Sunday, January 31, 2010

Chekhov’s 150th and NOSE Award Winners

As a late celebration of Anton Chekhov’s 150th birthday, which was January 29, today I reread “Пари” (“The Bet”), a very short story that I enjoyed in sixth grade. I think it must have been the first piece of Russian literature that I ever read… if I don’t count my beloved Baba Yaga tales.

The bet in “The Bet” originates with a conversation about capital punishment and imprisonment. The bet involves one man volunteering (with the hope of a fat payoff) for a long stretch of solitary confinement. The end gave our teacher a perfect chance to explain irony, though I seem to recall that “a priori” was far more problematic. The wonder of Chekhov is that “The Bet” was simple enough to discuss in sixth grade but doesn’t feel simplistic all these years later.

I’d love to hear readers’ Chekhov recommendations. “Дама с собачкой” (“The Lady with the Little Dog”) and Палата No. 6 (Ward No. 6) are two of my old favorites. I never seem to read enough Chekhov, but I’m hoping to get to some new novellas – Степь (The Steppe) and Дуэль (The Duel) – this year.

On a more contemporary note, Elena Eltang won the first-ever NOSE Award for her novel Каменные клены (The Stone Maples). I’m not sure, but I think this must be the only Russian novel that includes a bed and breakfast in the Welsh moors. Winner of the readers’ award was Vladimir Sorokin’s Сахарный Кремль (Sugar Kremlin). I listed the award finalists in this previous post and wrote about the award itself here. The NOSE award winner were determined through open debate with prize finalists present.

Posted by Lisa C. Hayden at 7:07 PM

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11 comments:

  1. Amateur Reader (Tom)January 31, 2010 at 11:45 PM

    "In the Ravine" is excellent - Chekhov at his most symbolically complicated.

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  2. Lisa C. HaydenFebruary 1, 2010 at 8:46 AM

    Thank you for the suggestion, AR... I've never read this one, and it's in the collection I bought last year.

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  3. jon faithFebruary 2, 2010 at 7:34 PM

    It may be symptomatic of Chekhov's effect, but i have an unusually amazing recall of the locations of my reading two of his stories. I read lady with Little Dog in a supermarket parking lot during the summer and felt myself blushing by its materia. Youth.

    I read The grasshopper at crowded pub in my 20s and I was so overwrought I elft, soaking in its aftermath as I walked home. Wow.

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  4. Lisa C. HaydenFebruary 3, 2010 at 9:10 AM

    Thank you for the comment, Jon. Yes, it's strange sometimes how vivid reading memories can be: I'm glad those Chekhov stories were so memorable for you!

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  5. UnknownFebruary 5, 2010 at 5:30 PM

    I recently re-read a number of his stories -- "The Black Monk," "The Two Volodyas," and "A Dull Story" (aka "A Dreary Story") struck me speechless. And I've always loved "Gooseberries" and "The Name-Day Party."

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  6. Lisa C. HaydenFebruary 6, 2010 at 6:41 PM

    Thank you for adding your story favorites, Sonya! I don't think I've ever read "The Black Monk" but it's also in my collection, so I'll have to mark that one, too. I have also always loved "Gooseberries."

    I understand that speechlessness after reading Chekhov's stories: I felt the same way when I read "Ionich" last year.

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  7. ChristianFebruary 7, 2010 at 9:58 PM

    I loved Ed Sanders' book Chekhov. He was a classics major at Berkeley before starting the Fugs.

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  8. Lisa C. HaydenFebruary 8, 2010 at 8:09 PM

    Thank you for mention the book, Novelismo! What an unusual-sounding take on Chekhov's biography...

    Here's the Amazon listing for anyone who's interested:

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  9. UnknownFebruary 9, 2010 at 12:52 AM

    Lizka, you won't believe it! My brother Casey and I both read "The Bet" at the beginning of this year too! And we also both found ourselves more perplexed by the ironic ending. And the abrupt beginning.
    That was just a strange coincidence that I thought I would mention to you. Casey and I constantly argue over whether any given situation is, indeed, ironic, or just coincidental.

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  10. ChristianFebruary 9, 2010 at 6:00 AM

    Well, everyone has inspired me to read a lot more Chekhov ... the rest of what I haven't read! And to finish up with Gogol and Goncharov as well ... many thanks!

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  11. Lisa C. HaydenFebruary 9, 2010 at 9:03 AM

    @ Melissa: I'm glad to hear you and Casey also read "The Bet"! Let me know about your other reading adventures when you have a chance.

    @Novelismo: You're very welcome. I hope you enjoy all your Russian reading.

    All these comments and recommendations are fun, particularly because they remind me of how much Chekhov I haven't yet read... despite taking a Chekhov course in college. I have a nice, thick Chekhov collection and may try slipping a story or novella into my reading every month or two, so there could be lots more Chekhov posts in my future.

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