The Seagull

Written by Anton Chekhov

Narrated by LibriVox Community

The Seagull (Russian: ?????, Chayka) is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The play was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. It dramatises the romantic and artistic conflicts between four characters: the ingenue Nina, the fading leading lady Irina Arkadina, her son the experimental playwright Konstantin Treplyov, and the famous middlebrow story writer Trigorin. (Wikipedia)

Cast:
Irina Arkadina, an actress: Ruth Golding
Constantine Treplieff, her son: mb
Peter Sorin, her brother: Glenn Simonsen
Nina Zarietchnaya, a young girl, the daughter of a rich landowner: Jc Guan
Ilia Shamraeff, the manager of Sorin's estate: John Eddings
Paulina, his wife: TriciaG
Masha, their daughter: Philippa
Boris Trigorin, an author: Derrick George
Eugene Dorn, a doctor: Robert Steiner
Simon Medviedenko, a schoolmaster: Ernst Pattynama
Jacob, a workman: David Muncaster
A cook: Laurie Anne Walden
Stage Directions: Hannah Dowell

Audio edited by mb

• Language: English
• Publisher: LibriVox
• Release date: Aug 25, 2014

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.