Reading Journal: Monday 8th March 2010

First of all, Hi! It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve had the pleasure of scribing a journal entry, and during that time I’ve read a number of bits and pieces – not as much as I normally would because the focus has been more on getting RobAroundBooks to were I wanted it [...]

Chekhov Shorts: Agafya

Title: Agafya
Date Read: 16th February 2010
Word Count: 4047
Briefly: Agafya is the young wife of the village signalman and she’s taken to sneaking off in the night to visit the desirable Savka, who is the watchman for the kitchen gardens of Dubovo. On the night that this story is set Agafya turns up in the [...]

Chekhov Shorts: A Joke

Title: A Joke
Date Read: 16th February 2010
Word Count: 1637
Briefly: Poor old Nadenka is trying to come to terms with her aversion towards cascading down a steep, icy hill on a sledge. She’s coaxed into it however, and after going down a first time she is keen to repeat the ordeal again. Not because she [...]

Reading Journal: Remainder of Week 6 2010

Well what a frustrating week last week turned out to be, at least reading-wise. A former client phoned up on Wednesday night looking for their online catalogue to be updated, and so I spent the remainder of last week doing just that, together with to-ing and fro-ing to the client’s business premises. It’s all [...]

Reading Journal: Tuesday 2nd February 2010

So last Friday (29th) saw the 150th anniversary of Anton Chekhov’s birth. I had wanted to do something special on the day, but alas, time was my greatest enemy. Thankfully, for now, I’m keeping up with my Chekhov Tuesday’s and at least dipping a weekly toe in the pools of Chekhovian delight, and with [...]

Chekhov Shorts: Ivan Matveyitch

Title: Ivan Matveyitch
Date Read: 2nd February 2010
Word Count: 2063
Briefly: Frustrated with the persistent lateness of his young male secretary Ivan Matveyitch, the ‘man of learning’ (for he has no other name) is determined to let his young secretary know that he isn’t too happy.
Afterthoughts: This story is quite enjoyable actually. Not the best story [...]

Chekhov Shorts: Anyuta

Title: Anyuta
Date Read: 2nd February 2010
Word Count: 1543
Briefly: Medical student Stepan Klotchkov is in the throes of exam revision in his rather rundown apartment, when he calls upon his room mate Anyuta to pose as his ‘living skeleton’ for him (so that he can get it clear in his head the exact positioning of [...]

Reading Journal: Tuesday 26th January 2010

Yet another busy but interesting reading day at RobAround Manor. Tuesdays can only mean Chekhov around here, and taking another step towards completing my Checkin’ Off the Chekhov Shorts reading challenge. So I began the day with two Chekhovian short stories which were mildly linked (unintentionally) by the theme of acting. First off was [...]

Chekhov Shorts: The Requiem

Title: The Requiem
Date Read: 26th January 2010
Word Count: 1989
Briefly: Shopkeeper Andrey Andreyitch is waiting for the church to empty at the end of Sunday mass, when he notices an angry Father Grigory beckoning him over. It’s about a note that Andrey handed in before mass, asking for prayers to be given to his [...]

Chekhov Shorts: An Actor’s End

Title: An Actor’s End
Date Read: 26th January 2010
Word Count: 2375
Briefly: After a big row with his manager, Shtchiptsov the actor – a very large and strong yet simple man – storms back to his room to sulk. Visited by one of his colleagues – the comic man Sigaev, Shtchiptsov reveals that he wants to [...]

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