November 2025
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    Hey everyone!

    I’m planning to start reading Chekhov’s short stories and I want to buy one of the two books that contains a selection of Chekov's stories, but I’m stuck choosing between two major translation collections.

    There's the "Fifty-Two Stories" Penguin Classics, which is based on Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translation. There's also "The Greatest Short Stories of Anton Chekhov" containing 50 short stories based on Constance Garnett's translation.

    I’ve heard mixed reviews about both. For example, Pevear and Volokhonsky are said to be more literal and faithful to the Russian text, while Garnett’s translations are often described as smoother and more natural in English, though maybe a bit old-fashioned.

    For those who’ve read Chekhov in translation, which one would you recommend? And if there’s a third translation you think does Chekhov even more justice, I’d love to hear about it.

    Thanks in advance.

    by THS119

    1 Comment

    1. I almost feel like you can’t go wrong! I’ve only read the penguin edition and i adored it so take from that what you will. 

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