What made Chekhov tick? What served as a source of creative inspiration in his life? In answering these questions, Russian scholar Rosamund Bartlett focuses on the writer’s intimate relationship with the places where he lived and traveled—Taganrog and the southern Russian steppes, Moscow, Petersburg, Siberia, the French Riviera, and Yalta. By looking at his life through the prism of these landscapes, it is possible to gain a far greater insight into one of the most enigmatic writers who ever lived. Chekhov: Scenes from a Life restores the humor and warmth to a man too often seen as merely melancholic, and reminds us why many consider him to be the greatest short-story writer of all time.
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From Publishers Weekly
Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) is primarily known to Americans as a brilliant playwright of late 19th-century soulful Russian malaise. But he also wrote farces for the stage, as well as collections of short stories, from early comedic sketches to the more serious fare that defined his mature style. According to British scholar Bartlett (Wagner and Russia), Chekhov's range grew out of a restless spirit of adventure and love of travel. Bartlett calls her biography "deliberately impressionistic," which is an apt description, since she organizes it by place, from her subject's childhood on the steppes to Moscow, the far reaches of Siberia and beyond. This can lead to some confusion and the necessity to return to the same events repeatedly, but the book succeeds in ways that chronological biographies cannot. Using Chekhov's correspondence with relatives, editors and friends, as well as a knowledge of the geography and history of the Russian empire, Bartlett brings an era to life. Although long trapped by the official Soviet account of his life, Chekhov is here revealed as a man deeply attached to both natural settings and his relationships with the people around him. B&w photos. (Mar. 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“Bartlett brings an era to life.” -- Publishers Weekly
“Highly recommended for all libraries.” -- Library Journal
An excellent new biography, in flne Chekhovian style, by a writer with a deep knowledge of Russian culture and nature. -- Evening Standard
“Highly recommended for all libraries.” -- Library Journal
An excellent new biography, in flne Chekhovian style, by a writer with a deep knowledge of Russian culture and nature. -- Evening Standard
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Dramatic Story of a Life,
By Dag Stomberg (St. Andrews, Scotland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Chekhov: Scenes from a Life (Paperback)
Did Chekhov use autobiographical material for his fiction? Some
perhaps, he did deny it though! Maxim Gorky's description of Anton Chekhov, "beautifully simple himself, he loved everything simple, real, and sincere." Now is the time for retranslating Chekhov. There are few who have responded: Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (not this book). Professor Rosamund Bartlett translations are made from texts and notes hitherto unavailable. All of the above mentioned have seen the changes in language over the years and have done something about rendering Chekhov into contemporary English. This is a book about where he travelled to and scenes in which he lived. All to the good for our better understanding and appreciation of this extraordinary author. Dag Stomberg St. Andrews, Scotland
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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grand duke, zemstvo doctor, summer dacha, steppe landscape Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Pavel Egorovich, Moscow Art Theatre, The Seagull, New Times, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard, Olga Knipper, The Petersburg Newspaper, Pension Russe, Pavel Chekhov, Moscow University, Nevsky Prospekt, Black Sea, Imperial Theatres, Russian Thought, Peter the Great, Russian Empire, Evgenia Yakovlevna, Father Vasily, Russian Gazette, Adolf Marx, Crimean War, Nikolai Leikin, Motley Tales Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
grand duke, zemstvo doctor, summer dacha, steppe landscape Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Pavel Egorovich, Moscow Art Theatre, The Seagull, New Times, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard, Olga Knipper, The Petersburg Newspaper, Pension Russe, Pavel Chekhov, Moscow University, Nevsky Prospekt, Black Sea, Imperial Theatres, Russian Thought, Peter the Great, Russian Empire, Evgenia Yakovlevna, Father Vasily, Russian Gazette, Adolf Marx, Crimean War, Nikolai Leikin, Motley Tales Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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1
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cites this book:
- The Cambridge Companion to Brian Friel (Cambridge Companions to Literature) by Anthony Roche on page 114
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