Customer Reviews

Sakhalin Island (Oneworld Classics)

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Chekhov excelled at so many kinds of writing that some readers are bound to draw a comparison between his work in one form and his work in another. I know playwrights, for example, who speak harshly of Chekhov's short stories, which they read only in light of his dramatic work. I know admirers of his short fiction who think the plays suffer from comparison with the stories.

The reputation of Sakhalin Island, I think, has taken the greatest beating on these grounds. A reader conditioned by Chekhov's stories might not be prepared for a work of nonfiction, particularly one so sprawling and full of information as Sakhalin Island can be.

The reader willing to approach the book on its own terms, though, will be rewarded with a clear-headed look at the part of 19th century Russia that is mostly missing from literature. The reader of Chekhov's post-Sakhalin Island work will note that much of what he learned on his journey filtered down into some of the longer stories he wrote after his return.

The Oneworld Classics edition is ably translated and attractively presented. Readers are in their debt.

Chekhov has been admired and reviled for this work. Why it has been attacked is not understandable to an intelligent reader. What a book! What writing! What interesting information! I had only known Chekhov's plays and some stories so this was a surprise. To discover this detailed picture of the island of Sakhalin as a penal colony was a treasure; albeit a sad one. Chekhov shows you the despairing lives of these convicts of the Russian tzars without sensationalizing. Since I am doing research for a novel the considerable detail has been rewarding. Since I love excellent writing I have been captivated in the reading. Anyone who is interested in the details of its criticism and an excellent analysis should read Cathy Popkin's "Chekhov as ethnographer" in Slavic Review V 51, No. 1 Spring 992. She captures Chekhov's problems detailing Sakhalin with great insight.