Anton Chekhov: A Life

Great reading for those interested in Russian literature and history. Extremely detailed and meticulous description of Russian literature and theatrical circles of late 19-th century through the life of Anton Chekhov, his family and friends. Huge amount of rare documents cited and commented. Very impressive job indeed. The only hitch I could found was about the rout supposedly taken by the heroes of "Steppe". The trip from Taganrog to Kiev, as the author states (p.163, here and below sited by: «Anton Chekhov: a life" HarperCollins h/c edition), was hardly possible technically in the time limit of the story, and the landscape there is quite different from that described by Chekhov. The more probable route was from near Lugansk southward to Rostov-na-Donu. The latter city grew very rapidly at the times of Chekhov that also can explain why the hero was send there to study. Another reason for this destination is that Chekhov himself has close relatives in Rostov-na-Donu (an uncle) and probably knew the city well (see p.6).

I say sadly because Rayfield really isn't a very good writer. His style is clumsy, and he has no idea how to maintain any sort of narrative. He just throws facts at you. People are mentioned for a few lines and then reintroduced chapters later as if we're supposed to remember who they are. All over the book sentences crop up that are near impossible to figure out. Also, considering how much of Chekhov's personal writing survives, there aren't nearly enough excerpts from his notebooks and letters. The few quotes that are there are so fascinating that they're worth the slog through Rayfield's masses of detail.The worst sin that he commits is that he doesn't much seem to like his subject, and invests most of his energy in making Chekhov look bad. To some extent, Chekhov needs some demythologizing, because too many people have made a saint out of him. Rayfield provides plenty of evidence that Chekhov wasn't the kindhearted conscience of Russian literature that people make him out to be - he led on a lot of women, wasn't particularly faithful to the people that loved him, and had a cruel streak. But there are lots of times when Rayfield goes out of his way to push a certain interpretation on the reader. "Chekhov's response was brutal," he insists, without providing any evidence - or, on occasion, actually quoting a letter that doesn't seem to justify his interpretation of Chekhov's bad behavior at all.In fact, Rayfield really doesn't know how to marshall his evidence to support his statements. He seems also to dislike Olga Knipper, Anton's wife, and keeps insisting that the marriage was unhappy, and that Chekhov really didn't seem to love her, without showing us why this has to be true. Indeed, much of the material that he gives us seems to indicate the opposite.But now comes the Sadly. This is really the only biography that gives you the entire story about Chekhov. Too much about Chekhov sexual drives is left out of other biographies, and as Rayfield pretty conclusively demonstrates, this drive was a major part of Anton's life and motivations. And, for all of his faults, Rayfield really has dug deeper and found out more than any other biographer. From the teachers at Chekhov's school in Taganrog to, well, a host of other occasionally interesting trivia, Rayfield just has more. Until someone else comes along and tries to animate all this material into a biography that's actually enjoyable to read, Rayfield is all there is. Chekhov's letters provide a better introduction to his life, but anyone that really wants to go behind the mask needs to read this book.

This is a book that grows and grows on the reader. At first I was put off by the book's clumsy style and by the brutality (really unforgivable) of Chekhov's father Pavel. Then I got "hooked" on Anton's fierce ambition joined to his extraordinary sweetness of temper; until, when he contracts TB and finally marries Olga Knipper, I was wholly sympathetic to him, his milieu, and his struggle to create masterpieces like THE CHERRY ORCHARD. A friend said of him, "Why are such precious contents locked up in such a frail vessel?" (p. 581). The author provides little interpretation of personalities and events; rather, he uses letters (thousands of them) to create, like a mosaic, the rich beauty of Chekhov's personality and the flowering of his genius. Highly recommended. -- Michael Squires, Ph.D.