Customer Reviews

Chekhov: The Hidden Ground

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My interest in Russian literature began 35 years ago with the discovery of a Russian writer whose work was so very different from Tolsoy, Turgenev, and Gogal,...Anton Chekhov. I own, and have read many times, four different author's views on the life of Antosha. Philip Callow's book gives so many new details about Chekhov, that one comes away with a new perspective into the personality of this magnificent writer. If you are enjoy reading Chekhov and about Chekhov, I heartally recommend this book!

To some extent, the act of writing a biography is inherently celebratory. But Callow's worshipful attitude towards his subject creates a bland, two-dimensional representation of the man. It reads less like scholarship than hero-worship (or to put it less graciously, "propaganda").

Callow's appreciation of Chekov's genius and his praise for the artist are not unseemly, but the too-facile manner in which he deflects the many criticisms leveled against Chekov make us lose sight of the "other Chekov," the inglorious one, who is equally as important, if often less attractive, than the idealized man Callow presents.

In addition--and almost an afterthought in light of the failings described above--Callow's analyses of Chekov's work are often obtuse and, almost without exception, unoriginal.

Philip Callow's Chekhov: The Hidden Ground provides a fine biography of Russia's dramatist, examining his life within the context of his work and considering his divided world and achievements. Plenty of titles have analyzed his works: this provides essential clues to understanding his personality.

To some extent, the act of writing a biography is inherently celebratory. But Callow's worshipful attitude towards his subject creates a bland, two-dimensional representation of the man. It reads less like scholarship than hero-worship (...).

Callow's appreciation of Chekov's genius and his praise for the artist are not unseemly, but the too-facile manner in which he deflects the many criticisms leveled against Chekov make us lose sight of the "other Chekov," the inglorious one, who is equally as important, if often less attractive, than the idealized man Callow presents.

In addition--and almost an afterthought in light of the failings described above--Callow's analyses of Chekov's work are often obtuse and, almost without exception, unoriginal.

This is a heavily derivative work, a rehash of existing biographies. The author does not speak Russian and cannot, then, offer us any new or original insights into Chekhov's life and work.