This collection contains the following thirteen stories: The House with the Mezzanine Peasants Man in a Case Gooseberries About Love A Visit to Friends Ionych My Life The Lady with the Little Dog In the Ravine Disturbing the Balance The Bishop The Bride In the final years of his life, Chekhov produced some of the stories that rank among his masterpieces, and some of the most highly-rega This collection contains the following thirteen stories: The House with the Mezzanine Peasants Man in a Case Gooseberries About Love A Visit to Friends Ionych My Life The Lady with the Little Dog In the Ravine Disturbing the Balance The Bishop The Bride In the final years of his life, Chekhov produced some of the stories that rank among his masterpieces, and some of the most highly-regarded works in Russian literature. The poignant The Lady with the Little Dog and About Love examine the nature of love outside of marriage - its romantic idealism and the fear of disillusionment. And in stories such as Peasants, The House with the Mezzanine and My Life Chekhov paints a vivid picture of the conditions of the poor and of their powerlessness in the face of exploitation and hardship. With the works collected here, Chekhov moved away from the realism of his earlier tales - developing a broader range of characters and subject matter, while forging the spare minimalist style that would inspire such modern short-story writers as Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner. In this edition Ronald Wilkss translation is accompanied by an introduction in which Paul Debreczeny discusses the themes that Chekhov adopted in his mature work. This edition also includes a publishing history and notes for each story, a chronology and further reading.