This is Why Chekhov was a Genius 

I’d like to emphasise that in Russia Chekov is known for his mastery of sarcasm and satire first and foremost. That’s why he is never hard to read unlike some other famous Russian writers. His tongue is cheeky and his stories are bittersweet.

We need more authors like Chekhov for today's life. We have the billionaires who think they have the answers for governing the world just because they have a talent for making and manipulating money, and then there are others who consider themselves victims, people unable to escape from their cases.

“Ward No.6” is the most talked about and quoted story in Russia by many generations. If someone wants to criticise someone’s way of life or the path of their ideas they say “Are you from the ward number 6?”

Chekhov is my favorite writer. The three short stories ,which left inedible mark on my mind are Chekhov's 'Lady with the Dog' and other short stories and Gogol's Government Inspector and Maupassant's 'Necklace'.

This is my favorite video of yours so far. Chekhov had a huge influence on me through the years. I'm an avid gardener and didn't know about Chekhovs gardening. The point you make about that is very good. Chekhov was a hard worker but he seemed to know what gives most pleasure in life, at least on the serotonin way over the dopamine way. It's very rare to fins a work that is truly chekhovian. Most people focus on the psychology and the sociology. For me it was always the naturalist details he had. The wind in the trees. These sorts of details can give one peace with life, even after suffering. Like the end of Uncle Vanya. Like so so so many of his short stories. You've done a very good job with this video. Chekhov really comes through.

Wonderful! As a lover of literature (a retired English language teacher) this was necter to my ears.

I grew up with Anton Chekhov's work translated into my native tongue. To this day I love the stories of Uncle Wanja, the Seagull, the Cherry Orchard and the Three Sisters (and other stories)

I am so happy to have found your channel! Thank you so much for all your content and as a Russian, special thank you for covering Russian literature, Chekhov is my favourite, although the does bring a bitter sweet depression on me every single time 😅🎉❤

Thank you so much. Chekov is one of my favorites. Both the short stories and plays, I read again and again. I’ve probably seen seagull in the theater five times.

Fiction Beast, I love all your lectures on writers. (All!!) You always capture the essence of them. I love Russian writers. Anton Chekhov, of course he is one of the finest writers' of short stories and plays. The explanation why he was different was perfectly put by your analysis. He saw what was in every day mundane life as lived by the serfs. Captured its realness and what was hidden as in all human beings. My favorite early short story by Chekhov is "The Kiss," which is in the presence of Chekhov, which is to be simpler, more truthful. He always prevails in his short stories. "The Lady with a Dog," a later one in 1899. All of his plays are brimming with subtlety of existence. Again, thank you for all your lectures and a very happy 2023. Respectfully and with affection. 💖

Wow! Stunning life! Almost unbelievable what he did in 44 years

In addition to the authors you mentioned, Tennessee Williams really admired Anton Chekhov, and even wrote an adaptation of The Seagull which he entitled, "The Notebook of Trigorin"

Truly one of the best videos on your channel. Unfortunately, I have not read a lot of Chekhov but after watching this, I'm sure that's going to change. Thank you for putting out such amazing and insightful content! :)

Thank you, you do an amazing job of analyzing complex people, stories, human topics and explaining or distilling them into snack-size ways of understanding them. I love your channel. Bless you and please keep the coming.

BOOKS was the theme of 2022. I read 52 books in 52 weeks. 1) "The Way We Live Now" by Anthony Trollope 2) "Can You Forgive Her?" by Anthony Trollope 3) "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro 4) "Mark Twain: A Life" by Rom Powers 5) "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" by Mark Twain 6) "The Innocents Abroad" by Mark Twain 7) "The End of the Affair" by Graham Greene 8) "Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady" by Samuel Richardson 9) "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" by Muriel Spark 10) "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Truman Capote 11) "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" by Raymond Carver 12) "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy 13) "Resurrection" by Leo Tolstoy 14) "Master and Man" by Leo Tolstoy 15) "A Confession" by Leo Tolstoy 16) "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" by Leo Tolstoy 17) "The Raid" by Leo Tolstoy 18) "A Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs 19) “In the First Circle" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 20) "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" by Victor Hugo 21) "Clara Militch" by Ivan Turgenev 22) "Mumu" by Ivan Turgenev 23) "Kassyan of Fair Springs" by Ivan Turgenev 24) "The Portrait Game" Ivan Turgenev 25) " Punin and Baburin" by Ivan Turgenev 26) "The Inn" by Ivan Turgenev 27) "The Watch" by Ivan Turgenev 28) "Acia" by Ivan Turgenev 29) "Home of the Gentry" by Ivan Turgenev 30) "On the Eve" by Ivan Turgenev 31) "Rudin" by Ivan Turgenev 32) "Smoke" by Ivan Turgenev 33) "First Love" by Ivan Turgenev 34) "The Torrents of Spring" by Ivan Turgenev 35) "How Russians Meet Death" by Ivan Turgenev 36) "Sketches from a Hunter's Album" by Ivan Turgenev 37) "Volodya" by Anton Chekhov 38) "Ward No. 6" by Anton Chekhov 39) "The Lady with the Dog" by Anton Chekov 40) "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" by Alexander Pushkin 41) "The Captain's Daughter" by Alexander Pushkin 42) “Le Grand Meaulnes, or the Lost Domain” by Alain-Fournier 43) "Poor Folk" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 44) "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 45) "Flipped" by Wendelin Van Draanen 46) "Kolyma Tales" by Varlam Shalamov 47) "An Island Hell" by S. A. Malsagoff 48) "The Return of the Native" by Thomas Hardy 49) "Jude the Obscure" by Thomas Hardy 50) “Strait is the Gate” by André Gide 51) “And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer” by Fredrik Backman 52) “Middlemarch” by George Eliot It amounted to reading around 1,500 pages per month. Many months were over 2,000 pages. Samuel Richardson's book was from 1748 A.D. and was over 1,800 pages when written. I read the 808 page abridged edition and it was amazing. One of the first writers of English novels wrote one that can be loved today. I almost desire to look up the unabridged to read two of the letters near the end which I missed. The whole story was in letters like "Poor Folk" or "Les Liaisons Dangereuses." 20 of my top 100 books of all time I read this year. I am thinking this year was the best year of reading I've ever had. Neither of Mark Twain's books made the top 100, but they were amazing reads. I was reading him because of a biography by Ron Powers of Mark Twain and I plan to read another biography this year coming up. This is the year I found out Ivan Turgenev from Russia is my favorite author of all time and will never be surpassed. I plan on reading more of him next year too.

Just got myself a book of compiled short stories by Chekhov and now, I am motivated to read it ; thanks dear friend for making this beautiful, insightful and compelling video❤️

thank you for making this video. Chekhov is one of my favourites. I've always loved the saying that Chekhov's writing is like lace - it's the missing pieces that give it it's beauty.

Your Russian pronunciation is really good in the beginning, I'm impressed

brilliant as usual, am always waiting in anticipation of the next, you have the gift of brevity without sacrificing detail and meaning. that makes you a poet I suppose!

The Virginia Wolfe quote reminds me of an video essay on David Lynch's final Twin Peaks season where it is asserted that the longing for closure tends to eclipse the more pressing need for balance.

Interestingly Chekhov's humanism and atheism were his strengths and you can see these traits in his short stories.

I am so glad I found your site! This is just like sitting in on an Ivy League seminar in Literature. Thank you!

I enjoy your philosophical videos very much. I listen to them while working. Keep it up, love from Malaysia.

What a superb condensed analysis of - to me - the most humanist Russian writer in a country steeped with great Humanist writers! No wasted words (you followed Chechov's minimalist style) but you have made his life and Art glow as few others have. Thank you for your excellent contribution to this great man.

Chekhov knew exactly what should be done in order to improve our miserable, low lives and he says it too: We have to continue to do our duty and do that as well as we can. The last words of his Uncle Vanya express this openly. And he opposes narcissistic figures who only talk and talk, like the professor in Uncle Vanya, but never DO anything. Chekhov was into the philosophy of the stoics, they do also teach this. In a letter to his brother Anton Chekhov gives him the same advice.

The ganre of the short story gripped me many years ago. A good short story encapsulates human experiences by condensing it in a way that makes it an emotional or cerebral experience which can leave you breathless! I feel that I have learned a lot about human nature through the reading of masters of the short story. Your lecture on Checkof was very informative and interesting.... Funny enough, 'The Lady with the dog' is one of my most remembered stories... There was so much complexity of human behavior which is dictated by their perception of morality. It was fascinating to follow their actions and emotions throughout the tale of this love story. The beauty of it was greatly due to the fact that I didn't have to read an entire novel to be moved in such a way.

Spasibo bolshoi! Thank you for your insightful and thorough presentation! Im glad I found your channel! I am looking forward to your other videos. You have inspired me to read and re-read the Russians and others.

This was narrated so well!!! Such a great video!! Loved it!

You’re making me grow broke by adding to my book purchases…and I love it

I did not know anything, anything at all, about Anton Chekhov. Thank you very much for this video!

That was very refreshing. I have never thought about the difference between Russian authors just enjoyed them. Now that I think about it, Anna Karenina's crowd, for instance, were all very privileged and that state of wealth held me, the reader, apart from being able to participate in the story. I am going to revisit Chekhov. thanks so much

Thanks Fiction Beast!

"Chekhov has written a story. One man in a village was so idiotic, so stupid, that the whole village knew about it, that he was stupid. And he himself became so convinced that he was stupid that he became afraid even to talk, to utter a single word, because the moment he said anything someone would say, “What a stupid thing you are saying! What a silly thing.” He was so depressed, he went to a sage and asked him, “What to do? I am such a proved idiot that I cannot even utter a single word. Before I utter anything, they say, ‘Be silent. Do not speak!’ “ The sage said, “Do one thing: never say yes to anything from now on. Whatsoever you see, condemn it.” The idiot said, “But they will not listen to me.” The sage said, “Don’t bother. If they say, ‘This is a beautiful painting,’ say, ‘This painting beautiful? Such an ugly thing I have not seen before!’ If they say, ‘This novel is very original,’ say, ‘This is just a repetition. Thousands of times the same story has been written.’ Do not bother to prove it. Simply say no to everything; make it your basic philosophy. If someone says that the night is beautiful, the moon is beautiful, say, ‘You call this beauty?’ And they cannot prove otherwise, remember. They cannot prove!” The man went back to his village. He started saying no to everything. Within a week there was a rumor around the village: “We were wrong. That man is not an idiot. He is a great critic; he is a genius.” To say no needs no wisdom. If you want to become a great genius, say no, be a critic. Never bother to say yes to anything. Whatsoever anybody says, deny it flatly. And no one can prove it because to prove anything is very difficult. ‘No’ is the simplest trick."

Yes, Chekov is a key seed of the realist impulse, caring deeply about presenting what he saw, but there's contradiction in that genious which is key to the magic of the writing. As we get more distance on early realists it's far clearer that their plays do have things to say to society. There is, after all an inherent contradiction to the instinct to write a play in which nothing is superfluous to the telling of a particular story, while trying to present life as it is. Since life is full of things the writer is trimming away, what and who falls under the lens of writing and what is defined as worthy real human experience necessarily expresses a perspective. Watching "The Seagull", it is truly difficult not to judge the morality of the renown writer who uses his fame and privilege to intentionally bring down the universally loved aspiring actress Nina and it's hard not to root for her, enduring as much of an acing career as she can build at the play's end, even in her disillusioned and broken state. And even if you think Constantine's plays are pretty bad, as you are given ample room to think throughout The Seagull, it's hard not to be similarly enraged at the willful blindness and denial in Constantin's famous actor mother of the harm she is doing her suicidally depressed son by not allowing him enough money to grow as in artist in literally ANY environment more conducive to finding and accepting who he is than one in her shadow and the shadow of other famous artist she seems to keep by her side purely to support her own former-fame-inflated ego. Things like this wouldn't hit the way they do if there wasn't opinion baked into the play, but after it's tragedy the "what now" is less obvious as most of the remaining characters sit around a table confronted by their reshaped reality. It's almost a convention by now to try to make plays do this, so that what will or should happen is left to the audience. Plays and short stories, being so short, often seem better served when they aim to open discussion by presenting a reality with compelling moral stakes that drive us to do business with things that otherwise don't get talked about.

He sounds like such a humane and insightful person, not to mention highly intelligent. I have read a bit of Gogol (laugh out loud funny in a darkly humorous way) and a bit of Dostoyevsky, but have not gotten round to reading Checkov although have always meant to. Now is a good time for me to do it. I’m convalescing from surgery and I’m older and wiser (hopefully), so perhaps I will be able to appreciate this great man’s writing. Thanks for this lesson.

I have just started reading Chekhov and really am now hooked I want to read as much as possible, when I first started reading him I found him really boring and mundane but found myself thinking about the stories maybe much more than I would after reading a really exciting story. I'd advise anyone reading Chekhov if they feel the same way stick with him you will grow to love him.

'Condemned as I was to a life of idleness'. My favourite opening line!

Thank you for making this! Anton Chekhov might have been a rarely used minor league hockey player for all i knew, until i enrolled in an acting class. we had a 2 week period where we studied his work so that we could act in a play of his. I was the doctor in Uncle Vanya, I believe I was the doctor at least. It's been years. But I completely remember being hungover, reading the play for the first time, and crying from laughing at his brutal brilliant way of describing how awful some folks had it- i wasn't laughing at the characters (or the people he may have based them on), but by the outrageous situations they go through. He made my hangover a little better, even meaningful because i guess i felt as shitty as the characters should, but in Chekhov's way of dialogue the characters didn't feel shitty about how shitty their lives could be.

Fiction Beast, I absolutely adore your content. Keep it up! They're my favorite, and I always feel a bit more productive after learning about those stuff!

My favourite short stories made by this man are Rothschild's violin and The kiss. They hit so hard is scary

Best biography of Chekhov that really makes justice to his genius.

Thank you for the video from ethiopia

I LOVED this presentation!

I only remember the name Chekhov from a character on Star Trek back in the 1960s. As a newspaper cartoonist I only had to keep up with American pop culture. I was surrounded by writers but know nothing of literature. Thanks for your insights, FicBst.

A very great one. Read “Heartache “. He doesn’t tell you what to think or feel but makes you feel through his style.

Great content. Keep it up!

Hello! I’ve just discovered your channel & your episode on Chekhov, my fav writer. I found your critique very interesting. My one major quibble is that C mostly left his own personal philosophy & politics out of his stories. As you point out, he was well aware of human suffering. I believe he was also angered by the injustice of human suffering. I suggest you re-read the scene in Uncle Vanya when Sonya orders Maria to answer the door when the peasants come knocking & how the 2 women react. It’s Chekhov’s brief & subtle inclusion of his on-going anger over Russian society’s treatment of the poor. I believe he frequently included scenes like these in his writing, some much less subtle than others, such as his story The Steppe which you mention briefly. Thanks!!

was in love since i read "The Bet" (in english) in junior high Thank you so much for your work!

For those who like the short story form, and particularly Russian short story writers, I highly recommend George Saunders' "A Swim in the Pond in the Rain." He reprints several Russian short stories that he has taught at University for 20 years, and he analyzes each story. As a fine short story writer himself, he has a lot to teach anyone interested in writing short stories, and as a teacher he has a lot to tell us about what to look for and how to understand what is happening in these stories. It's a great book.

Thank you very much for the wonderful introduction to Chekhov. You pronounce 'kh' very well😊 Have a happy 2023 🎊

3 minutes in and im already in love with your style you are so fun to listen to!

Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for this excellent lecture! What I like most is that you make brief comparison with other Russian authors and also you quote others opinion about Chekhov. I also find your point about joy vs happiness thought provoking. Болшое спосибо из Болгарии!

Just love this, could you please make more on him? Anything else you observed about him and would like to share?

Fascinating material! Thank you for posting. I'm a new subscriber. 🎉

Anton Chekhov is my favorite storyteller!

Great! Thank you FB - perhaps your best video so far. Looking forward to more.

19:26 important. Why I love Werner Herzog more than any other person. 21:05 doing either thing is valid and needed imo

I would like to know where his altruism came from and what really motivated him for ‘the self exile’ to Sakhalin coughing blood. Also, I’m glad that I’m not alone in often feeling left behind by his short stories. But I do like his plays. By the way, my favourite novel ‘The Setting Sun’ by O. Dazai is based on The Cherry Orchard with a pinch of The Seagull. 良いお年を🎍

I hope that Maxim Gorky would be next. He is my favourite writer.

thanks for the video :)

Your vids are really great. You're very well informed and charming

HAPPY NEW YEAR FICTION BEAST 🎉

can you please make a video about the egyptian writer, Naguib Mahfouz. he won the 1988 Nobel prize for literature. this will be a beautiful addition to your collection as it will make it more diverse and inclusive.

Love your videos, Matt...especially the bits of humor you throw in. Merci. Our dear Salman Rushdie in hiding with a price on his head began to use "Joseph Anton" as a pseudonym to honor writers Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekhov. I have to go slow with your videos, Matt, because I'm super engrossed in what I'm reading. Yes, Anton, I will get back to you...eventually.

Claire Keegan is an excellent writer, love her short stories. Lots of similarities to Chekovs work.

I suppose I must try again to read Chekhov. While I am a passionate admirer of Dostoyevsky and Gogol, when I tried reading Chekhov I found myself bored senseless, and could not finish. So many say he is great, but so far I have not seen it.

Very well done! Thank you. ❤

Muchas gracias. Thank you very much. I enJOYed this video very much. You also has a great voice too.

I had to fast forward a little, but i followed the narrative with pleasure. I will read more Chekhov. Thank you.

Book Recommendation: "The Beautiful Mind of Anton Chekhov: Selected Thoughts And Quotes."

Thank you✨✨✨🎭

Gorky said that Tolstoy loved Chekov above all the many writers who came to visit him. I think this was because he sensed that Chekov felt the "lagrimae rerum" more poignantly than any the others.

Thank you. Beautiful telling of these interesting things.

Wonderful documentary. Thank you. My favorite story is " The Duell".

Beautiful essay. I learned so much. I loved it. Thank you.

what is you tube is doing volume is wAy to low .. imperceptibly low listening on my iPhone ❓

So glad I discovered your channel.

very precise and informative!

love it! ❤ thank you for this

Great video - thanks! Keep 'em coming!

My favorite is “grasshopper”. It’s so relevant today

Rpbert downey Jr looks like him. Both are hamdsome.

Very Good! Thank you! Spawseebeh!

Thank you so much. A favourite from your videos.

Truly a beast! thank you for this video 🤝

Thank you for these thoughts

I loved your telling. Beautiful. Thank you.

A,great writer indeed!

Thank you. well appreciated.

Thanks for this admirable presentation.

Διάβασα ότι ο Τσέχωφ παρακολούθησε Ελληνικό σχολείο στη γενέτειρά του και έψελνε στα Ελληνικά στη χορωδία της ενορίας του. Πώς και αυτό;

Excellent summary. Thank you.

The gun was in the play the seagull. Strange that he thought it a comedy.

Simply brilliant! Like always!

Excellent vedio. Some of the stories are also available in my mother tongue Marathi. Some of the drama directors has presented his stories. Your write up will help to understand Chekhov. Thanks for it.

Great Video, Sir, on what was a very hard-working and genius mind of Mr. Chekov. Can I give you some advice? Your pronunciation of the word, "estate" sounds like "state" , instead of "eeee-state".

I just wasn't a fan of finishing the video with a quote from Nabokov, who we all know was not that much of a Dostoevski fan, comparing Chekhov to Dostoevski hahaha Great video as usual

great analysis--thanks much!

Good work! Thank you very much. I have one question. Where it was emphasized that Anton Chekhov read Artur Schopenhauer's works? Is it study or what? I'm really interested in, could you answer, please.