Stephen Fry Presents a Selection of Anton Chekhov's Short Stories

By: Anton Chekov

Narrated by: Stephen Fry

Length: 1 hr and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

"Chekhov is probably better known in Britain for his plays than for his prose. For many, however, it is his short stories that mark the high water of his genius. It might at first glance be hard for those not used to his style of narrative to see what the fuss is about - and fuss there is: for most authors and lovers of literature Chekhov is incomparably the greatest short story writer there ever was. These tales appear to be about nothing. Some seem shockingly short and disarmingly inconsequential. They often fail to provide that sting in the tail or punch in the gut that we associate with the kind of popular Roald Dahl, Somerset Maugham story. But if you let character, observation and language do their work in your mind - hope you will agree with me that no writer captured, mood, moral entanglement, familial love and the pains and joys of humanity quite as well and with quite so much painterly detail, sympathy and fellow-feeling as Anton Chekhov." written by Stephen Fry.

©2008 SamFry Limited (P)2008 HarperCollins Publishers

Sweet voice for each sweet story.

Stephen Fry did a magnificent job. I couldn't get enough. Listened to it during five different running workouts and I could see myself listening to it again and again. He brought the feeling to each short story that I think Chekhov would've intended....

A stellar performance marred by poor editing

Stephen Fry's magnificent performance is marred by sloppy editing. there is no space between stories - less than a normal space between spoken words in a sentence! in at least one instance the last word(s) of a preceding story is clipped. not being a Chekov expert I can't even tell you with confidence that whole words or sentences or paragraphs weren't clipped. VERY off-putting.
..but still, great stories and wonderful performance.

lady and the dog

Stephen Fry is a delightful narrator. Chekhov's short stories never disappoint. They describe Russian life, but also highlight the superficial cares of the rich while giving the poor dignity.

Kudos for Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry is a brilliant narrator. He really brings the stories alive. Tantalising stories of the human condition. Very enjoyable!

A great listen, despite an editing problem

Where does Stephen Fry Presents a Selection of Anton Chekhov's Short Stories rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

From 1 to 10, around a 7

Any additional comments?

There was an issue with the editing. Each time a story ended, there was, literally, no pause of any kind before the next story began. The first syllables of the next story would almost overlap the last syllables of the prior story. This was a little confusing - but otherwise a great listen.

If only there were 1 or 2 seconds of silence

This would have been AMAZING if only the producer had put 1 or 2 seconds between each story. Now they are so scrunched together that the last word of one and the title of the next are hard to understand. No time to cogitate on what happened.

Stephen Fry narates in my head for a while

Chekhov's brilliant stories and Stephen Fry's superb reading performance are one of the best combination audiobook audiences can find. I strongly recommend this audiobook.

great stories well told but tech glitches

as others have pointed out, very annoying how there is not a single second between stories.

Checkov really is the master of short stories

I'm a fan of short stories, but a lazy fan. when I find them dropped in my lap I gobble them up but I don't tend to seek them out, laziness. when I come across a good set, like this one or the short story collection from Ted Chiang, I fall in love with the intimate format all over again.
This collection cements Checkov as the master of the short story. In 5 minutes you come to know the soil of the characters, usually just one or two people in ordinary moments. In these characters you come to find parts of yourself or your friends and family. I can't recommend Checkov enough.
Stephen Fry's narration makes these stories warm and approachable. Checkov is the sort of literature people read in college, but with a familiar voice in your ear you won't be afraid of the journey. Snap this up.

A delight

Stephen Fry never disappoints. The combination of Fry and Chekhov is a happy one with Fry finding the exact right tone to express Chekhov's sly humor, his irony, and his humane view of life.  Often the stories don't appear to have an ending, they just stop.  Sometimes they don't appear to be about much of anything.  And yet they are tiny gems of observation and analysis.

Some of them made me laugh. Some, like Misery, brought me to tears because I understood what Chekhov was saying about loss and the need to make sense of it.  All of them made me smile, either in appreciation or agreement.  Or both.

This was my first foray into Chekhov's short stories, and I was enchanted by them.  I want more.  I hope some of them will be narrated by Stephen Fry.