Small Fry, Anton Chekhov
Small Fry, Anton Chekhov
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Small Fry

Author: Anton Chekhov

Narrator: Max Bollinger

Unabridged: 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/22/2018

Synopsis

In "Small Fry" by Anton Chekhov, Nevyrazimov, a petty clerk, spends Easter in a desolate office. While writing a congratulatory letter, he grapples with envy for those reveling outside. The narrative captures the stark contrast between Nevyrazimov's dreary existence and the vibrant celebrations of Easter. As the chimes resonate, he contemplates theft as an escape from his monotonous life, highlighting the societal disparities and the quest for joy amid mundane routines. Chekhov's tale explores the human struggle for happiness in the face of societal inequities. Read in English, unabridged.

About Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) was a Russian short story writer, playwright, and physician, considered to be one of the greatest short story writers in the history of world literature. His career as a dramatist produced four classics-The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard-and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics alike. Initially, Chekhov wrote stories solely for financial gain, but as his artistic ambition grew, he made formal innovations that have influenced the evolution of the modern short story. His originality consists in an early use of the stream-of-consciousness technique, later adopted by James Joyce and other modernists, combined with a disavowal of the moral finality of traditional story structure. He made no apologies for the difficulties this posed to readers, insisting that the role of an artist was to ask questions, not to answer them. Chekhov published over a hundred short stories, including "The Duel," "In Exile," "On Official Business," "The Bishop," and "The Cobbler and the Devil."

Reviews

Goodreads review by HR

Just thoughts . Do not expect to get anything else. Just natural thoughts. And anything natural is good.......more

Goodreads review by Aditya

A line that made me chuckle: "Even if stealing is an easy matter, hiding is what's difficult. Men run away to America, they say, with what they have stolen, but the devil knows where that blessed America is. One must have education even to steal, it seems."......more

Goodreads review by Humpty

Summary: This is the story of a man who is struggling through his professional life. His monetary needs have forced him to work on the Easter Eve, writing a Best Wishes letter in a dull and gloomy office with a cockroach moving on his table and a smoking kerosene lamp about to go off. The man loathe......more

Goodreads review by Noor

"And the duty-room looked like such a wasteland to him that he felt pity not only for himself but even for the cockroach … “I’ll finish my duty and leave, but he’ll spend his whole cockroach life on duty here,”.. ... ... With the palm of his hand he spitefully swatted the cockroach, which had had the mi......more

Goodreads review by John

I read the Alma Publication with a translation bt Stephen Pimenoff. These vignettes were written early in Chekhov's literary career and he later disowned them. He is being unfair to himself. These are brief and light portraits of Russian life which are often funny and occasionally tragic. They demon......more

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