The Kiss and Other Stories

Russian writer Anton Chekhov, full name Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904) is one of the greatest short story writers of world literature. Influenced by the venerated Russian masters, Nikolai Gogol and Fyodor Dostoevsky, Chekhov wrote hundreds of stories and novellas, tracing the trajectory of ordinary lives, capturing the vastness and backwardness of remote Russian provinces, shining the spotlight on bureaucratic apathy and corruption and the Russian obsession with rank, poignantly evoking a specific time and place through meticulous observation and telling detail. In Chekhov’s stories, an overt plot often hints at hidden stories, giving readers plenty of room to make use of their imagination. Chekhov displays deeply felt empathy and compassion for those who suffer misfortunes while managing to find human traits in the ones he dislikes. His canvas is wide – encompassing everything from happiness and intense suffering to slapstick humour. This collection includes some of Anton Chekhov’s finest stories including ‘The Dual,’ ‘The Lady with the Dog,’ ‘Betrothed,’‘Gooseberries,’‘TheKiss,’‘Fatand Thin,’and ‘The Trousseau’.