Subscribe Login
Logo
Subscribe Login
January 29, 2022

Happy Birthday Anton Pavlovich

Happy Birthday Anton Pavlovich
Anton Chekhov and Olga Knipper, 1901.

Today, January 29, is Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's 162nd birthday. Let's celebrate with some links to stories we have published about the great writer in Russian Life and online.

Let's begin with the collection of his writings we published in bilingual format. What better way to make use of Chekhov than by improving your Russian by reading his stories?

We've published a few bios of him in the magazine, including this one, and this one. We've written about his dog, about when he met Tolstoy, and about Chekhovian fillers. And then there is Chekhov on the typhus epidemic, which is a bit, well, topical. That should be enough to get you started. Then look below, in the Additional Reading links. We'll add some other stories of interest down there. Including a translation of a story by him we just released today.

"The happy man only feels happy because the unhappy man bears his burden in silence."

– Anton Chekhov, "Gooseberries"
Tags: russian literatureliteraturechekhov

You Might Also Like

The First and Last National Census
  • January 01, 2022

The First and Last National Census

Late January 2022 marks 125 years since the first thorough count of the Russian Empire’s population was begun in 1897. What was the significance of this endeavor, how was it carried out, and what were its results?
Three Stories for Maslenitsa
  • February 01, 1996

Three Stories for Maslenitsa

Three stories by Chekhov are translated here for the season of late winter and Maslenitsa: Bliny, The Stupid Frenchman, and On Frailty.
Chekhov Today
  • May 01, 2000

Chekhov Today

Few writers have had as much impact on literature and drama as Anton Chekhov. And yet his legacy is largely ignored or overlooked.
The Beauties
  • March 01, 2020

The Beauties

On the occasion of the great writer’s 160th birthday, we offer up one of his lesser-known classics, newly translated.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  • January 01, 2010

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

Chekhov was one of Russia's most prolific and influential writers, and this January marks his 150th birthday. We look back at his work, always worth another read.
The Poet of Laughter
  • April 01, 1999

The Poet of Laughter

Russian Life visits with a leading expert on Nikolai Gogol, to consider the writer's legacy and influence.
12: Chekhov BILINGUAL
  • October 01, 2010

12: Chekhov BILINGUAL

THIS ISSUE IS SOLD OUT! But we have re-worked it into book form, which can be found HERE Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, including "the little trilogy"; an extract from "The Seagull"; Chekhov's own favorite story; plus the earliest version of Bunin's memoir about Chekhov, full of wonderful first person reportage on the writer's habits and manner.
When Chekhov Met Tolstoy
  • August 08, 2019

When Chekhov Met Tolstoy

On this day in 1895, two Titans of Russian literature met for the first time and had a swim. Or did they?
Dissecting Chekhov
  • March 18, 2020

Dissecting Chekhov

Translation is an art, not a science. And translating Chekhov is a particularly challenging art.
The Fiasco, by Anton Chekhov
  • January 29, 2022

The Fiasco, by Anton Chekhov

In honor of Chekhov's birthday, we present his story, "The Fiasco," translated by Bob Blaisdell. And a video version...
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Useful Links

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955

orders@russianlife.com