Anton Chekhov, Selected Stories: weeklong intensive January 2028
From the late 1870s until his death in 1904, Anton Chekhov wrote over 300 short stories and literary sketches. Building on the great tradition of 19th century Russian literature initiated by Pushkin, Gogol, Leskov, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy, Chekhov’s unique portrayals of human nature and human relationships shaped the way 20th century writers from James Joyce and Ernest Hemmingway, Flannery O’Connor and Eudora Welty all approached their craft. Indeed, the American short story as we know it today owes more to Chekhov’s influence than to any other single writer.
In our intensive week together we will look closely at six of his greatest works from the height of his career. Chekhov wrote with intensive sensitivity to the details of landscapes and architecture, psychology and interpersonal relations, bringing his training as a doctor to his literary brilliance to create a series of portraits of the human condition which are at once scientific and artistic, analytic and compassionate, and always deeply insightful.
Chekhov famously wrote, in one of the stories we’ll read together this week, that “books are the scores, while conversation is the singing.” Through our shared conversations, we’ll endeavor to discover the music of Chekhov’s stories and experience the shared humanity of characters who came to life through his writing over 100 years ago but feel just as alive to us today as they were then.
Participation in this symposium is by invitation only. For more information, please contact the Academic Director at dcarl.ici@protonmail.com
