(George Butchard’s article appeared in Russia Beyond the Headlines, 12/14.)
Beloved by audiences the world over for his plays, Chekhov’s short stories are less well known outside Russia, and his earliest works – some 528 of them – have never been systematically translated into English. The prolific Russian translator Constance Garnett published 144 between 1906 and 1922, and others have since added to this tally, but no definitive anthology has yet been produced.
Never done before
These stories date from the period 1880-1888, when Chekhov was supporting his family mainly through writing, publishing in periodicals under various pseudonyms such as “Man Without a Spleen” and “My Brother’s Brother.” Often darkly comic and satirical, the stories explore profound issues of human existence without becoming judgmental.
Source: Russia Beyond the Headlines – http://rbth.com/literature/2014/12/12/bringing_early_chekhov_to_an_english-speaking_readership_42205.html)