This is a thought-provoking collection of 12 Anton Chekhov stories, all of them set in pre-revolution Russia. The only story that borders on the short novella genre is Three Years; all other stories are short, crisp and yet, surprisingly, vivid. Chekhov makes us reflect on life, death, friendship, marriage, love, hatred, capitalism, serfdom, servitude, freedom, and so much more in this collection. Chekhov’s writing style packs evocative realism, and forces us to reflect on human nature, without telling the reader everything.