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A Methuen Student Edition of Chekhov's classic play in Michael
Frayn's acclaimed translation 'The play has been flooded with
light, like a room with the curtains drawn back' John Peter, Sunday
Times 'The direct simplicity of this new translation ... uncovers
not only the nerve endings of Chekhov's restless malcontents but
also their comic absurdities. It is, as he always intended,
actually funny ...' Jack Tinker, Daily Mail When it opened in St
Petersburg in 1896, The Seagull survived only five performances
after a disastrous first night. Two years later it was revived by
Nemirovich-Danchenko at the newly-founded Moscow Art Theatre with
Stanslasky as Trigorin and was an immediate success. Checkhov's
description of the play was characteristically self-mocking: "A
comedy - 3F, 6M, four acts, rural scenery (a view over a lake);
much talk of literature, little action, five bushels of love".
Michael Frayn's translation was commissioned by the Oxford
Playhouse Company.
This volume includes The Seagull, a about the battle for power
between a mother and her son which ends in tragedy; Uncle Vanya
tells of two obsessive love affairs that lead nowhere, and a
flirtation that brings disaster; Three Sisters in which three
siblings wrestle with their futures and The Cherry Orchard where
the old must inevitably give way to the new. Haunting and elusive,
these four great late masterpieces have found in Michael Frayn a
translator who perfectly captures their delicate balance of the
tragic and the absurd. The volume also contains four of Chekhov's
early short 'vaudevilles' as well as a substantial introduction by
Michael Frayn. "The critical clamour for a Complete Chekhov in
Michael Frayn's translation has borne fruit" (Sunday Times)
Twenty-two lesser-known short stories from Anton Chekhov
(1860-1904), including The Horse-Stealers, Ward No. 6, and the
Petchenyeg.
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Uncle Vanya
Anton Chekhov
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R677
Discovery Miles 6 770
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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Old Arkhip sits every day by the roots of a wizened, hunchbacked
willow, fishing and exchanging whispered stories with the ancient
tree. One of these takes Arkhip three decades back in time, to a
quiet day in early spring when a strange encounter shook him
momentarily from the rural bliss in which he lived, catapulting him
into a world of crime, corruption, violence and murder. A
quintessential example of Chekhov’s artistry, ‘The Willow’ is
here accompanied by thirty-two other short stories – some of them
never or rarely translated into English – which are
representative of the three main phases of the author’s career:
the short, light-hearted pieces of the late 1880s, the darker, more
pessimistic tales of his maturity and the psychologically nuanced
stories he wrote towards the end of his life. Taken together, this
collection is further proof of Chekhov’s unparalleled skills as a
practitioner of the short-story genre.
This superb play by Anton Chekhov presents drama and romance
between an ensemble cast of vivid, evocative characters. We join
Sorin, a retired government servant who lives on his estate with
his wife who is a famed stage actress named Arkadina. Their son,
Konstantin Treplyov, is a playwright who has recently published an
unconventional work which has attracted much public attention.
However, in spite of his artistic talents Konstantin is prone to
troubles of mood. His habit of shooting seagulls influences the
plot, and provides the play with its title. In keeping with his
penchant for romantic flair, Chekhov establishes potential romances
early in the story. Masha, the estate keeper's daughter, is taken
by Konstantin but herself liked by a schoolteacher named
Medvedenko. These romances in turn fuel the plot - as the reader is
left guessing as to who will pair off with whom.
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