Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • The Chekhov Collection of Short Stories

  • By: Anton Chekhov
  • Narrated by: Richard Armitage
  • Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (283 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Chekhov Collection of Short Stories cover art

The Chekhov Collection of Short Stories

By: Anton Chekhov
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Snowman cover art
Anton Chekhov: 6 Full-Cast BBC Radio Productions cover art
The Murderer's Son cover art
Tess of the D'Urbervilles cover art
The Queen of Spades: Moonlit Tales of the Macabre cover art
Bleak House cover art
Great Expectations cover art
About Love and Other Stories cover art
In the Ravine and Other Stories cover art
Uncle Vanya cover art
The Silmarillion cover art
David Copperfield cover art
Jane Eyre cover art
Crime and Punishment cover art
Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh cover art
The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition] cover art

Summary

Whilst Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) is perhaps best for his plays such as Uncle Vanya and The Seagull, he was also a prolific author of short stories.  

In this exclusive collection, Audible presents six of his most-celebrated short stories, chosen and performed by Richard Armitage.  

Richard, whose interest in the work of Chekhov was sparked by his appearance as Astrov in a stage production of Uncle Vanya, also introduces the collection with a brief overview of each of the stories and his thoughts on why Chekhov’s short stories are not to be missed.  

The collection contains the following stories:  

'Ward 6'

In a mental asylum, a patient comes into conflict with a director of the institution.    

'The Kiss'

During a party, a man becomes infatuated by a woman who accidentally kisses him in the dark.  

'Betrothed'

A young woman strives to asset her independence by choosing education over an arranged marriage.  

'The Black Monk'

An ageing scholar experiences strange hallucinations.  

Is he a genius, or is he insane?  

'Neighbours'

A beautiful young woman subverts society expectations by going to live with her neighbour, an older, married man.    

'The Student'

A depressed young student has his spirits lifted by recounting an religious story to two strangers.

Public Domain (P)2020 Audible, Ltd

Richard Armitage records Chekhov short stories at home

0:00

What listeners say about The Chekhov Collection of Short Stories

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    191
  • 4 Stars
    64
  • 3 Stars
    23
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    210
  • 4 Stars
    37
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    166
  • 4 Stars
    57
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

There is more to Chekhov than his plays

Chekhov considered medicine to be his lawful wedded wife and literature to be his mistress. As well as the plays for which he is most celebrated, Chekhov was a prolific writer of short stories and this collection contains six of the best of them. The character descriptions are strong and we hear about simple hearted but dim witted peasants, dying men who are visited by phantoms and physicians in asylums who are as deranged as their patients. Apparently Chekhov wrote these works late in his life when he was suffering from consumption and this is surely reflected in the characters he creates who are stoic and crave the natural world.

The collection is expertly narrated by the actor Richard Armitage who explains in the prelude that having acted in Chekhov plays he wanted to find out more about who he was and I would recommend this to anyone who ponders the same questions.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What? Did Chekhov write in English?!!

Nowhere was the translator deemed worthy of mention even though they wrote the English being spoken. Audible/Amazon need to up their game. Then I will be happy to give a proper review

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

Bought this after watching richard armitage in Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. Fabulously read and very intriguing plots. Next I'll be reading more of his plays.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A grim miscellany. The content was unrelievedly s

.Darkness of the writing was at times overwhelming and resonated with Covid times. The reading was good but could have been more nuanced. I had hoped for a more vital and gently humorous selection.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Narration

the stories of Anton Chekhov are brought to life through the excellent narration of Richard Armitage.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Timeless and wonderfully narrated...

Had been wanting to explore Russian authors and loved this set of short stories by Chekhov. Simple, varied and real. Must listen to all those who love short stories.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

I really enjoyed this, but agree with another reviewer who mentions the translation. It would be really helpful to know who the translator is when the books aren’t originally written in English. It seems such an oversight.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Intense

I’d seen the production of Uncle Vanya but this collection of short stories was new. In a sense the circumstances are dated as are the characters but the human condition and emotions are timeless. It’s serious sober writing, with nightmarish scenarios which are intense and dark; of love, philosophy religion and disease, usually TB; an insight of Russia before the revolution. These are classics, compulsory reading for the committed but unlikely to reach mainstream again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Tangled daydreams of hope & melancholy

I don't know how to explain these stories, I don't think I've ever read or listened to anything quite like them. It's a bit like looking into someone else's daydreams. They're full of the mundane and the fantastical. It's a bit like Chekhov imagines the lives of others and lives them for them full of hope and vibrancy in his head, but his melancholy comes through in the background. Maybe it's because Chekhov himself died relatively young and suffered ill health, maybe there's a longing to live.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great stories.

I am not really a fan of short stories but I have enjoyed productions of Chekhov plays, so decided to give this collection a try. I was not disappointed. Some stories are quite long, others are not. But all of them can be appreciated as mini classics, I think, and though they were written a long time ago they do not feel tired or dated. The writing is remarkably fresh, spare and insightful.

Richard Armitage is my favourite narrator and he does another superb job on this production.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful