Anton Chekhov’s short stories are an extraordinary record of life in nineteenth-century Russia. Encompassing small-town coffin-makers, socially mobile Orthodox bishops, and wealthy Muscovite adulterers, the tales featured in Love and Other Stories are at once bleakly ironic and profoundly humane in their depiction of their subjects. These beautifully translated works demonstrate why Chekhov’s short fiction has achieved universal acclaim: when it comes to pathos, suggestiveness, and sheer narrative economy, these stories have never been bettered.

Translated by: Constance Garnett