Anton chekhov short stories at home

"In winter we close the windows
and read Chekhov,
nearly weeping for his world.

"What luxury, to be so happy
that we can grieve
over imaginary lives."

— Lisel Mueller, “Late Hours"  

Background

Anton Chekhov began his career writing humorous pieces for popular magazines to support himself while he studied to become a doctor.

He began to take his art more seriously after the respect he gained encouraged him to begin writing fiction. Between 1888 and his death Chekhov revolutionized two narrative forms, the short story and the drama. His writing offers realistic slices of Russian life that reflect universal truths about the human condition.

Literary critic Harold Bloom notes, “Chekhov, with his artist’s wisdom, teaches us implicitly that literature is a form of desire and wonder and not a form of the good.”

“Home” was originally published in 1897.

Sources for the Reading

A public domain edition of “Home” (1922) is used