Simply Chekhov

The writer who found whole lives in the smallest moments.

Anton Chekhov could take an ordinary conversation, a family gathering, or a quiet moment of disappointment and turn it into something unforgettable. In Simply Chekhov, Carol Apollonio offers an accessible introduction to the life and work of one of modern literature's great writers, exploring the stories and plays that made Chekhov such an enduring figure. From The Cherry Orchard and The Seagull to his celebrated short stories, Apollonio examines Chekhov's distinctive ability to capture people caught between what they want and what life actually gives them. His characters can be funny, frustrated, hopeful, selfish, generous, and deeply lonely, often all at once. By placing Chekhov's writing within the social and political world of late nineteenth-century Russia, Apollonio helps readers understand both the man and the remarkable humanity of his work.