Anton Chekhov: A Life - Hardcover

Rayfield, Donald

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805057471 ISBN 13: 9780805057478

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1998

Synopsis

A professor of Russian literature at the University of London presents a vivid, definitive biography, the product of five years of research into the Chekhov archives in Russia and the discovery of thousands of documents and letters. 20,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

Donald Rayfield is professor of Russian literature at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London. His books include Chekhov: The Evolution of His Art and Catastrophe and Comedy: Chekhov's Cherry Orchard.

Reviews

Gorky said of Chekhov that no one understood as clearly as he did "the tragedy of life's trivialities." Rayfield certainly does. His biography of Chekhov is rife with tiny details that together create a pointillist portrait of Chekhov, his large family and the legion of friends, hangers-on and "Antonovkas," or female admirers. About halfway through the book, there have been enough of these painstakingly applied points to create a nuanced portrait of an intensely Russian man. Chekhov was the grandson of a freed serf, the son of a brutish and sanctimonious father. His elder brothers were irresponsible drunkards while his numerous friends vacillated between braggadocio and desperate neediness. Perhaps because he could maintain a certain emotional aloofness, Chekhov managed to support his menagerie while writing some of the world's great short stories and plays. Rayfield's careful research into primary sources reveals numerous letters that have been ignored or tactfully bowdlerized. The result is a portrayal of a man rather randier, more put-upon and more human than previously betrayed. This does no disservice, but sometimes the sheer bulk of detail does. Do we really need to know that Chekhov's father made his own mustard or that in the winter of 1892, Chekhov bandaged his publishers' governess's leg after she fell off a wardrobe or even the schedule of family members' endless peregrinations? While this will no doubt be a crucial addition for Chekhov scholarship, a few broader strokes and more background into the rapidly changing politics and society of Russia would have made it more useful for the narodni as well. 24 pages of b&w illustrations not seen by PW
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Having spent five years researching Chekhov's life in Russia, where he uncovered previously unpublished letters and documents from family, lovers, and friends, Rayfield (Russian, Univ. of London) is able to throw fresh light on the life and work of one of Russia's great writers. Rayfield concentrates on Chekhov's relationships with his family and friends and the role tuberculosis played in his life, paying less attention to analyzing his fiction except when the works emerged from his experiences. As a result, Chekhov's medical training and stormy relationships with his family come vividly to life, as does his battle with tuberculosis, which claimed him at age 44. Those new to Chekhov will find Rayfield's short, concise chapters a blessing. This should become a standard reference on Chekhov's life; recommended for all literary collections.?Ronald Ratliff, Chapman H.S. Lib., Kan.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

People were passionate about Chekhov when he was alive and remain so long after his death, but until now, no biographer has been able to fully grasp the complexity of his life. Rayfield's access to a vast, previously untapped Chekhov archive yielded genuine revelations, which he makes astute use of in his meticulous account of the celebrated writer's short life. Chekhov's burdensome childhood made him treasure literature as a refuge and study medicine for profit, hoping to be able to support his impossible father and siblings. But, terrified of causing harm to his patients and gravely ill with tuberculosis, he wasn't much of a doctor and soon focused on writing, bringing to it all the confusions of his hectic love life and the rivalries and tricky alignments of his large and diverse circle of friends and associates. The Chekhov who emerges from Rayfield's richly textured pages is rife with contradictions: he craved attention yet longed for solitude; he loved women, who found him irresistible, yet was often misogynistic; he could be cold and indifferent yet was often philanthropic. In short, he was exactly the sort of man capable of writing his brilliant and indelible stories and plays. Donna Seaman

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805057471
• ISBN 13: 9780805057478
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 674