Early Stories

Начало книги

Verochka 130 A Drama 142 Typhus 147 Notes from the Journal of a Quick-Tempered Man 153 The Reed-Pipe 162 The Kiss 170

No Comment 187 Let Me Sleep 191

Notes 197

Select Bibliography 201

A Chronology of Anton Chekhov 204

Introduction

I write under the most atrocious conditions. My non-literary work lies before me Aaying my conscience unmercifully, the offspring of a visiting kinsman is screaming in the next room, in another room Father is reading aloud The Sealed Angel to Mother ... Someone has just wound up the musical box and it's playing La Belle Helene . . . I'd like to clear off to the country, but it's already one in the morning . . . Can you conceive of more atrocious surroundings for a literary man? My bed's taken up by the visiting relation, who keeps coming over to me and engaging me in medical conversation. 'My daughter must have colic, that's why she's screaming . . . ' I have the great misfortune to be a medic, so every man-jack feels duty hound to 'talk medicine' with me. And when they've had enough of talking medicine, they start on literature .. .

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