Chekhov: Scenes from a Life

What made Chekhov tick? We know what made him feel gloomy – his work is full of acutely observed studies of human failings, albeit depicted with warmth and humour. But what served as a positive source of creative inspiration in his life? What moved him?  In answering these questions, Chekhov: Scenes from a Life focuses on the writer's intimate relationship with the places he lived and travelled in: provincial Taganrog and the southern Russian steppes, Moscow, Petersburg, Siberia, the French Riviera and Yalta all held him in their thrall. By looking at his life through the prism of these landscapes, it is possible to gain a far greater insight into one of the most inscrutable and elusive writers who ever lived.  A century after his death Chekhov's writing and world view are as acute as ever, and ripe for rediscovery. Affectionate yet dispassionate, Chekhov: Scenes from a Life restores humour and warmth to a man too often seen as merely melancholic, and reminds us why Raymond Carver described him as ‘the greatest short-story writer who has ever lived’.

About the Author :
Rosamund Bartlett is a cultural historian with a background in Russian studies. She completed her doctorate at Oxford, worked for many years as an academic, and has published several books. As well as her biography of Chekhov:Scenes From a Life she is the author of Tolstoy: A Russian Life, which was longlisted for the 2011 Samuel Johnson Prize.  She has also worked extensively as a translator.  For Oxford World's Classics she has translated Anna Karenina (2014) and a Chekhov anthology, About Love and Other Stories, which was shortlisted for the 2004 Weidenfeld Prize. She is the editor and co-translator of Anton Chekhov: A Life in Letters for Penguin Classics (2004). A new edition of her 2008 Chekhov anthology The Exclamation Mark and Other Stories will be published by Hesperus in September 2025.  Her co-edited Anton Chekhov, Earliest Stories will be published in November 2025 with Cherry Orchard Books, an imprint of Academic Studies Press.  

Review :
'Gives us a real sense of what made Chekhov tick. Dispelling many of the clichés still clinging to him, she brings to life the warmth of a man typically described as frail, gloomy and inscrutable . . . Bartlett's innovative approach underscores the remarkable range of Chekhov's life and work'  ‘Rosamund Bartlett takes an impressionist approach to Chekhov’s life, and it pays off, making for a hugely enjoyable book which is far more interesting than a conventional biography and much more moving. You end up wondering again at Chekhov’s astonishing greatness – man and writer.’  'Bartlett is a distinguished Chekhov translator . . . Enthusiastic [and] colourful . . . Bartlett's lyricism is a pleasure' 'Here is a wonder: a book that delivers more than it promises . . . A remarkable biography about an inspirational artist' 'A brilliant, impressionistic new biography' 'An excellent new biography, in fine Chekhovian style, by a writer with a deep knowledge of Russian culture and nature' 'Delightful . . . Bartlett has succeeded in freeing the playwright from the dead hand of conventional biography . . . it's a treasure'  'Bartlett's efforts should be greeted with prizes and acclaim. She has renewed Chekhov for twenty-first-century readers'