Chekhov Short Stories.
Anton Chekhov · The Russian Reader
Twelve of Chekhov's celebrated short stories in the original Russian, with every multi-syllable word stress-marked, ё restored, and a literal English gloss beneath each line.
173 pages · Paperback & Kindle · Intermediate
the opening of “Смерть чиновника” (The Death of a Clerk)
Twelve stories.
Chekhov's sharpest short fiction, each story with a closing commentary.
Chekhov suits Russian learners unusually well: quick, plain, humane prose that shows how Russians actually speak and think, in stories short enough to finish at a sitting. This volume gathers twelve of his celebrated stories: The Death of a Clerk, A Chameleon, Fat and Thin, The Malefactor and eight more.
The edition is built for reading aloud as much as reading: every multi-syllable word carries its stress mark, and the letter ё, which standard Russian print replaces with е and leaves you to guess, is fully restored. A literal English gloss runs beneath each line, and every story closes with a "What it Means" note on the themes and social hierarchy of nineteenth-century Russia.
- 01Смерть чиновникаThe Death of a Clerk
- 02ХамелеонA Chameleon
- 03Толстый и тонкийFat and Thin
- 04ЗлоумышленникThe Malefactor
- 05…and eight moreEach with a "What it Means" commentary
Every multi-syllable word is stress-marked; the letter ё is fully restored.
Why this edition.
Stress marks everywhere
Russian stress is unpredictable and most editions leave you guessing. Here every multi-syllable word is marked, so you can read aloud with confidence from page one.
ё, restored
Standard Russian print writes ё as е and leaves the pronunciation to you. This edition restores every ё, so what you read is what you say.
The soul of spoken Russian
Chekhov's dialogue and irony are the closest literature comes to how Russians actually talk, an excellent training ground beyond the textbook.
Twelve stories, each finishable
Every story is short enough to finish at a sitting, so each session ends with a complete piece of Chekhov behind you.
Context for the comedy
The "What it Means" notes decode the ranks, manners and social terror of tsarist officialdom that power the jokes.
the complete opening sentence of “Смерть чиновника” (The Death of a Clerk)
The details.
- Series
- The Russian Reader
- Language pair
- Russian–English interlinear
- Pronunciation
- Full stress marks; ё restored
- Format
- Paperback & Kindle
- Print length
- 173 pages
- Source text
- Twelve unabridged stories, original Russian
- Level
- Intermediate (B1)
- Published
- June 2026
- ASIN
- B0H4WV4PVL
More from the press.
Every edition is glossed by hand, word by word, and printed on demand by Amazon.
Read Chekhov Short Stories with every word translated beneath the original.
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