from his experience.

"In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, George Saunders guides the reader through seven classic Russian short stories he's been teaching for twenty years as a professor in the prestigious Syracuse University graduate MFA creative writing program. Paired with stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol, these essays are intended for anyone interested in how fiction works and why it's more relevant than ever in these turbulent times. Saunders approaches...

Nearly a thousand miles away from their beloved Moscow, three sisters live in virtual exile. Olga attemps to support her family and home that is the sole legacy from their late father. Masha finds relief from an empty marriage by being involved with a passionate young colonel. Irina wills herself to return the affections of an ardent suitor in the hope that he will whisk her off to the city. Sift through the debris of their shattered dreams on the...