Short Stories by Anton Chekhov Bk. 2: Talent and Other Stories

Short Stories by Anton Chekhov Bk.2: Talent and Other Stories

ISBN 9780956116550

The second audio book in the series of Chekhov's Short Stories featuring 5 new stories: Talent, Anyuta, The Helpmate, Ivan Matveyitch, Polinka. Read by Max Bollinger in English (unabridged). Several stories in this new 65-min CD are accompanied by occasional piano music based on original compositions by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, a distinguished Russian composer of Romantic era. Europe's Age of Enlightenment is presented here through both literary and musical treasures of 19th century. Read more > reviews>

Stories in this Audiobook

01 Talent
02 Anyuta
03 The Helpmate
04 Ivan Matveyitch
05 Polinka

About The Author

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Антон Павлович Чехов) 1860 – 1904, one of Russia's most cherished storyteller, playwright and one of the greatest dramatists of all time. Chekhov himself described his plays as comic satire: "All I wanted was to say honestly to people: 'Have a look at yourselves and see how bad and dreary your lives are!' The important thing is that people should realize that, for when they do, they will most certainly create another and better life for themselves. I will not live to see it, but I know that it will be quite different, quite unlike our present life.”

What the Critics Say About Anton Chekhov

His meticulous anatomies of complicated human impulse and response, his view of what's funny and poignant, his clear-eyed observance of life as lived — all somehow matches our experience. Richard Ford

Anton Chekhov's late stories mark a pivotal moment in European fiction — the point where nineteenth-century realist conventions of the short story begin their transformation into the modern form. His psychological insight was profound and dynamic. Joyce may have more exactly captured the texture of human consciousness, but no short story writer has better expressed its often invisible complexities. Dana Gioia

Chekhov raised the portrayal of banality to the level of world literature. He developed the short story as a form of literary art to one of its highest peaks, and the translation of his stories into English has constituted one of the greatest single literary influences at work in the short story of America, England, and Ireland. This influence has been one of the factors encouraging the short-story writers of these nations to revolt against the conventional plot story and seek in simple and realistic terms to make of the story a form that more seriously reflects life. James T Farrell

About The Music

Pyotr Ilyich Chaikovskiy (Пётр Ильич Чайковский) 1840 – 1893, Russian composer of the Romantic era. Chaikovskiy achieved worldwide recognition during his lifetime, was awarded an honorary doctorate at Cambridge University. In 1891 the Carnegie Hall program booklet proclaimed him to be one of the greatest living musicians. Music critics praised him as "a modern music lord". In Russia Chaikovskiy was considered a national treasure, and his music admired and adored by all. He wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the current classical repertoire, including the ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, the 1812 Overture, his Piano Concertos, his Symphonies, and the opera Eugene Onegin.