Customer Reviews

Anton Chekhov's Selected Plays (Norton Critical Editions)

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I've been using this text in my Chekhov/Stanislavski class for the past 10 years and the translation by Eugene Bristow is outstanding. Very nuetral and keeping with the poetry of Chekhov's writing. Norton Critical Edition has decided to discontinue this edition and bring out a new edition with Lawrence Senelick's translation, which is absolutely an abomination to the Chekhovian text. It is crass, un-poetic and he has all the serfs and peasants speaking like southern African Americans. It is an embarrassment to the American Classics of Chekhov. I will be using another company for my texts in the future!

Given the Norton Critical reputation for value and excellence, it is not in the least surprising that a collection of Chekhov's essential plays represent only the tip of the iceberg, and appear alongside a wealth of supplemental material that has been carefully selected by a qualified editor.Laurence Senelick is both editor and translator. It must be said that the high level of accuracy which Senelick claims to have obtained in his translation, was achieved at the cost of fluidity and pleasant-soundingness.

The collection of plays is ideal. Chekhov's five major plays--Ivanov, The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard--are included along with three single act comic sketches--The Bear, The Wedding, and The Celebration.

Each play is heavily annotated, perhaps, one could argue, to an excess. The footnotes, many of which seemed superfluous, were so abundant as to distract me from the flow of reading. Far more invaluable were the variants provided after each play. These contain passages that did not make it past the censors, or that appeared in subsequent versions of the play. The omitted passages add to one's understanding of the material, at times providing a cleared glimpse into Chekhov's original artistic vision.

Following the manuscripts, there is an extensive collection of Chekhov's personal letters. Supposedly, Senelick has included every letter that contains mentioned of the selected volume's plays. Most frequently, the letters provide insight into Chekhov's process and his attitudes towards the performance of his plays.

Following the letters there are 200 pages of criticism, including essays by nine established directors. Unfortunately, there were no familiar names among the contributors; likely because inclusion was limited to those who had read Chekhov in Russian. I'd have liked to hear what famous English authors or top film directors had to say about Chekhov

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Concerning the plays themselves...

One can argue about whether Chekhov's chief importance existed as a playwright or as a writer of short stories. Personally, by the time I first read these plays I was already familiar with, and a great admirer of, Chekhov's short fiction. And while I enjoyed this set of plays thoroughly, I must place them, on average, in a class below the best short stories. I make an exception for The Cherry Orchard, which I esteem to be a perfect work of art.

Chekhov's plays and stories share enough in common to leave little room for doubt that they are but slightly different patterns cut from the same literary cloth. Unfortunately, neither play or story reach an English readership in the form of the original. Both require translation. particularly a man like Chekhov, whose policy it was to not waste words. I wonder if the cost to the reader is not perhaps even higher for the translation of a stage play, since it is not only the words that matter, but how they were meant to be delivered as well.

The main problem I have with the plays is that I cannot believe in the characters. I find that there exists a lack of realism among the way characters interact, not just within the confines of the story, but outside of it as well. I am not sure why this problem occurs: part of it might be the translation; cultural difference is another feasible explanation; or, maybe it is a result of the stage-play format itself. (which certainly I cannot admit to being terribly familiar with)

I don't know why another customer (a professor, clearly) thought Senelick's serfs and peasants sound like Afro-American country people. They don't. The plays are very much in Chekhov's tone--a pleasure to read. Above all, Senelick's NOTES are really useful! You can learn about how Chekhov himself thought of the characters, about Stanislavsky's reactions when he saw the plays, etc. A beautifully done edition in every way.

- David Ball