Happiness

Written by Anton Chekhov

Narrated by Dave Courvoisier

On a quiet, still night when the stars speckle the sky, two shepherds, one old and one young, watch over their flock of sheep. While the two shepherds are laying down keeping watch, a wealthy overseer pays them a visit. The overseer, who has come from Kovylyevsky fields, reminds the old shepherd of the evil and mysterious man who died there. While talking about the evil man, who seems magical, the overseer and young shepherd learn that there are treasures buried in the lands surrounding them. The old shepherd reveals that this evil man had the power to see these treasures, which magic kept hidden, but that he refused to dig them up or show anyone else where they were. Quickly, all three men begin thinking of the treasure and the happiness, or lack thereof, that it could bring.
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) was a Russian writer best known for his plays and short stories. Although he attended school to be a doctor, a few years after earning his degree, he began writing short comedic pieces for journals. After mastering these short sketches, he eventually moved on to more serious works with heavier topics. Many of these serious works, however, still utilized subtle humor.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ascent Audio
• Release date: Sep 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781469091846

Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov was born in Taganrog, in southern Russia, and in his youth paid for his own education and supported his entire family by writing short, satirical sketches of Russian life. Though he eventually became a physician and once considered medicine his principal career, he continued to gain popularity and praise as a writer for various Russian newspapers, eventually authoring more literary work and ultimately his most well-known plays, including Ivanov, The Seagull, and Uncle Vanya. He died of tuberculosis in 1904, and is regarded as one of the best short story writers in history, influencing such authors as Ernest Hemingway, Vladimir Nabokov, and Raymond Carver.