Great Books Audio

The Wife – Chapter 1

30 July 2009

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anton chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is one of Russia’s most cherished storytellers. He is known in modern-day Russia for his several hundred short stories, many of which are considered masterpieces of the form. Yet his plays are also major influences on twentieth-century drama. From Chekhov, many contemporary playwrights have learned how to use mood, apparent trivialities and inaction to highlight the internal psychology of characters. Chekhov’s four major playsâ€”The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchardâ€”are frequently revived in modern productions. Many writers of prose, particularly of short stories, have also been influenced by Chekhov, such as Katherine Mansfield. John Cheever has been called “the Chekhov of the suburbs” for his ability to capture the drama and sadness of the lives of his characters by revealing the undercurrents of apparently insignificant events. American writer Raymond Carver was also frequently compared to Chekhov, because of his minimalistic prose style, and tendency to meditate upon the humor and tragedy in the everyday lives of working class people. Carver like Chekhov presented his characters with compassion and didn’t place judgement on them or their actions. Master of the short story, the British author Victor Sawdon Pritchett’s short stories are prized for their craftsmanship and comic irony similar to that of Chekhov. Chekhov, who was graduated from the Moscow University MedicalSchool, wrote many stories about the saintly doctor who wars with an unprincipled woman. The Wife is one of those stories–a doctor, despite the malice of his estranged wife, devotes his life to famine relief. Anton Chekhov died of tuberculosis on July 14, 1904, at the age of forty-four, in a German health resort and was buried in Moscow. [audio:http://media.blubrry.com/greatbooks/greatbooksaudio.com/audio/chapter1-wife.mp3]