Anton Chekhov: A Life - Hardcover

Rayfield, Donald

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0002555034 ISBN 13: 9780002555036

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1997

Synopsis

Chekhov's life was one long battle with his dependants and with the tuberculosis that was to kill him at the age of 44. This biography aims to show him in the heroism of his short life - at times made hell by a monstrous father, possessive sister and delinquent elder brothers. The drama of Chekhov's life took him all over Russia and the world. Using documents and letters, this work investigates the emotions, conflicts and experiences which Chekhov transmuted into his stories and plays.

About this title

Review:

A noted scholar of the works of Anton Chekhov now turns to his life (1860-1904), with equally revelatory results. Rayfield's densely documented account avoids general statements in favour of quiet accumulation of detail that gradually creates a multifaceted impression of Chekhov's contradictions. Witty, charming, and an ardent lover of women, Russia's greatest dramatist was also coolly detached, prone to capriciousness and capable of considerable cruelty. In Anton Chekhov, Rayfield does not attempt to tidy up a messily complex psyche or to downplay the faults that were as intrinsic to Chekhov's genius as were his merits.

Review:

"Without question the definitive biography of Chekhov, and like to remain so for a very long time to come. . . . [Rayfield] captures a likeness of the notoriously elusive Chekhov, which at last begins to seem recognizably human--and even more extraordinary." --Michael Frayn
"Full of fascinating surprises. It is hard to imagine another book about Chekhov after this one. . . . A sculpted likeness of a most human genius shown in the context of his time." --Arthur Miller
"The life Rayfield describes is no less impressive for having a flawed, at times unsympathetic, figure at its center. And his restraint in presenting his controversial new findings--along with the sheer quantity of fresh material he has amassed--is finally what makes his portrait so persuasive. His clear-eyed, critical sympathy for his less-than-perfect subject might have been borrowed from Chekhov's own writing." --New York Times Book Review

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0002555034
• ISBN 13: 9780002555036
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 736