An Enigmatic Nature

Written by Anton Chekhov

Narrated by Anastasia Bertollo

Anton Chekhhov (1860 – 1904) is one of the most famous dramatist. No one but Chekhov could understand tragedy of small things so finely and clear. His legacy includes the best works of the Russian flash fiction.

"An Enigmatic Nature" is a story of two people talking in a rail-car compartment. The author claims he understands his interlocutors fully and asks her to tell him about her life. As she tells him her way to happiness and how she has been overcoming difficult obstacles to reach it, his confidence in correctness of his opinion about her strengthens.

Until the young lady reveals the reason of her unhappiness at the moment. The short story shows in a simplified way how we may be surprised by someone we think we know entirely. It will cheer you up and set you thinking as well.

A SmartTouch Media production.

• Language: English
• Publisher: SmartTouch Media
• Release date: Jan 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781467605861

Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) was a Russian doctor, short-story writer, and playwright. Born in the port city of Taganrog, Chekhov was the third child of Pavel, a grocer and devout Christian, and Yevgeniya, a natural storyteller. His father, a violent and arrogant man, abused his wife and children and would serve as the inspiration for many of the writer’s most tyrannical and hypocritical characters. Chekhov studied at the Greek School in Taganrog, where he learned Ancient Greek. In 1876, his father’s debts forced the family to relocate to Moscow, where they lived in poverty while Anton remained in Taganrog to settle their finances and finish his studies. During this time, he worked odd jobs while reading extensively and composing his first written works. He joined his family in Moscow in 1879, pursuing a medical degree while writing short stories for entertainment and to support his parents and siblings. In 1876, after finishing his degree and contracting tuberculosis, he began writing for St. Petersburg’s Novoye Vremya, a popular paper which helped him to launch his literary career and gain financial independence. A friend and colleague of Leo Tolstoy, Maxim Gorky, and Ivan Bunin, Chekhov is remembered today for his skillful observations of everyday Russian life, his deeply psychological character studies, and his mastery of language and the rhythms of conversation.