An Inadvertence

Written by Anton Chekhov

Narrated by Max Bollinger

An Inadvertence by Anton Chekhov tells the story of Pyotr Petrovitch Strizhin, who returns home from a christening party after drinking several glasses of alcohol. Desperately craving another drink, he finds what he believes is a bottle of vodka in the cupboard, but it turns out to be paraffin. Upon drinking it, he experiences intense pain and believes he is dying. He goes to his sister-in-law, Dashenka, to say goodbye and confess his mistake. However, instead of offering sympathy, she scolds him for touching the paraffin and being careless with money. In the end, Strizhin realizes that Dashenka cares more about her possessions than his well-being. Read in English, unabridged.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Interactive Media
• Release date: Nov 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781787243453

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.