About mid-book I was rating this one higher, but by the end I felt Malcolm tried to do too much with such a short book. It starts out almost as a travel book, with meditations on Chekhov, where he lived, traveled, what he wrote and what he wrote about, died, etc., contrasted with present day Russia. Her guide is a difficult pensioner trying to steer Malcolm to sites she doesn't care to see. (To be honest, Malcolm struck me throughout as being something of prickly pear herself.) That interesting

Part travel memoir, part notes on Chekhov's life, part critical analysis of his works and all under 210 pages. I think I loved first two parts the best. Janet Malcolm is a very opinionated person, so it's only to be expected that you'll disagree with some of her opinions, but that part can be fun. I just think she had too many balls in the air and the ending was too abrupt.

Worthwhile! Very engaging. However, I thoroughly disagree with Ms. Malcolm‘s contention, not discussed in this book, that Pevear and Volokhonsky are poor translators. They are favorites of mine, allowing me to rid myself of the lexically problematic Ms. Constance Garnett.

This is a slim volume (205 pages) for lovers of Chekhov who neither want nor need any in-depth analysis of the stories (which is not to say we get no analysis, just that it's measured and doesn't overwhelm the reader). This is Janet Malcolm's extended essay on why Chekhov is such a brilliant writer and why we should read him - often.What I particularly like about Malcolm is that she manages to articulate why I like the man so much. Yet, having written that previous sentence just now I still can'...

An excellent overview of the life and writings of Chekhov which slowly unfolds as Janet Malcolm recounts her own travels through Russia. Her deft mingling of her personal experiences with her thoughts on Chekhov make this a particularly accessible piece. Like so much of Malcolm's work the end result is vivid, intelligent, inventive and incredibly insightful.

A delightful, easy read for any lover of Chekhov

Not a deeply insightful, comprehensive or scholarly book on Chekhov, but a good general introduction to his life and stories. Thank you Janet Malcolm for helping me make a start on this master.

I enjoyed this short book, which combines some Chekhov biography, some traditional literary criticism, and a little travel writing. Janet Malcolm structures her musings on Chekhov around journeys to Petersburg, Moscow, and Yalta in the company of three female guides, two of whom are kind and helpful while the third's a bit of a bitch. (Of course Malcolm can't help comparing them to Chekhov characters. Unpleasant, controlling Sonia, for example, Malcolm's Moscow guide, is "a dead ringer for Natas...

Janet Malcolm made a journey through Russia in the Yeltsin era in pursuit of a better understanding of Chekhov. This slim volume is a record of her travels and thoughts about the writer and his work. It strikes me as a book written to give a tangible purpose to a journey she wanted to make, rather than being a book for which she needed to make the journey, if you see what I mean. Her critical analysis, which pulls together a close reading of many of the stories as well as examining the various s...

This was an excellent read --- a nice mixture of travelogue and literary criticism. Now it makes me want to read Chekhov's letters, and short stories (I just finished reading Three Sisters).

Malcolm has a wonderful way of following both the stories and the man; I enjoyed her exploration of Chekhov. But a couple of things bother me. Although she devotes most of Ch. 5 to the mystery of his faith, I think his faith is hard to miss. Not so mysterious. That's the big thing that bothers me. The second thing that bothers me, an error in Malcolm's description of the final passage of Chekhov's "The Murder," brings up a perfect example. "The Murder" is a big clue to Chekhov's faith.Matvei, ma...

I read this in a way to attune myself to my upcoming research for a presentation and a paper about Chekhov, and as such it was a very pleasant read.Malcolm has written a very jaunty book, a quick and easy literary biography that doesn't stay at the surface. Her analysis of Chekhovs work is well researched, but not dragging.While reading the book gave me a lot of starting points for more research about Chekhov. What Malcolm brings to the attention several times, and what I think is very true abou...

As a Chekhov fan, I enjoy reading clues into the author’s personal life. The highlight of this work is the two letters he writes to his brothers, one of which outlines the path to living as a person of culture; and the other explaining why he should not sit around his house in Oblomovian fashion. While I cannot recommend Reading Chekhov ahead of reading Chekhov (out of my system), I think Janet Malcolm’s astute observations are a worthy supplement to the Chekhovian works.I was taken aback by som...

At one level this book is a account of Malcolm's 'Chekhov Tour' of Russia. Being Malcolm she has insightful and often acid things to say about the places she visits and the people she meets. Each of the thirteen chapters looks at Chekhov from a different angle. She only discusses a few of Chekhov's writings but also discusses some of his letters, the letters of others and the opinions of various Chekhov critics. Chekhov is not a autobiographical writer and seems somewhat distant from his stories...

'There is always this amazing movement in Chekhov from the difficult to the simple and beautiful. (...)"Life is given to us only once." The line (or a variant) appears in story after story and is delivered so quietly and offhandedly that we almost miss its terror. Chekhov was never one to insist on anything. He didn't preach, or even teach. He is our poet of the provisional and fragmentary. When a story or play ends, nothing seems to be settled.'

Interesting for me as I knew little about Chekhov. (Even how to spell his name). Malcolm writes about him while visiting Russia so she can add another dimension or layer to her discussion. This book presents Chechov and his work as enigmatic but compelling. Malcolm tries to explain how the grandson of a serf became one of Russia's most famous writers.

I can't help it: Janet Malcom's ego really gets in the way of enjoying her prose. I eagerly jumped from Chekhov passage to Chekhov passage, attempting to skip over her snarky assessment of her Russian help. --b

Anton Chekov's status as a playwright and short-story writer is such that, even if you've never read any of his work, you've surely heard him mentioned or cited by your favorite authors or literary critics. I say that as someone who, while surely stumbling across a story or two of his in various anthologies, has never actually sat down to read what Chekov wrote. Russian literature has never really been my thing, but I tackled "Crime and Punishment" last year and, while not looking to do so for t...

After reading this whimsical, insightful book, I am now curious to read Chekhov.Ms. Malcolm uses a present day (2005) trip to Russia to connect modern Russians with the life of Chekhov and his contemporaries, real and fictional.Her observations, personal, grand, small, tie the book together, whether she is slumming at a Black Sea resort where the rooms are grungy and the restaurant empty, or recalling her conversations with rude and abrupt tour guides who tell her what sights they want her to se...

This book proved to be a wonderful companion to reading Chekhov's work, in particular his short stories. It has also inspired me to collect more of his short stories and re-read (or watch if I can find them) his plays. There are some interesting insights into Checkhov and his history along with some features of the Russian landscape that provided a back drop for the short stories. I would also recommend an essay written by Francine Prose called "Learning from Chekhov" about lessons she learned t...

A sketch of a travelogue and review of some of the more famous stories. I'm not sure either is successful, but it's not a long read and you can learn something of Soviet hotels.The conflict with her guide and translator was the highlight -- this could have filled a book twice its length and I think was the story in the end she wanted to tell.

I really enjoyed. Thought provoking and interesting.

Part biography part travelogue. Intersections of past and present weaved from Chekhov's history

... I liked it but had to return it before I finished... Hope to try again another day. Consider it, certainly.

It's more of a literary digression and exercise connected around a trip to Chekhov's Russia. There are great insights, but it doesn't seem to have the depth of other critical works.

Recommended for those who read 90% of Chekhov's Work

Loved this one. A biography mixed with literary criticism mixed with a travelogue. So accessible and fascinatingly. Highly recommend

Persuaded me to read Chekhov...

Illuminating and interesting. Janet Malcolm writes beautifully. Filled in some literary gaps in my knowledge of Chekhov and has given me a starting point with which stories to start with.

Rich and rewarding.