Selected Stories

Thirty stories spanning Chekhov’s entire career, from the early comic sketches to the late masterpieces. Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, this is the best single volume for discovering why Chekhov is considered the greatest short story writer who ever lived.

Why Start Here

The Pevear-Volokhonsky Selected Stories is the ideal entry point because it gives you the full range. The early Chekhov is funny: brisk comic pieces about petty officials and absurd situations. The middle Chekhov is darker: stories about doctors, teachers, and trapped wives that observe human weakness without judging it. The late Chekhov is devastating: “The Lady with the Dog,” “The Bishop,” “In the Ravine,” stories where the surface is calm and the emotional depth is oceanic.

What makes Chekhov revolutionary is his refusal to impose meaning. His stories do not tell you what to feel. They show you a situation, usually one where someone is slightly more alone than they were before, and they trust you to recognize the truth in it. That trust is what makes reading Chekhov feel like a conversation with the most perceptive person you have ever met.

What to Expect

Thirty stories of varying length. The prose is clean and conversational. Each story can be read independently. Start anywhere, though reading chronologically shows the evolution of the form. No prior knowledge of Russian literature required.