5 works by Anton Chekhov you should read

1. Man in a Case

A still from 'Man in a Case' movie

“After the most insignificant of your stories, everything seems coarse, written not with a pen, but as if with a log,” Maxim Gorky wrote to Chekhov. Indeed, any story by Chekhov is not inferior to the great novels of other writers in depth and artistic features. And few could write so subtly about simple things. 

Chekhov has so many short stories that they can easily be read in a row, snapping like seeds. One of the most representative is ‘Man in the Case’. Short and capacious, it reminds one of a parable. 

Chekhov depicted a lonely man who sought to hide from the world in his own “shell”: having lived a meaningless life, he died, forgotten by everyone.

‘Man in a case’ has become an idiom in Russia with a negative connotation, referring to people who are afraid to open up to the world and lose many opportunities.

2. The Darling

Still from 'The Darling'

Olenka, the protagonist of the story, was so meek that everyone called her 'the darling'. She was completely dissolved in the affairs and concerns of her husbands: first, the theater entrepreneur, then the manager of the forest warehouse, then the veterinarian… She was not just interested and involved, but became a competent assistant and even her vocabulary changed depending on the interests of her new husband. 

Leo Tolstoy was delighted with the story and the protagonist. In his opinion, this was the perfect woman. Except that Chekhov, with apparent detachment, could not glorify such a role for a woman.

3. Three Sisters

Still from 'Three Sisters' movie (1964) by Samson Samsonov

“‘Lots of talk, little action,” Chekhov himself wrote about his play. It has practically no plot, but with all the melancholy and obvious inaction of the characters, it is still staged in many theaters around the world. 

Three sisters and their brother live in a provincial town. Their father died a year ago and they are now thinking about what to do next in life. The eldest, Olga, works as a teacher, the middle sibling, Masha, is unhappily married and the youngest can find neither a man nor an occupation to her liking. These intelligent maidens live a rather empty and useless life, only dreaming and making plans that are not destined to come true.

4. The Cherry Orchard

'The Cherry Orchard' on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater

This is undoubtedly Chekhov's most important play, where he passed judgment on the nobility as a class. Because these people had outlived their time and had not adapted to the "new" life. 

A noblewoman named Lyubov Ranevskaya has spent all her fortune in France. The only thing that is left is her estate with a beautiful cherry orchard. However, the estate is about to be sold at auction to cover outstanding debts. Yermolai Lopakhin is a grandson of the serfs who served Ranevskaya's family. Now, Yermolai is a family friend and has become a wealthy merchant. He proposes to divide the land and rent out small plots to earn money and pay off the debts.

Ranevskaya ignores his idea and, in the end, he himself buys the estate, where his grandfather was a serf. The play ends with the sounds of axes cutting down cherry trees.

The premiere of ‘The Cherry Orchard’ took place at the Moscow Art Theater and legendary director Konstantin Stanislavsky spoke about the meaning of the play: “‘The Cherry Orchard’ does not bring income, it just keeps in itself and in its blossoming whiteness of the poetry of the former landlord's life. Such a garden grows and blossoms for whim, for the eyes of spoiled aesthetes. It is a pity to destroy it, but it is necessary, because the process of economic development of the country requires it.”

5. Sakhalin Island

Photo of Sakhalin prisoners from Chekhov's notes

In 1890, Chekhov, who was at the time in poor health, made an unthinkable trip for those times – to the Far Eastern island of Sakhalin. It took the writer more than two months and he passed through the whole of Siberia. 

Usually, only convicts who were exiled to this faraway place with a difficult climate went there. 

Chekhov spent about three months on the island and explored its life, especially the everyday routine of those unfortunate people sentenced to life imprisonment. 

With documentary accuracy and dryness of style (his trademark), Chekhov described both corporal punishment and hard child labor. This book consists of travel notes and statistical data, which the author compiled with the meticulousness of a doctor, which was his main occupation.

Read more: 10 must-read short stories by Anton Chekhov