A Night in the Cemetery: And Other Stories of Crime & Suspense - Hardcover

Chekhov, Anton

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1933648864 ISBN 13: 9781933648866

Publisher: Pegasus Books, 2008

Synopsis

The English-language debut of Anton Chekhov's first collection of mystery and suspense tales.

Considered one of the greatest dramatists of all time, Anton Chekhov began his literary career as a crime and mystery writer. Scattered throughout periodicals and literary journals from 1880-1890, these early psychological suspense stories provide a fresh look into Chekhov’s literary heritage and his formative years as a writer. In stories like "A Night in the Cemetery," "Night of Horror," and "Murder," not only will Chekhov’s dark humor and twisted crimes satisfy even the most hardboiled of mystery fans, readers will again appreciate the penetrating, absurdist insight into the human condition that only Chekhov can bring. Whether it is the death of a young amateur playwright at the hands of an editor who hates bad writing, or a drunken civil servant who ends up trapped in a graveyard, these stories overflow with the unforgettable characters and unique sensibility that continue to make Chekhov one of the most fascinating figures in literature.

About this title

About the Author

Peter Sekirin was born in Russia and holds a Ph.D. in Russian Literature from the University of Toronto. He has been working at the Center for Russian Studies at the University of Toronto since 1999. His works include The Dostoevsky Archive, a biography of Fyodor Dostoevsky; the English-language translations of Tolstory's The Calendar of Wisdom; and On the Sea and Other Stories: Early Short Stories of Anton Chekhov. He works as a research associate at the University of Toronto and lives in North York, Ontario.

Reviews

Best known today as a playwright, Chekhov (1860–1904) was also a prolific and accomplished writer of short fiction, as shown by this collection of 42 stories, most of which have previously been unavailable in English translation. As Sekirin notes in the preface, these stories appeared in a variety of periodicals and until now have managed to escape the notice of contemporary editors and translators. Though billed as featuring crime and suspense, the volume has a broad range, including morality tales and stories of both dark and puckish humor. In the amusingly macabre A Night of Horror, a man finds a coffin in his apartment. Task, about a college student and bad checks, has a thoroughly modern ring. A Crime: A Double Murder Case is classic noir. Not all the selections shine, but enough do that the collection should appeal to more than just Chekhov fanatics. (Aug.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Pegasus Books
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1933648864
• ISBN 13: 9781933648866
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 321