wshier's review against another edition
3.0
They do mean complete! It includes sketches, initial drafts, variations, etc. along with commentary on each piece. I skimmed a lot of the "humorous dialogues" and such and focused on the main course--The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard. I cannot really comment on the translation other than to say I found it very readable. I enjoyed all, but I prefer his short stories.
zoes_human's review against another edition
4.0
If you're looking for a gift for a theater-lover, this collection is well worth your consideration.
First of all, the translations are wonderful. Russian is difficult to translate into English. Chekhov even more so than others because he does such clever things with his language. However, Mr. Senelick does his best to capture the spirit of Chekhov's language and, when all else fails, uses footnotes to explain that which simply cannot be translated. I must admit to being disappointed that he appears to have never translated his short fiction.
Another exceptional thing about this book is the inclusion of variants. A theater-lover would easily be able to see a variety of subtle nuances from various performances. Combine this with introductions covering the social circumstances surrounding each play and you'd be hard pressed to find a single tome that could offer a more thorough examination of the plays of Anton Chekhov than this one.
First of all, the translations are wonderful. Russian is difficult to translate into English. Chekhov even more so than others because he does such clever things with his language. However, Mr. Senelick does his best to capture the spirit of Chekhov's language and, when all else fails, uses footnotes to explain that which simply cannot be translated. I must admit to being disappointed that he appears to have never translated his short fiction.
Another exceptional thing about this book is the inclusion of variants. A theater-lover would easily be able to see a variety of subtle nuances from various performances. Combine this with introductions covering the social circumstances surrounding each play and you'd be hard pressed to find a single tome that could offer a more thorough examination of the plays of Anton Chekhov than this one.
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