The Darling and Other Stories

What It's About

This collection gathers ten short stories, including "The Darling," "Ariadne," "Anyuta," and the longer novella-length piece "Three Years." Across them, Chekhov turns his attention to marriage, romantic self-deception, and the quiet compromises of provincial and middle-class Russian life. Rather than dramatic plots, the stories build through closely observed detail and understated irony, following characters whose self-image rarely matches how they're seen by others or by the reader.

Key Concepts

Recurring concerns include the emptiness of conventional domestic roles, the gap between how people present themselves and their inner motives, and the slow erosion of youthful ideals by habit and circumstance. Chekhov is often sympathetic to his characters even while exposing their vanity or self-delusion, and the stories are notable for resisting neat moral judgments.

About the Author

Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) was a Russian physician and writer, widely regarded as one of the greatest short story writers and playwrights in world literature. He trained and briefly practised as a doctor while building his literary career, and his work is known for its restrained, objective style and its refusal to offer easy resolutions.

About This Edition

This is a 1916 translation by Constance Garnett.